TY - JOUR
T1 - Re-Engagement in Physical Activity Slows the Decline in Older Adults’ Well-Being – A Longitudinal Study
AU - Tam, Hon Lon
AU - Choi, Kai Chow
AU - Lau, Ying
AU - Leung, Leona Yuen Ling
AU - Chan, Alex Siu Wing
AU - Zhou, Lilin
AU - Wong, Eliza Mi Ling
AU - Ho, Jonathan Ka Ming
N1 - The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Nethersole School of Nursing (CV-2024-AT). The funder had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025
PY - 2025/1
Y1 - 2025/1
N2 - Physical activity is recommended for older adults; however, the benefits of previous active engagement in physical activity that can be sustained after one becomes inactive remain to be determined. This study investigated the longitudinal associations between physical activity engagement patterns and older adults’ well-being. This population-based cohort study used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study between 2015 and 2020. People aged 60 years and above were included, and they were categorized as active engagers if they reported engaging in at least 10 min of moderate and/or vigorous exercise consecutively per week in each survey year. Older adults’ well-being was evaluated using the healthy aging score, and geographical variations were visualized. The generalized estimating equations model was adopted to examine the differences between various physical activity engagement patterns and older adults’ well-being. Among the 3300 older adults (50.5% men; age 66.9 ± 5.7 years) during the five years of follow-up, engagement in physical activity increased from 31.7% to 59.6%. However, their well-being decreased gradually, especially among those who were inactive engagers (beta = −0.20 to −0.21). Physical activity engagement patterns appeared to slow decline in well-being. Geographical variations were noted, with more favorable healthy aging scores observed in northern China than in southern China. As older adults age, well-being deteriorates, and disengagement of physical activity accelerates the rate of decline. Re-engagement in physical activity can slow the rate of decline in well-being. Early identification of and intervention in inactive engagement in physical activity reduce the detrimental effects on older adult’s well-being. A national health initiative is an effective strategy to create a supportive environment for older adults to continue and engage in physical activity. The participation of healthcare professionals and community parties is important to encourage and engage older adults in physical activity.
AB - Physical activity is recommended for older adults; however, the benefits of previous active engagement in physical activity that can be sustained after one becomes inactive remain to be determined. This study investigated the longitudinal associations between physical activity engagement patterns and older adults’ well-being. This population-based cohort study used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study between 2015 and 2020. People aged 60 years and above were included, and they were categorized as active engagers if they reported engaging in at least 10 min of moderate and/or vigorous exercise consecutively per week in each survey year. Older adults’ well-being was evaluated using the healthy aging score, and geographical variations were visualized. The generalized estimating equations model was adopted to examine the differences between various physical activity engagement patterns and older adults’ well-being. Among the 3300 older adults (50.5% men; age 66.9 ± 5.7 years) during the five years of follow-up, engagement in physical activity increased from 31.7% to 59.6%. However, their well-being decreased gradually, especially among those who were inactive engagers (beta = −0.20 to −0.21). Physical activity engagement patterns appeared to slow decline in well-being. Geographical variations were noted, with more favorable healthy aging scores observed in northern China than in southern China. As older adults age, well-being deteriorates, and disengagement of physical activity accelerates the rate of decline. Re-engagement in physical activity can slow the rate of decline in well-being. Early identification of and intervention in inactive engagement in physical activity reduce the detrimental effects on older adult’s well-being. A national health initiative is an effective strategy to create a supportive environment for older adults to continue and engage in physical activity. The participation of healthcare professionals and community parties is important to encourage and engage older adults in physical activity.
KW - exercise
KW - older adults
KW - physical activity
KW - well-being
UR - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00469580251314776
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85215605643&origin=inward
U2 - 10.1177/00469580251314776
DO - 10.1177/00469580251314776
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0046-9580
VL - 62
JO - Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing
JF - Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing
ER -
