Gender and regional differences in going-out, social, and leisure activities among older adults. Findings from the JAGES Project

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:  Promoting social and leisure activity participation in older adults could be effective in preventing their health decline. However, gender or regional differences in those activities remain unclear despite the necessity of gender- or region-specific approaches to their promotion. This study examined gender and urban-rural differences in going-out, social, and leisure activities among community-dwelling older adults. METHODS:  Data were obtained from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES). Those analyzed were 103,621 people aged 65 or older who were functionally independent and lived in one of 31 municipalities. A total of seven activity variables were assessed with weekly going out, engagement in paid work, monthly and any frequency of engagement in group activities, monthly and any frequency of contact with friends, and having hobbies. We additionally assessed the contents of the group activities and hobbies. Gender, age groups (young-old: 65-74; old-old: 75 and over), and region groups, which were categorized as rural, urban, or metropolitan, were assessed along with education, depression, and other covariates. A chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were conducted to examine the age group-stratified differences in the going-out, social, and leisure activities among gender and region groups (P