Examining the Effects of Participation in Leisure and Social Activities on General Health and Life Satisfaction of Older Canadian Adults With Disability

The Health and well-being of older Canadian adults have been extensively studied; however, less is known about the health and well-being of older Canadian adults with a disability. 

This study was done to determine if participation in leisure and social activities has a significant independent effect on the overall health and life satisfaction of older Canadian adults with a disability. 

A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Surveys (PALS) was performed. Respondents were those who reported disability and were at least 65 years of age at the time of the PALS 2006 (n=7,500, representing 1,755,870 Canadians). “Participation in social and leisure activities” was measured based on four types of activities outside the home in 12 months prior to the survey. The single-item measure of self-rated health was used to measure overall health. Life satisfaction was measures based on five items. Weighted data were used to describe the target population. Two sets of multivariate logistic regressions were conducted based on data for the total sample, and separately for men and women using bootstrapped weights. 

A significant independent effect of participation in leisure and social activities on the general health and life satisfaction of older Canadians with a disability, for both men and women, was confirmed. 

Participation in leisure and social activities is a potential venue to enhance the health and well-being of older Canadian adults with a disability.