Factors Associated With Participation in Physical Leisure Activities in Taiwanese Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

This study was to identify factors at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community levels that relate to physical leisure participation in Taiwanese community-dwelling older adults and to examine their relative importance. We used a cross-sectional study with purposive sampling (N = 160). Physical leisure participation was quantified as the variety, frequency, and duration of participation. Data were analyzed using a series of hierarchical multiple linear regressions. The results showed that higher variety, frequency, or duration of physical leisure participation was associated with older males and with those who reported having better health, fewer depressive symptoms, and greater social support. Intrapersonal- and interpersonal-level factors play a relatively more important role in predicting physical leisure participation than factors at the community level. Understanding factors that relate to these three levels of participation has the potential to inform interventions that are tailored to individual profiles.

Keywords: Asian; health promotion; healthy aging; leisure participation.