IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i4p2348-d503684.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainable Aging and Leisure Behaviors: Do Leisure Activities Matter in Aging Well?

Author

Listed:
  • Hyejin Yoon

    (Department of Hotel and Tourism, Baewha Women’s University, Seoul 03039, Korea)

  • Lesa Huber

    (Department of Applied Health Science, School of Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA)

  • Chulwon Kim

    (College of Hotel and Tourism Management, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea)

Abstract

A substantial portion of the gerontological literature has been directed towards the relationship between leisure and aging, particularly with the healthy life of older adults. The concept of leisure conveys varied meanings to persons, including identifying the leisure itself, the activity’s frequency, and its value to the participant. With increased longevity, the concept of aging well and related terms (e.g., “active aging”, “successful aging”, “productive aging”, “positive aging”, “healthy aging”, and “sustainable aging”) have been emerging themes for academic fields related to gerontology, exercise promotion, health care, and leisure activities. Thus, the aging population and human leisure activities must be considered sustainable as sustainability is primarily human-centered. This study explores older adults’ perceptions of leisure and aging well and their leisure behavior at senior welfare centers using qualitative data collection and methodology. Findings suggest that four main themes emerge: unfamiliarity with the concept of leisure and leisure engagement; evolving perceptions of senior centers and leisure benefits; limited physical functioning as a major leisure constraint; perceptions of major factors for aging well. Implications for researchers and policymakers are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Hyejin Yoon & Lesa Huber & Chulwon Kim, 2021. "Sustainable Aging and Leisure Behaviors: Do Leisure Activities Matter in Aging Well?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-12, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:2348-:d:503684
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/2348/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/2348/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thomas Hansen & Marja Aartsen & Britt Slagsvold & Christian Deindl, 2018. "Dynamics of Volunteering and Life Satisfaction in Midlife and Old Age: Findings from 12 European Countries," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-15, May.
    2. Indre Grazuleviciute-Vileniske & Lina Seduikyte & Armanda Teixeira-Gomes & Ana Mendes & Anatolijs Borodinecs & Deimante Buzinskaite, 2020. "Aging, Living Environment, and Sustainability: What Should be Taken into Account?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-12, March.
    3. Stephanie A. Hicks & Karen L. Siedlecki, 2017. "Leisure Activity Engagement and Positive Affect Partially Mediate the Relationship Between Positive Views on Aging and Physical Health," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 72(2), pages 259-267.
    4. Jeste, Dilip V. & Oswald, Andrew J., 2014. "Individual and Societal Wisdom: Explaining the Paradox of Human Aging and High Well-Being," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 191, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    5. Jeste, Dilip V. & Oswald, Andrew J., 2014. "Individual and Societal Wisdom: Explaining the Paradox of Human Aging and High Well-Being," Economic Research Papers 270237, University of Warwick - Department of Economics.
    6. Shogo Kudo & Emmanuel Mutisya & Masafumi Nagao, 2015. "Population Aging: An Emerging Research Agenda for Sustainable Development," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-27, October.
    7. Lindsay Dingwall & Ella Mclafferty, 2006. "Do nurses promote urinary continence in hospitalized older people?: an exploratory study," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(10), pages 1276-1286, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Guanghui Qiao & Liu Ding & Keheng Xiang & Bruce Prideaux & Jinyi Xu, 2022. "Understanding the Value of Tourism to Seniors’ Health and Positive Aging," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-17, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Guanghui Qiao & Liu Ding & Keheng Xiang & Bruce Prideaux & Jinyi Xu, 2022. "Understanding the Value of Tourism to Seniors’ Health and Positive Aging," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-17, January.
    2. Mercedes Aranda & Salvatore Zappalà & Gabriela Topa, 2019. "Motivations for Volunteerism, Satisfaction, and Emotional Exhaustion: The Moderating Effect of Volunteers’ Age," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-16, August.
    3. Matthias Lühr & Maria K. Pavlova & Maike Luhmann, 2022. "They are Doing Well, but is it by Doing Good? Pathways from Nonpolitical and Political Volunteering to Subjective Well-Being in Age Comparison," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 1969-1989, June.
    4. Trine Filges & Anu Siren & Torben Fridberg & Bjørn C. V. Nielsen, 2020. "Voluntary work for the physical and mental health of older volunteers: A systematic review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(4), December.
    5. Muhammad Ahmad Al-Rashid & Muhammad Nadeem & Tiziana Campisi & Iftikhar Ahmad, 2023. "Exploring the Role of Socio-Demographic Characteristics on Gendered Social Exclusion: Empirical Evidence from Older Adults in Pakistan," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 847-862, October.
    6. Thomas Hansen & Marcela Petrová Kafková & Ruth Katz & Ariela Lowenstein & Sigal Naim & George Pavlidis & Feliciano Villar & Kieran Walsh & Marja Aartsen, 2021. "Exclusion from Social Relations in Later Life: Micro- and Macro-Level Patterns and Correlations in a European Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-16, November.
    7. Krystian Heffner & Brygida Klemens & Brygida Solga, 2019. "Challenges of Regional Development in the Context of Population Ageing. Analysis Based on the Example of Opolskie Voivodeship," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-23, September.
    8. Matthias Lühr & Maria K. Pavlova & Maike Luhmann, 2022. "Nonpolitical Versus Political Participation: Longitudinal Associations with Mental Health and Social Well-Being in Different Age Groups," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 865-884, February.
    9. Miya Chang, 2022. "Comparative Study on Volunteering among Older Korean Immigrants in the United States and Older Koreans in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-16, June.
    10. Heng Qu, 2022. "Differential Associations Between Volunteering and Subjective Well-Being by Labor Force Status: An Investigation of Experiential and Evaluative Well-Being Using Time Use Data," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 1737-1770, April.
    11. Theun Pieter Tienoven & Lyn Craig & Ignace Glorieux & Joeri Minnen, 2022. "Active Participation and Well-Being Among the Elderly in Belgium and the USA: A Cross-National Time-Use Perspective," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 625-644, April.
    12. Rishworth, Andrea & Elliott, Susan J., 2019. "Global environmental change in an aging world: The role of space, place and scale," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 128-136.
    13. Maria Hälleberg Nyman & Henrietta Forsman & Joan Ostaszkiewicz & Ami Hommel & Ann Catrine Eldh, 2017. "Urinary incontinence and its management in patients aged 65 and older in orthopaedic care – what nursing and rehabilitation staff know and do," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(21-22), pages 3345-3353, November.
    14. Ricky N. Lawton & Iulian Gramatki & Will Watt & Daniel Fujiwara, 2021. "Does Volunteering Make Us Happier, or Are Happier People More Likely to Volunteer? Addressing the Problem of Reverse Causality When Estimating the Wellbeing Impacts of Volunteering," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 599-624, February.
    15. Mihaela Ghența & Aniela Matei & Luise Mladen-Macovei & Maria Denisa Vasilescu & Elen-Silvana Bobârnat, 2021. "Sustainable Care and Factors Associated with Quality of Life among Older Beneficiaries of Social Services," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-15, February.
    16. Aleksejs Prozuments & Anatolijs Borodinecs & Guna Bebre & Diana Bajare, 2023. "A Review on Trombe Wall Technology Feasibility and Applications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-15, February.
    17. Elizabeth Wianto & Elty Sarvia & Chien-Hsu Chen, 2021. "Authoritative Parents and Dominant Children as the Center of Communication for Sustainable Healthy Aging," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-18, March.
    18. Sebastian Seriani & Vicente Aprigliano Fernandes & Paola Moraga & Fabian Cortes, 2022. "Experimental Location of the Vertical Handrail to Improve the Accessibility of Wheelchair Passengers Boarding and Alighting at Metro Stations—A Pilot Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-22, July.
    19. Muhammad N. Mahmood & Subas P. Dhakal, 2023. "Ageing population and society: a scientometric analysis," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 3133-3150, August.
    20. Aleksejs Prozuments & Anatolijs Borodinecs & Diana Bajare, 2023. "Trombe Wall System’s Thermal Energy Output Analysis at a Factory Building," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-13, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:2348-:d:503684. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.