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. 2016 Jun;28(4):675-703.
doi: 10.1177/0898264315609906. Epub 2015 Oct 20.

Tourism Experiences and Self-Rated Health Among Older Adults in China

Danan Gu  1 , Haiyan Zhu  2 , Tyson Brown  3 , Helen Hoenig  4 , Yi Zeng  5
Affiliations

Tourism Experiences and Self-Rated Health Among Older Adults in China

Danan Gu et al. J Aging Health. 2016 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate factors associated with tourism experiences, and the association between tourism experiences and subsequent self-rated health.

Method: Multilevel logistic regression models and four waves of panel data from a large nationally representative survey of older adults in China were employed.

Results: Those who had a tourism experience tended to be younger, men, urban residents, have a higher socioeconomic status (SES), and frequently participate in leisure activities and exercise. However, controlling for SES, women were more likely than men to have a tourism experience. Notably, tourism was negatively associated with poor self-rated health and the association was robust to adjustments for a wide range of confounders.

Discussion: The net beneficial impact of tourism on self-rated health may operate through several mechanisms such as improvements in tourists' cognitive functioning, healthy lifestyles, self-esteen, family and social relations, and psychological and spirtual well-being. Tourism participation is an effective way to promote healthy aging.

Keywords: China; older adults; self-rated health; tourism; tourism experience.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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