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Importance:
There is growing evidence for the health benefits associated with social, cultural, and community engagement (SCCE), including for supporting healthy behaviors. However, health care utilization is an important health behavior that has not been investigated in association with SCCE.

Objective:
To examine the associations between SCCE and health care utilization.

Design, Setting, and Participants:
This population-based cohort study used data from the 2008 to 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a longitudinal panel study using a nationally representative sample of the US population aged 50 years and older. Participants were eligible if they reported SCCE and health care utilization in the relevant HRS waves. Data were analyzed from July to September 2022.

Exposures:
SCCE was measured with a 15-item Social Engagement scale (including community, cognitive, creative, or physical activities) at baseline (frequency) and longitudinally over 4 years (no, consistent, increased, or decreased engagement).

Main Outcomes and Measures:
Health care utilization was assessed in association with SCCE within 4 overarching categories: inpatient care (ie, hospital stays, hospital readmissions, length of hospital stays), outpatient care (ie, outpatient surgery, physician visits, number of physician visits), dental care (including dentures), and community health care (ie, home health care, nursing home stays, nights in a nursing home).

What They Found:
Higher engagement in social, cultural, and community activities was linked to fewer hospital stays and nursing home admissions. It was also tied to more routine healthcare use like outpatient visits and dental care.

Why It Matters:
Creative engagement can spark a virtuous cycle of health behaviors that encourage preventive activities while reducing more expensive interventions.

How You Can Use This:
Results showing both cost savings and healthier aging are great for making the case for the value of creative aging programs. Use this kind of data to help funders, policymakers, and community organizations see the return on investment.

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