DYNAMIC, BIDIRECTIONAL LONGITUDINAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEISURE ACTIVITY ENGAGEMENT AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE

Abstract Engagement in leisure activities, i.e., intellectual, social, and physical activities, may reduce the risk of incident dementia, yet little is known about the longitudinal, dynamic relationship between overall leisure activity engagement and cognition in older adulthood. Using data from a survey measure of 13 leisure activities, e.g., doing unpaid volunteer work and playing cards, games, or bingo, and a neuropsychological battery collected concurrently over 14 years from 2,259 multi-ethnic participants (mean age of 76.0 years) in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project, we used a parallel process latent growth curve model of trajectories of both leisure activity engagement and cognitive z-scores (global cognitive performance, language, memory, and visuospatial ability). Estimates were adjusted for baseline age, years of education, sex, race/ethnicity, recruitment year, occupation (unskilled, skilled, and housewife), and baseline income. More baseline activity engagement (range, 0-13, higher indicating more engagement) was associated with higher baseline cognitive performance, i.e., global cognitive performance (estimate=0.129, standard error, SE=0.017, p<0.001), language (estimate=0.146, SE=0.020, p<0.001), memory (estimate=0.141, SE=0.025, p<0.001), and visuospatial ability (estimate=0.111, SE=0.020, p<0.001). Decline in leisure activity engagement were associated with decline in global cognitive performance (estimate=0.002, SE=0.000, p<0.001), language (estimate=0.002, SE=0.000, p<0.001), memory (estimate=0.002, SE=0.001, p<0.001), and visuospatial ability (estimate=0.001, SE=0.000, p=0.001). While both level and change in overall leisure activity engagement and cognitive performance were correlated, level of one did not predict change in the other. Similar relationships were found when examining leisure activity categories. This suggests a dynamic, bidirectional relationship between leisure activity engagement and cognitive performance among older adults.

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The relation of close friends to cognitive performance in old age: the mediating role of leisure activities

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610218000789 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 30 (12) ◽

pp. 1753-1758 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Andreas Ihle ◽

Michel Oris ◽

Marie Baeriswyl ◽

Matthias Kliegel

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Old Age ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Point Of View ◽

Activity Engagement ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Trail Making ◽

The One

ABSTRACTBackground:From a conceptual point of view, close friends are an important resource for promoting activity engagement in old age. Leisure activity engagement in turn is a key predictor of cognitive performance. Empirically, it remains unclear so far whether leisure activity engagement mediates between having close friends on the one hand and cognitive performance on the other, which we investigated in a large sample of older adults.Methods:We assessed cognitive performance (Mill Hill vocabulary scale and Trail Making Test (TMT) parts A and B) in 2,812 older adults. Participants reported information on leisure activity engagement and close friends.Results:A larger number of leisure activities and a larger number of close friends were significantly related to better cognitive performance in the Mill Hill vocabulary scale and TMT parts A and B. A larger number of close friends were significantly related to a larger number of leisure activities. The number of leisure activities mediated more than half of the relation of the number of close friends to performance in all three cognitive measures.Conclusions:Having close friends may be helpful to stimulate and promote activity participation in old age. By enhancing individuals’ cognitive reserve, this may finally preserve their cognitive performance level in old age.

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Leisure and Social Supports in Relation to Positive Affect Among Older Adults

Journal of Applied Gerontology ◽

10.1177/0733464821990485 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 073346482199048

Author(s):

Sunwoo Lee ◽

Jungsu Ryu ◽

Jinmoo Heo

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Older Adults ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Well Being ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Social Exchanges ◽

Using Data

The current study examined the extent to which leisure activities were related to different forms of social support and its association with positive affect. A secondary data analysis was employed using data drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in 2014. The study sample was composed of 4,303 individuals whose ages ranged from 65 to 105 ( M = 75.78, SD = 7.42; 57.8% females). Employing bootstrapping technique, the hypothesized relationship between leisure, social support, and positive affect was examined. Mediating effect of social support was also determined. Results indicated that leisure activity, social support, and positive affect were significantly associated, but the relationship varied. The study findings expanded our understanding of the divergent leisure paths to positive social support and emotional well-being of the older adults. Promoting diverse recreational settings is necessary in leisure interventions that can facilitate frequent and positive social exchanges in both in-home and out-of-home environments.

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Leisure Activity Engagement Among the Oldest Old in China, 1998–2018

American Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2105/ajph.2020.305798 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 110 (10) ◽

pp. 1535-1537

Author(s):

Qiushi Feng ◽

Joelle H. Fong ◽

Wei Zhang ◽

Changxi Liu ◽

Huashuai Chen

Keyword(s):

Chinese Women ◽

Oldest Old ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

The Elderly ◽

Activity Engagement ◽

The Past ◽

Healthy Longevity ◽

Final Sample ◽

Elderly Chinese

Objectives. To examine the trends of leisure activity engagement among the oldest old in China for the past 2 decades. Methods. Our panel data came from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, which systematically asked respondents about their current participation in leisure activities over a 20-year period. The final sample contained 66 789 interviews from 1998 to 2018. We applied generalized estimating equations regression models in our analysis. Results. Compared with 1998, odds ratios of television watching among Chinese oldest old individuals increased by about 2 to 3 times in 2018. Meanwhile, the odds ratio of exercise declined by 24%, mostly in men; playing cards and mah-jongg declined by about 30% for men. Results also showed that reading became less popular in the oldest old, and Chinese women tended to do more housework than before. Conclusions. Our findings indicated that Chinese oldest old persons have become more sedentary and solitary in the past 2 decades. The negative trend in leisure activity engagement among the elderly Chinese population warrants policy attention, and the urgent development of public health interventions is required to reverse such trends.

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A Study on Types of Leisure Index Based on National Leisure Activities Survey 2019 in Korea

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13073619 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 3619

Author(s):

Jongsoon Kim ◽

Saesook Oh ◽

Boonhong Yeon

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Local Community ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Condition Index ◽

Leisure Constraints ◽

Resource Index ◽

Using Data ◽

Activity Survey

This study investigated differences in main purposes of leisure activities, leisure constraints, and the quality of life among segmented clusters based on leisure condition index, leisure resource index, and leisure attitude index utilizing Korean Better Leisure Index (K-BLI). Characteristics of each cluster were aggregated for profiling using data from the ⎡National Leisure Activity Survey 2019⎦ in Korea. Results of this study provide room for debate and response regarding leisure experience and sustainability of recreation service in local community based on characteristics of each cluster. This study semanticized adults living in Gyeonggi-do having the highest population density in Korea by conducting K-means clustering. This study segmented subjects into three clusters. Characteristics of each cluster were determined and t-test was conducted to determine associations among the main purpose of leisure activities, leisure constraints, and quality of life. As a result, adults living in Gyeonggi-do were divided into “dissatisfaction with leisure resource”, “dissatisfaction with the quality of life”, and “sensitive to the leisure constraints” clusters. Their desire for improvement for quality of life and leisure activity were definitely clear. This means that results of this study through segmentation based on leisure index are meaningful as baseline data to suggest an actual policy plan.

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Depressive Symptoms, Leisure Activity Engagement, and Global Cognition in Non-Hispanic White and Black Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.2219 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 581-582

Author(s):

A Zarina Kraal ◽

Laura Zahodne ◽

Neika Sharifian

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Negative Association ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Activity Engagement ◽

Global Cognition

Abstract Prior research has linked more depressive symptoms to worse global cognition in older adulthood through lower leisure activity engagement. Less is known regarding which types of activities drive these associations. Additionally, depressive symptoms disproportionately affect cognition in Non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) versus Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). This cross-sectional study used data from the Michigan Cognitive Aging Project (n=453, 52% NHB, Mage=63.60 years) to examine whether distinct leisure activities (solitary-cognitive, solitary-creative, community-social, physical, intergenerational-social, cognitive-games) mediated the association between depressive symptoms and global cognition and whether race moderated these associations. Lower engagement in solitary-cognitive activities partially mediated the negative association between depressive symptoms and global cognition. In multi-group models, this indirect effect was only evident in NHBs, who showed a stronger negative association between depressive symptoms and activity engagement than NHWs. While cross-sectional, findings indicate that depressive symptoms may negatively impact cognition by reducing engagement in activities that promote cognitive reserve.

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The longitudinal relation between social reserve and smaller subsequent decline in executive functioning in old age is mediated via cognitive reserve

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610219001789 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andreas Ihle ◽

Michel Oris ◽

Marie Baeriswyl ◽

Sascha Zuber ◽

Stéphane Cullati ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Functioning ◽

Old Age ◽

Completion Time ◽

Cognitive Reserve ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Change Score ◽

Subsequent Increase ◽

Activity Engagement ◽

Mediating Role

ABSTRACT Objectives: Social reserve such as having close friends helps promoting activity engagement in old age. Activity engagement in turn contributes to the accumulation of cognitive reserve and is a key predictor for maintaining executive functioning in aging. We investigated the mediating role of leisure activity engagement in the longitudinal relation between close friends and subsequent change in executive functioning as measured through performance changes in the Trail Making Test (TMT). Design, Setting, and Participants: Longitudinal study with 897 older adults tested in two waves 6 years apart, analyzed using latent change score modeling. Measurements: TMT parts A and B, leisure activity engagement, and close friends. Results: A larger number of close friends in the first wave of data collection was related to a higher frequency of leisure activities in the first wave. A higher frequency of leisure activities in the first wave significantly predicted a smaller subsequent increase in TMT completion time from the first to the second wave (i.e. a smaller decline in executive functioning). Importantly, 41.3% of the longitudinal relation between a larger number of close friends in the first wave and a smaller subsequent increase in TMT completion time (i.e. a smaller decline in executive functioning) was mediated via a higher frequency of leisure activities in the first wave. Conclusions: Social reserve such as having close friends may help promoting activity engagement in old age. By enhancing individuals’ cognitive reserve, this activity engagement may finally result in smaller subsequent decline in executive functioning in aging.

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Leisure activities and depressive symptoms in older adults with cognitive complaints

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610215001246 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 63-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Gina Poelke ◽

Maria I. Ventura ◽

Amy L. Byers ◽

Kristine Yaffe ◽

Rebecca Sudore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Mental Activity ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Cognitive Complaints ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Activity Engagement ◽

Increased Risk

ABSTRACTBackground:Depressive symptoms are common in older adults and associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment. Leisure activities are often promoted for individuals with mood symptoms but few studies compare the effects of different types of leisure activities on reducing depressive symptoms.Methods:Data were analyzed from participants enrolled from 2008–2009 in the Mental Activity and eXercise (MAX) Trial, which examined the effects of physical plus mental activity over 12 weeks in inactive older adults with cognitive complaints. There were no significant differences between intervention groups on the primary outcome of cognitive function or the secondary outcome of depressive symptoms; therefore, all participants were combined for the current analyses in which we examined changes in leisure activity engagement (Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS)), and changes in depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)) as a function of changes in leisure activity engagement from baseline to post-intervention.Results:Participants’ mean age was 73.0 years, 61.6% were female, and 63.6% were non-Hispanic white. There was a significant change in total hours per week engaged in leisure activities from baseline (36.7 hours, SD = 12.7) to post-intervention (40.4 hours, SD = 15.7; pairedt-testp= 0.02), and mean change in depressive symptoms was significantly inversely correlated with change in leisure activity hours such that increases in total leisure activity were associated with decreases in depressive symptoms (r= −0.21,p= 0.04).Conclusions:Increasing the total amount of leisure activity levels may help lower depressive symptoms in inactive older adults with cognitive complaints.

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Cognitive Functioning When Retiring: Findings From a Swedish Population-Based Longitudinal Study

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1498 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 462-463

Author(s):

Linn Elena Zulka ◽

Isabelle Hansson ◽

Valgeir Thorvaldsson ◽

Linda B Hassing

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Job Demands ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Cognitive Change ◽

Population Based ◽

Work Demands ◽

Swedish Population ◽

Activity Engagement ◽

Before And After

Abstract The effects of retirement on cognition are still unclear and empirical evidence is conflicting. Especially for retirement from cognitively demanding jobs, positive as well as negative effects have been reported. Leisure activity engagement has been hypothesized to play an important role in explaining the mixed evidence. In this study, we examine the interplay between job demands before retirement and changes in leisure activities before and after retirement and their relation to post-retirement cognitive functioning. Using data from the HEalth, Aging and Retirement in Sweden (HEARTS) study, cognitive trajectories before and after retirement were modeled in a multi-level piecewise model (N = 2688 observations). Post-retirement memory and reasoning ability were predicted by self-reported work demands and changes in leisure activity engagement. Results imply a stable increase in memory over the retirement transition and less steep increase in abstract reasoning after retirement. Work demands and leisure activity participation were not related to post-retirement cognitive change. Job demands and leisure activity engagement may not play an important role for short-term post-retirement cognitive functioning. These findings support the conclusion that retirement, independent of prior work demands, does not affect cognitive functioning negatively.

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Life transitions and leisure activity engagement in later life: findings from the Consumption and Activities Mail Survey (CAMS)

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x17000216 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (8) ◽

pp. 1603-1623 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

YURA LEE ◽

JOOHONG MIN ◽

IRIS CHI

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Marital Status ◽

Labour Force ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Mail Survey ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Later Life ◽

Activity Engagement ◽

Never Married

ABSTRACTThis study examined engagement in leisure activities among older adults, specifically focusing on how life transition factors in later life, including retirement and marital status, are associated with leisure activity engagement using a national sample of older American men and women. We conducted multiple regression analyses with a sample of 5,405 individuals (2,318 men; 3,087 women) from the Consumption and Activities Mail Survey, a supplementary sample of the Health and Retirement Study. We analysed activity engagement in each of four domains of leisure activities: mental, physical, social and religious. Retirement status was categorised into three groups: working (referent), completely retired and partly retired. Marital status was categorised into four groups: married (referent), divorced or separated, widowed and never married. We found an overall trend of a positive relationship between retirement and leisure activity engagement, which suggests that retirement provides a chance for older adults to participate in leisure activities after withdrawal from the labour force. The overall trend of a negative relationship between non-married status and leisure activity engagement suggests that the loss or absence of a spouse may serve as a barrier to participate in leisure activities. Nevertheless, variation among retirees and non-married individuals suggests future studies should compare completely and partly retired individuals or those who are widowed, divorced or separated, or never married to elucidate distinguishable leisure activity profiles.

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Hearing loss and cognitive function among Chinese older adults: The role of participation in leisure activities

10.21203/rs.2.20305/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jiamin Gao ◽

Nicole M. Armstrong ◽

Jennifer A. Deal ◽

Frank R. Lin ◽

Ping He

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Fixed Effects ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Cognitive Change ◽

Activity Engagement

Abstract Background Hearing loss, a highly prevalent sensory impairment affecting older adults, is a risk factor for cognition decline. However, there were very limited studies on this association in low-resource countries. This study aimed to assess whether having hearing loss were associated with cognitive decline and engagement in leisure activities modified this association among Chinese elderly. Methods Using data from the nationally representative survey of China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) between 2011-2014, 9,710 individuals aged 65 years old or above with self-reported measures of hearing status and global cognition, as measured by the Modified Mini Mental Examination (MMSE), were included in this study. Fixed-effects models were used to estimate whether leisure activity engagement moderated the association of self-perceived hearing loss with global cognitive change in the overall sample and by sex. Results People with self-reported hearing loss was associated with cognitive impairment, with an odds ratio of 2.48 [1.22, 5.06]. Sex difference on the association of hearing loss and cognitive impairment was not found. Self-reported hearing loss was associated with cognitive function decline with 8% [-1.22, -0.39] increase in risk compared with those with normal hearing. Frequent engagement in leisure activities moderated the association between hearing loss and cognition. Actively participating in leisure activities modified the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline in males, while leisure activity engagement did not modify any associations among females. Conclusion Hearing loss was associated with cognitive decline, and leisure activities engagement moderated the association among males rather than females.

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