1
|
Cole S, Hua C, Peng S, Wang W. Exploring the Relationship of Leisure Travel with Loneliness, Depression, and Cognitive Function in Older Adults. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 21:498. [PMID: 38673409 PMCID: PMC11050658 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21040498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Loneliness, depression, and cognitive decline are pressing concerns among older adults. This study examines the association between leisure travel participation and these health outcomes in older adults, aiming to provide further evidence of the benefits of leisure travel. Using nationally representative historical data from the 2006 household survey of the Health and Retirement Study, this study conducted a series of regression analyses to investigate the relationship between traveling and the three health outcomes, adjusting for age, sex, race, marital status, education, total wealth, annual income, and difficulty with daily activities. The results reveal that travel patterns in terms of distance are significantly associated with loneliness, depression, and cognitive function. Long-distance travel is positively related to higher cognitive function and a reduction in depressive symptoms, along with lower levels of loneliness, reinforcing the notion that leisure travel can potentially act as a catalyst for improved cognitive and mental health by offering opportunities for enhancing social connections and forming new relationships. The findings on the relationships between participation in leisure travel and mental and cognitive health contribute to the body of evidence supporting the therapeutic value of leisure travel in promoting healthy aging and enhancing the overall well-being in older adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shu Cole
- Department of Health and Wellness Design, Indiana University School of Public Health—Bloomington, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; (C.H.); (W.W.)
| | - Chenggang Hua
- Department of Health and Wellness Design, Indiana University School of Public Health—Bloomington, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; (C.H.); (W.W.)
| | - Siyun Peng
- Department of Sociology, Indiana University—Bloomington, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA;
| | - Weixuan Wang
- Department of Health and Wellness Design, Indiana University School of Public Health—Bloomington, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; (C.H.); (W.W.)
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang J, Zhang Y, Wu Z, Fu X. Enhancing understanding of healthy aging based on time-varying dependencies among multidimensional health, life satisfaction, and health behaviors of older adults aged 60 years and over. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:192. [PMID: 38229050 PMCID: PMC10790531 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-17752-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Healthy aging is a process of not only achieving good health but also increasing the life satisfaction of older adults aged 60 years and over, in which health behaviors play an important role. There is a lack of research on the time-varying dependencies between health, life satisfaction, and health behaviors, impeding a deeper understanding of healthy aging. PURPOSE To develop an integrated framework for modeling the interrelationships among the components of healthy aging between multiple time slices. METHODS Based on the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Living Survey (CLHLS) data in the three waves of 2011/2012, 2014, and 2017/2018, Bayesian network and dynamic Bayesian network are jointly employed to study the relationships among the components of healthy aging within one time slice, as well as to explore the time-varying dependencies among the components between time slices. RESULTS The results of structure learning reveal the direction of effects between different dimensions of health, with mental health and social health affecting physical health and self-rated health affecting both physical and mental health. In addition, health behaviors are found to affect mental health and social health, while self-rated health can influence life satisfaction. The parameters learned from the data show the magnitude and direction of concurrent effects, one-period lagged effects and two-period lagged effects between the factors, which find that the time-varying dependencies vary but are generally positive, long-term, and accumulative over time. In addition, the results of autoregressive effects show the positive predictive effects of health and life satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS It confirms the influence pathway from health behaviors to multidimensional health to life satisfaction, and the time-varying dependencies among the components of healthy aging, which facilitates a deeper understanding of healthy aging. Combining the results of autoregressive effects and descriptive statistics, it further indicates that healthy aging is a comprehensive result arising from interactions of multiple factors. Policymakers should guide older adults aged 60 years and over to adopt healthier behaviors and ensure the long-term sustainability and continuity of policies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianghua Zhang
- School of Management, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Yunbao Zhang
- School of Management, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Zhiyi Wu
- School of Management, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Xuemei Fu
- School of Management, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Li Q, Guo Z, Hu F, Xiao M, Zhang Q, Wen J, Ying T, Zheng D, Wang Y, Yang S, Hou H. Tourism experiences reduce the risk of cognitive impairment in the Chinese older adult: a prospective cohort study. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1271319. [PMID: 37942247 PMCID: PMC10629014 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1271319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Given the etiological complexity of cognitive impairment, no effective cure currently exists for precise treatment of dementia. Although scholars have noted tourism's potential role in managing cognitive impairment and mild dementia, more robust empirical investigation is needed in this area. This study aimed to examine the associations between tourism and cognitive impairment and dementia in older Chinese adults. Method From a nationwide community-based cohort, 6,717 individuals aged ≥60 were recruited from 2011 to 2014, of whom 669 (9.96%) had had at least one tourism experience in the 2 years prior to enrollment. All the participants were then prospectively followed up until 2018. The association between tourism and cognitive impairment was examined by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to evaluate the effect of tourism experience on cognitive impairment and dementia. Results A total of 1,416 individuals were newly diagnosed with cognitive impairment and 139 individuals with dementia onset during follow-up. The incidence of cognitive impairment was significantly lower among participants with tourism experiences (316.94 per 10,000 person-years) than those without such experiences (552.38 per 10,000 person-years). Cox regression showed that tourism decreased the risk of cognitive impairment (aHR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.41-0.62) when adjusted for behavioral covariates and characteristics. Compared with participants without tourism experiences, those with 1, 2, and ≥3 tourism experiences had a lower risk of cognitive impairment with the aHRs of 0.72 (95% CI: 0.52-0.99), 0.65 (0.42-1.01), and 0.68 (0.44-0.98), respectively. Tourism experiences also reduced participants' risk of dementia (aHR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.19-0.89). Conclusion Our findings demonstrated associations between tourism and reduced risks of cognitive impairment and dementia in older Chinese adults. Thus, tourism could serve as a novel approach to dementia prevention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qian Li
- School of Public Health, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Zheng Guo
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Fangli Hu
- Centre for Precision Health, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
| | - Mengfei Xiao
- School of Public Health, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Taian, China
| | - Jun Wen
- School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
| | - Tianyu Ying
- Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Danni Zheng
- Department of Tourism, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Youxin Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Song Yang
- Department of Endocrinology, The Affiliated Taian City Central Hospital of Qingdao University, Taian, China
| | - Haifeng Hou
- School of Public Health, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
He Y, Zhan S, Su H, Deng Y. Unleashing the link between the relaxation of the COVID-19 control policy and residents' mental health in China: the mediating role of family tourism consumption. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1216980. [PMID: 37674676 PMCID: PMC10477710 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1216980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective COVID-19 has negatively influenced industrial development, family consumption, and residents' mental health. Unfortunately, it has not yet been studied whether this adverse situation can be alleviated after the relaxation of the COVID-19 control policy (RCC). Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the effect of the RCC on the resident's mental health and the mediating effect of family tourism consumption. Methods By using the PSM and mediating effetc model to research the panel data of two periods (April 2021 and April 2023) for Shaanxi province, China. Results The RCC negatively inhibited the mental health severity of residents, and the mental health severity decreased by 0.602. In particular, the RCC showed the most substantial negative effect on residents' stress, followed by anxiety and depression. Meanwhile, it is found that the impact of the RCC on the mental health of residents is highly heterogeneous. The RCC indicates a linear significant effect on the mental health of residents under 60 years of age, while the results were found insignificant for residents above 60 years of age. Meanwhile, the RCC's improvement effect on urban residents' mental health is greater than that of rural residents. In addition, mechanism analysis showed that tourism consumption plays a mediating role in the influence of the RCC on the mental health of residents, and the mediating effect accounted for 24.58% of the total effect. Conclusion Based on the findings, the study proposes that government and policymakers should strengthen mental health intervention, improve access to mental health counseling, stimulate economic development, expand the employment of residents, and track the mutation of the novel coronavirus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yilun He
- School of Management, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an, China
- School of Public Administration, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, China
| | - Shaowen Zhan
- School of Public Administration, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, China
| | - Hui Su
- School of Public Administration, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, China
| | - Yulong Deng
- School of Public Administration, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Li X, Ge T, Dong Q, Jiang Q. Social participation, psychological resilience and depression among widowed older adults in China. BMC Geriatr 2023; 23:454. [PMID: 37488526 PMCID: PMC10367382 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-023-04168-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression has become a challenging public health problem, and the loss of a spouse is one of the main causes of depression in older adults. Social participation and psychological resilience are protective factors that reduce depressive symptoms in adults. The purpose of this study was to explore the influences of social participation and psychological resilience on the depression of Chinese widowed older adults. METHODS We carried out a cross-sectional study on 790 community-dwelling widowed older adults in Shaanxi, China, in 2019. A structured face-to-face interview was used to collect data. We used the ordinary least squares model (OLS), the generalized propensity score matching (GPSM) and the mediation model to test the relationship between social participation, psychological resilience and depression. RESULTS We find a U-shaped relationship between social participation and depression, with the increase in social participation scores, the average depression level decreased and then increased. The psychological resilience of the widowed older adults was negatively associated with depression. The higher their psychological resilience, the lower their depression level. Among the four factors of psychological resilience, factor 2 (optimism and positive acceptance of change) and factor 3 (secure relationships and tolerance of negative affect) of psychological resilience were protective factors for depression after adjusting for demographic variables and physical health conditions. Psychological resilience plays a mediating role, as evident in factor 2 and factor 3 mediating the relationship between social participation and depression. CONCLUSION An appropriate level of social participation will relieve the depression of widowed older adults. Social participation can reduce the depression level of widowed older adults by improving their psychological resilience. Community and family could reduce depression by intervening in the social participation of widowed older adults. Active social participation is crucial because it has a protective and resilient impact, which can help people recover from the stress of losing a spouse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomin Li
- School of Management, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, China
| | - Tingshuai Ge
- Institute for Population and Development Studies, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qing Dong
- Xi'an Siyuan University, Xi'an, China
| | - Quanbao Jiang
- Institute for Population and Development Studies, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wen J, Mai X, Li W, Liu X. The Influence of Message Framing on Elderly Tourists' Purchase Intentions of Health Services: A Case Study of Guangxi Bama. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:14100. [PMID: 36360978 PMCID: PMC9658176 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Traveling has become an increasingly important lifestyle for the elderly to realize active aging. The elderly are more inclined to pay attention to wellbeing-related products whilst on vacations, representing a market opportunity for providers of tourism health services. This study conducted an experiment to explore how message framing affects intentions to purchase health services in elderly tourists over the age of 59 years. A total of 216 elderly tourists from Bama, a famous wellness tourism destination in China, were recruited as participants for a single-factor (message framing: positive versus negative) experiment. Our results indicate the following: (1) message framing has a significant impact on elderly tourists' intentions to purchase health services. Compared with messages that are negatively framed, positive messages are more persuasive. (2) Perceived benefits mediate the above relationship. (3) Perceived susceptibility moderates the impact of message framing around perceived benefits, as well as the indirect effect of perceived benefits on purchase intention. Theoretically, this paper clarifies the mechanism and conditions of message framing in relation to its effects on consumer intentions, enriching knowledge about the intersection between tourism and health consumption. This paper also provides guidance for providers of health tourism who are seeking to capture the market of elderly tourists.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ji Wen
- Shenzhen Tourism College, Jinan University, Shenzhen 518053, China
| | - Xiaolin Mai
- School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Wei Li
- School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Xin Liu
- Shenzhen Tourism College, Jinan University, Shenzhen 518053, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sekiguchi T, Kondo K, Otake-Matsuura M. Types of social networks and starting leisure activities in later life: A longitudinal Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254828. [PMID: 34265020 PMCID: PMC8282000 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Considering beneficial effects of leisure activities in later life on well-being and health, we investigated which type of social network among older adults is associated with starting their participation in leisure activities. We used data from a longitudinal Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) conducted in Japan every three years from 2010 to 2016. We extracted types of social networks of older adults who did not participate in leisure activities in 2013 and responded to items related to social networks (n = 3436) relying on latent class analysis to examine changes in leisure activity participation over a three-year period within each latent class while controlling for participants' activity in 2010. As a result, we identified five latent classes of social networks: the Neighborhood network, the Restricted network, which is characterized by limited social contacts, the Colleagues network, the Same-Interest network, and the Diverse network, from the most to the least prevalent. We found that members of the Neighborhood (Cohen's d = 0.161) and Same-Interest networks (d = 0.660) were significantly more likely to, and members of the Diverse (d = 0.124) and Colleague networks (d = 0.060) were not significantly more likely to start leisure activities than those in the Restricted network. Furthermore, we found that lower age, better mental health, and higher education level were positively associated with starting participation in leisure activities in some latent classes. Horticulture or gardening was most likely to be chosen across all latent classes. Supporting the formation of social networks facilitating leisure activities, and recommending activities that were likely to be selected could be one solution for getting and keeping older adults active.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Sekiguchi
- Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, RIKEN, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Katsunori Kondo
- Department of Social Preventive Medical Sciences, Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Chiba, Japan
- Department of Gerontological Evaluation, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Du M, Tao L, Liu M, Liu J. Tourism experiences and the lower risk of mortality in the Chinese elderly: a national cohort study. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:996. [PMID: 34044805 PMCID: PMC8157616 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11099-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cohort studies about the effects of tourism experiences on the risk of death among Chinese older adults are still lacking. We aimed to examine the association between tourism experiences and mortality in Chinese aged 65 or above. Methods We included 9520 participants aged 65 years or above from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey at baseline in 23 provinces in 2011. They were followed up in 2014 and 2018. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between tourism experiences and the risk of death. Results Among 9520 participants, 7.85% had at least one tourism experience outside of their local city/county during the past 2 years. During 35,994.26 person-years of follow-up, in total 4635 deaths were observed. The crude rate of death was greater in participants who had no tourism experience than in older travelers (incidence rate: 13.70 versus 5.24 per 100 person-years). Elderly travelers had a significantly lower risk for all-cause mortality (crude hazard ratio: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.33–0.44) compared with non-travelers. After adjustment for all covariates, the risk of all-cause mortality was 27% lower among those with at least one tourism experience than among non-travelers (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.62–0.85). Subgroup analysis showed that the associations between tourism and the decreased risk of mortality were stable. Conclusions Tourism decreases the risk of mortality in the Chinese elderly. Tourism should be considered as a modifiable lifestyle factor and an effective way to reduce mortality and promote longevity and healthy aging. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-11099-8.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min Du
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, No.38, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Liyuan Tao
- Research Center of Clinical Epidemiology, Peking University Third Hospital, No.49 Huayuan North Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Min Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, No.38, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Jue Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, No.38, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China. .,Institute for Global Health and Development, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China. .,Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, 100083, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Continuing and Emerging Trends of Senior Tourism: A Review of the Literature. JOURNAL OF POPULATION AGEING 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s12062-018-9228-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
|