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A critical review of the literature on social and leisure activity and wellbeing in later life
- Authors:
- ADAMS Kathryn Betts, LEIBBRANDT Sylvia, MOON Heehyul
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 31(4), May 2011, pp.683-712.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Many older adults with high participation in social and leisure activities report positive wellbeing, and an engaged lifestyle is widely regarded as an important component of successful ageing. This article provides a critical review of the gerontological literature in order to examine the conceptualisation and measurement of activity among older adults and consider the implications and prospects for a more comprehensive activity theory. A search was conducted for studies that focus on social and leisure activity and wellbeing, and 42 studies in 44 articles published between 1995 and 2009 were identified. They reported from 1 to 13 activity domains, the majority reporting 2 or 3, such as informal, formal and solitary, or productive versus leisure. Domains associated with subjective wellbeing, health or survival included social, leisure, productive, physical, intellectual, service and solitary activities. Informal social activity has accumulated the most evidence of an influence on wellbeing. Individual descriptors such as gender or physical functioning sometimes moderate these associations, while contextual variables such as choice, meaning or perceived quality play intervening roles. The article concludes that differences in definitions and measurement make it difficult to draw inferences on the associations between activity and wellbeing. Arriving at a more comprehensive framework will require measure of activity to be better standardised and to take into account the dimensions of purpose, context and demand on the individual.