Leisure Innovation for Older Adults in Urban China: Application and Reexamination of Leisure Innovation Theory

Abstract

Leisure innovation theory holds that taking up new leisure activities by older people may facilitate healthy aging. To examine this theory in an urban Asian context, I conducted a case study of older adults in Guangzhou, China. I undertook in-depth interviews with 27 adults aged 50–80 years; I analyzed the data with open, axial, and selective coding using NVivo 8.0. I obtained the following findings. First, the participants practiced four main types of leisure activities: cultural and physical activities; digital leisure; artistic creation; and intellectual games. Second, those activities led to positive outcomes with respect to health, self-development, place identity, and social interaction. Finally, the main factors influencing leisure innovation comprised internal factors (values of life and leisure) and external factors (availability of time, money, institution, and space; institution and space were the most important).

Keywords:

• influencing factors
• leisure activity types
• leisure innovation
• older adults
• outcomes

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [41701143] and Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation [2021A1515011186].