Prospective Study of Engagement in Leisure Activities and All-Cause Mortality Among Older Japanese Adults.

Takaki Kobayashi,Takeo Fujiwara,Shiho Kino,Ichiro Kawachi,Yukako Tani,Katsunori Kondo

doi:10.2188/jea.je20200427

Abstract

BackgroundEngagement in leisure activities among older people is associated with a lower risk of mortality. However, no studies have been conducted focusing on the difference of associations with mortality risk among multiple types of leisure activities.MethodsWe examined prospectively the association of engagement in leisure activities with all-cause mortality in a cohort of older Japanese adults. The Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study included 48,216 participants aged 65 years or older. During a mean follow-up period of 5.6 years, we observed 5,575 deaths (11.6%). We investigated the total number of leisure activities, as well as combinations of 25 different leisure activities with Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for potential confounding factors.ResultsWe found a linear relationship between the total number of leisure activities and mortality hazard (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.92–0.95). Furthermore, engagement in leisure activities involving physical activity, as well as group-based interactions, showed the strongest associations with lowered mortality. By contrast, engagement in cultural leisure activities and solitary leisure activities were not associated with all-cause mortality.ConclusionAlthough we cannot rule out residual confounding, our findings suggest that encouraging engagement in physically-active group-based leisure activities may promote longevity in older adults.

Highlights

Engagement in leisure activities among older people is associated with a lower risk of mortality.[3,4,5,6,7]
The present study investigated the association between the total number of leisure activities and mortality
The total number of leisure activities varied based on socioeconomic status, instrumental activities of daily living, depression score, self-rated health, social network, and social support

Summary

Introduction

Leisure activities have been defined as “the voluntary use of free time for activities outside the daily routine”,1 and “activities that individuals engage in for enjoyment or well being which are independent of work or activities of daily living”.2 Engagement in leisure activities among older people is associated with a lower risk of mortality.[3,4,5,6,7] There are several postulated mechanisms linking engagement in leisure activities to health. Engagement in leisure activities among older people is associated with a lower risk of mortality.[3,4,5,6,7] There are several postulated mechanisms linking engagement in leisure activities to health. Many leisure activities involve physical activity, and in turn, physical activity is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease,[8] cancer,[9] diabetes,[10] and cognitive decline.[1,11] By contrast, sedentary behavior is associated with a higher risk of chronic diseases and mortality.[12,13,14] engagement in some sedentary leisure activities—for example, cognitive activities and cultural activities—has been suggested to be associated with beneficial health outcomes.[1,15,16,17,18,19,20]. Engagement in leisure activities among older people is associated with a lower risk of mortality. No studies have been conducted focusing on the difference of associations with mortality risk among multiple types of leisure activities

Methods

Results

Conclusion