The Role of Leisure Activities in Mediating the Relationship between Physical Health and Well-Being: Differential Patterns in Old and Very Old Age

Physical Activity Levels and Self-perception of Fitness in COVID-19-Recovered Individuals

Background: The preventative measures to reduce the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have reduced the physical activity level (PAL) that might also affect physical and mental health. Objectives: The present study investigated the relationship between self-perception of fitness (SPF) and PAL in COVID-19-recovered individuals (CRI). Methods: The population of this descriptive-analytical study included all CRI (men and women, in the age range of 20 to 70 years) in Kermanshah. In the present study, 890 volunteers (438 men and 452 women) were sampled using a multistage cluster sampling method. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) was used to assess the PAL and the Delignières et al. questionnaire to assess the SPF. The Pearson correlation coefficient test and independent t-test were used to analyze the data using SPSS version 24 software. Results: The results showed low PAL (men: 876.11 ± 40.23; women: 739.27 ± 8.02) and poor SPF (men: 6.64 ± 1.62; women: 5.27 ± 1.39) in CRI. Also, there was a significant positive relationship between high and moderate PAL and SPF in men (r = 0.67, P = 0.032; r = 0.77, P = 0.018, respectively) and women (R = 0.56, P = 0.041; r = 0.66, P = 0.035, respectively), while there was a significant inverse relationship between low PAL and SPF among men (r = -0.85, P = 0.001) and women (r = -0.89, P = 0.001). Conclusions: Based on the results, wrong SPF in individuals with low PAL might be one reason for being insufficiently active. Thus, a proper understanding of PAL could be the first step of a regular physical activity schedule to enhance the immune system.

In Older Adults, Perceived Stress and Self-Efficacy Are Associated with Verbal Fluency, Reasoning, and Prospective Memory (Moderated by Socioeconomic Position)

Despite evidence that stress relates negatively to cognitive functioning in older adults, little is known how appraisal of stress and socioeconomic meso-level factors influence different types of cognitive functions in older adults. Here, we assess the relationship between perceived stress (PSS scale) and a battery of cognitive functions, including prospective memory in 1054 older adults (65+). A moderator analysis assessed whether this relationship varies with neighborhood socioeconomic status using an area-based measure of Socioeconomic Position (SEP). Perceived stress was associated with worse processing speed, verbal fluency, and inductive reasoning. The perceived self-efficacy subscale of the PSS is related to better performance in these measures. Higher self-efficacy was also associated with better prospective memory; this relationship was more pronounced for people with high neighborhood SEP. These findings indicate that not only do perceived stress and perceived self-efficacy relate to cognitive functioning in older age but also that neighborhood SEP is a moderator of this relationship.

Cognitive Functioning Mediates the Association of Cognitive Reserve with Health-Related Quality of Life

We investigated whether the relations of the cognitive reserve markers education and cognitive level of work to the physical and the mental component of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were mediated via cognitive functioning in a large sample of 701 older adults (mean age = 70.36 years, SD = 6.87). HRQoL was measured with the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey. To measure cognitive functioning, we used the COGTEL, which is a cognitive test battery assessing prospective memory, verbal short-term memory, verbal long-term memory, working memory, verbal fluency, and inductive reasoning, combined into a composite score. Individuals reported information on their education and their main profession during their working life. Mediation analyses showed that better cognitive functioning mediated the association of higher values in the cognitive reserve markers (longer education and a high cognitive level of work) with higher HRQoL. In conclusion, the present study suggests that the sustainability of cognitive functioning in old age with the help of cognitive reserve is fundamental for the sustainability of quality of life, presumably particularly for the mental HRQoL component.

Physical Activity Dimensions Differentially Predict Physical and Mental Components of Health-Related Quality of Life: Evidence from a Sport for All Study

The present cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between different dimensions of physical activity (PA) (i.e., work, sport, leisure) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (i.e., overall, physical component, mental component) in an adult lifespan sample of 381 active individuals (age range: 18–88 years; 38.8% men), while controlling for important covariates in terms of sex, age, education, and health profile regarding medical history. HRQoL was assessed using the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). Usual (i.e., previous 12 months) PA was assessed during face-to-face interviews using the Baecke questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analyses showed in Step 1 that the three PA dimensions work, sport, and leisure (entered simultaneously) together predicted 8%, 10%, and 4% of the variance in SF-12 total score, SF-12 physical component, and SF-12 mental component, respectively. In the final model, adjusting for sex, age, education, and health profile regarding medical history, sport emerged as the only PA dimension predicting SF-12 total score and the SF-12 physical component. In conclusion, health-policy targets at the community level should include the promotion of lifelong engagement in PA, especially sport, to allow the sustainability of HRQoL across the lifespan of our society.

Participation in recreational activities varies with socioeconomic position and is associated with self-rated health and well-being

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This study shows social inequalitues in recreational activity participation (RAP).

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Regardless of educational level, RAP was associated with better self-rated health.

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RAP may modify social inequality in self-rated health and quality of life.

Recreational activities may promote and maintain health and well-being, but empirical evidence is limited. The aim of this study was to explore socioeconomic variations in participation in recreational activities in the local community and to examine associations with health and well-being in the general population.

Participants ≥ 16 years from the Danish Capital Region Health Survey, conducted in 2017 (N = 55,185, response rate 52.6%) were included. Participation in community-based recreational activities, self-rated health, quality of life, and health status was assessed by questionnaire. Socioeconomic variables (educational level, occupational and marital status) were obtained from national registers. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine associations.

Less than half of the population participated in community-based recreational activities. Individuals with a higher educational level were 55% more likely to participate in recreational activities compared to those with a lower educational level (OR = 1.55, CI:1.45–1.66). Individuals with a low educational level who participated in recreational activities, were more likely to have an excellent/good quality of life (OR = 2.03 (95% CI:1.86–2.21)) and an excellent/very good self-rated health (OR = 1.61 (95% CI:1.51–1.71)), than those who did not participate in recreational activities.

Regardless of educational level, recreational activity participation was associated with better self-rated health and quality of life. Thus, to counter-balance social inequality in health, a focus on participation in recreational activities is important when planning community public health interventions.

Having hobbies and the risk of cardiovascular disease incidence: A Japan public health center-based study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The role of hobbies as a protective factor against cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has gained increasing attention; however, no large-scale studies were performed to confirm this. We aimed to examine the association between having hobbies and the risk of total CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke in a large Japanese cohort.

METHODS

A total of 56,381 adults aged 45-74 years were divided into the non-hobby, having a hobby, and having many hobbies groups. We performed Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the hazard ratio (HRs) for incident CVD, CHD, and stroke after adjusting for potential confounding factors.

RESULTS

We identified 3685 incident CVDs (940 CHDs and 2839 strokes) during a median follow-up of 16.3 years. After multivariable adjustment, compared to the non-hobby group, participants having a hobby and many hobbies had a 10% (HR = 0.90 [0.83, 0.97]) and 20% (HR = 0.80 [0.69, 0.93]) lower risk of CVD incidence, respectively. The risk of CHD was lower in those with many hobbies, but the association between having many hobbies and CHD risk was not statistically significant. We also found a similar inverse association for stroke. Compared to the non-hobby group, participants having a hobby and many hobbies had a 13% (HR = 0.87 [0.80, 0.96]) and 20% (HR = 0.80 [0.68, 0.94]) lower risk of stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

Having hobbies was associated with a lower risk of CVD. Engagement in hobbies may emerge as an important target for healthy lifestyle promotion for the primary prevention of CVD.

Interactional Effects Between Relational and Cognitive Reserves on Decline in Executive Functioning

OBJECTIVES

The present study set out to investigate associations of cognitive reserve (as indicated by education) and relational reserve (as indicated by the family network size and indices of emotional support) to decline in executive functioning over 6 years as measured by changes in Trail Making Test (TMT) completion time in older adults and whether education and network size interacted with age and sex as covariates with respect to this longitudinal association.

METHOD

We analyzed data from 897 participants tested on TMT parts A and B in two waves 6 years apart. The mean age in the first wave was 74.33 years. Participants reported information on their family networks and their level of education.

RESULTS

Latent change score modeling testing for moderation effects revealed a significant interaction of network size in the first wave of data assessment with education. Specifically, for lower levels of cognitive reserve (-1 SD of education), the longitudinal association between relational reserve in the first wave and subsequent changes in executive functioning was not significant. In contrast, for higher levels of cognitive reserve (+1 SD of education), a higher relational reserve 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).

DISCUSSION

The present longitudinal study provides evidence for the interaction between cognitive and relational reserves. This confirms the hypothesis that reserves from different domains are intertwined and their combined effects contribute to less cognitive decline in old age.

Changes in family composition and their effects on social capital in old age: evidence from a longitudinal study conducted in Switzerland

Previous studies have shown that family networks evolve over time. Nonetheless, little research has linked family expansion or shrinking to the levels of available family-based social capital in older adults’ family networks. To address this research gap, this paper explores the following question: to what extent are changes in family composition and family-related life events associated with current levels of family-based social capital in later years? We use the two waves of the longitudinal CIGEV-LIVES Vivre-Leben-Vivere study, a large survey addressing the family and health conditions of older people in Switzerland. We combine data on life events occurring during old age and family configurations. We find that family networks are indeed highly dynamic, with distinct patterns of losses and gains observed among respondents. Adding and omitting significant family members has distinct significant effects on social capital, while family-related life events only have marginal effects.

Cognitive Reserve Mediates the Relation between Openness to Experience and Smaller Decline in Executive Functioning

AIMS

We investigated the mediating role of leisure activity engagement in the longitudinal relation between openness to experience and subsequent change in executive functioning over 6 years as measured through performance changes in the Trail Making Test (TMT).

METHODS

We analyzed longitudinal data from 897 older adults (mean = 74.33 years in the first wave) tested on TMT parts A and B in two waves 6 years apart. Participants reported information on leisure activity engagement and openness to experience.

RESULTS

Latent change score modeling revealed that 37.2% of the longitudinal relation between higher openness to experience in the first wave of data collection and a smaller subsequent increase in TMT completion time from the first to the second wave (i.e., a smaller decline in executive functioning) was mediated via a higher frequency of leisure activities in the first wave.

CONCLUSION

Individuals with higher openness to experience show greater activity engagement in old age. By enhancing their cognitive reserve, this activity engagement may finally result in smaller subsequent decline in executive functioning.

The relation of low cognitive abilities to low well-being in old age is attenuated in individuals with greater cognitive reserve and greater social capital accumulated over the life course

Objectives: The present study sets out to investigate the relation of cognitive abilities to well-being and its interplay with key life course proxies of cognitive reserve and social capital in a large sample of older adults.Method: Three thousand eighty older adults served as sample for the present study. Physical well-being (EuroQoL-5D questionnaire) and psychological well-being (Satisfaction with Life Scale) as well as cognitive performance in terms of verbal abilities (Mill Hill vocabulary scale), processing speed (Trail Making Test part A), and cognitive flexibility (Trail Making Test part B) were assessed. Participants reported information on education, occupation, cognitively stimulating leisure activities, the different languages regularly spoken as well as family and close friends.Results: Moderation analyses showed that the relation of cognitive performance to physical and psychological well-being was significantly attenuated in individuals with a higher cognitive level of the first job after education, a larger number of midlife and current cognitively stimulating leisure activities, a larger number of languages regularly spoken, a larger number of significant family members and friends, and more frequent contact with and more confidence in significant family members.Conclusion: Present data suggest that the relation of low cognitive abilities to low well-being in old age is attenuated in individuals with greater cognitive reserve and greater social capital accumulated over the life course.

Relation of Moderate Physical Activity to Blood Markers of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defense in the Elderly

The aim of the present study was to establish whether markers of oxidative stress and the enzymatic defense system of the blood are related to moderate physical activity in younger old and the oldest old men. They were divided into four groups according to the age and level of physical activity (groups YN and YA—inactive and active younger old men aged 65-74 years, groups ON and OA—inactive and active oldest old men aged 90-99 years). Venous blood was collected from the subjects in the morning before breakfast. MDA concentration and antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, GPx, and GR) in erythrocyte hemolysates were assayed. The concentration of isoprostanes (8-iso-PGF2α) and carbonyl groups in protein (CP) was measured in plasma and serum. All assayed antioxidant enzyme activities and the SOD/GPx ratios were significantly higher in the active younger old males than in all the inactive ones. In the group of oldest old active participants, only the GPx activity was significantly higher compared to the inactive oldest old males. The activity of CAT and GPx in the younger old inactive men was significantly lower than that in the oldest old inactive subjects. However, SOD, CAT, and GR activities and SOD/GPx ratio were significantly higher in the younger old active men compared to the oldest old active participants. The concentrations of isoprostanes, protein carbonyls, and MDA were significantly lower in both active and inactive younger old males than in the respective groups of the oldest old men and in both groups of active men, independently of age, compared to the respective inactive subjects. The present study confirmed that oxidative stress is related to age. Physical activity caused a decrease of oxidative stress markers independently of age and resulted in an increase of GPx activity in both younger old and the oldest old active groups.

Influence of Leisure Activity Participation Between Genders Among Korean Older Adults

The current study examined and compared the effect of male and female older adults' participation level in leisure activities on their perceived health status, psychological well-being, levels of depression, levels of loneliness, and successful aging. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. Study participants comprised 197 older adults (women: n = 108, men: n = 89) ages 65 and older who were living in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Measures were the perceived health status scale, Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form-Korea, psychological well-being scale, loneliness scale, and successful aging scale. Based on level of participation in leisure activities, male older adults experienced a significant difference in perceived health status and loneliness. Female older adults experienced a significant difference in psychological well-being and successful aging. Health professionals should encourage higher participation in leisure activities to improve psychological well-being and successful aging of older adults. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44(11), 51-58.].