Leisure activity participation among older adults: a review

ABSTRACT

As the ageing population grows, the health and well-being of older adults have emerged as critical public concerns. Participating in leisure activities offers significant physical, mental, and social advantages for the elderly. Nonetheless, there’s a noticeable gap in the systematic analysis of these activities’ evolution over time. This bibliometric study delves into the domain of leisure activities for older adults, scrutinising scholarly articles from 1990 to 2023, indexed in SCOPUS. With an analysis of 612 English journal articles, it unveils developmental trends, pivotal themes, and unexplored areas. Highlighted research hotspots include dementia, physical activity, quality of life, life satisfaction, and health promotion, with a strategic blueprint outlining their interconnections and implications for policy and practice. This investigation not only charts the field’s landscape but also offers insightful directions for both scholarly inquiry and practical enhancements, aiming to improve the quality of life for the elderly. It concludes with discussions, managerial implications, limitations, future works, and conclusions to enrich the understanding of leisure activities’ development among older adults.

KEYWORDS:

• Applications
• bibliometric analysis
• development
• leisure activities
• older adults

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3307536

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kuan-Yu Yueh

Kuan-Yu Yueh, a doctoral candidate and researcher at J.F. Oberlin University, Japan, specializes in nursing, medical management, public health, and gerontology, with a focus on dementia, long-term care, and elder abuse. She has published academic papers in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Sports Research, Journal of Tourism and Leisure Studies, and the upcoming Leisure Studies.

Wen-Jung Chang

Dr. Wen-Jung Chang, an assistant professor at Hungkuo Delin University of Technology in Taiwan, focuses on marketing management, strategic management, and general management. He has contributed academic papers to various esteemed journals, including the British Food Journal, Journal of Knowledge Management, Industrial Marketing Management, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Knowledge Management Research and Practices, TQM and Business Excellence, Current Issues in Tourism and so on.