Leisure Activities and Quality of Life Among Older Adults in Spain

Abstract

Leisure and free time has been rated by older individuals as one of the five most important dimensions for their quality of life. In this chapter, and in the context of active ageing, we analyse the differences in carrying out leisure activities and social participation among older adults in Spain, according to their sociodemographic and residential characteristics, and their objective conditions in the most relevant areas for their quality of life. A survey on conditions and quality of life to 1,106 people aged 60 and over living in community dwelling was carried out. Cluster analysis was used to classify people into four basic types of leisure activities. Multinomial logistic regression produced an explanatory model of the different activity and type of leisure profiles, based on sociodemographic and residential differences, health conditions and functional capacity, family and social contacts, and the economic resources of this population group