Middle-aged and older adults who take part in volunteer work and recreational activities are more likely to remain healthy and less likely to develop physical, cognitive, mental or emotional problems, a new study has found.
Investigators followed more than 7,600 Canadian participants in wave 2 of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging for three years. Respondents were aged 60 years or older and the sample for the current study was restricted to those in excellent health at baseline, which was 45% of respondents.
Approximately 72% of respondents who were participating in recreational or volunteer activities at the study’s start were still aging successfully three years later, the researchers reported. In contrast, only two-thirds of those not participating in these activities were determined to be aging successfully at the study’s end. This amounted to a 15% and 17% difference by recreational and volunteer activity participation, respectively, the researchers reported.
Respondents were classified as aging successfully even if they had chronic illness, as long as they were able to engage in daily activities and were free of disabling chronic pain. Researchers also took into account the respondents’ subjective perception of their aging process, their physical health and mental health, and self-reported emotional well-being.
“It is encouraging that there are ways to support our physical, cognitive, mental and emotional well-being as we age,” Esme Fuller-Thomson, PhD, MSW, of the University of Toronto, said in a statement.
“It is important for older adults, families, practitioners, policymakers and researchers to work together to create an environment that supports a vibrant and healthy later life,” she said.
The study was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
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