Productive Activities and Perceived Well-Being in an African American Older Adult Urban Sample

Abstract

Few studies have examined the relationship between productive activities and well-being among urban lower-income African American older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine (1) the pattern and prevalence of types and specific kinds of productive activities and (2) the association among sociodemographic data, individual capacity, kinds and levels of productive activity, and well-being at the individual level. Approximately 12% of 531 respondents participated in employment, whereas 20% participated in volunteer activities. The majority of the respondents (99.4%) joined in leisure activities. More than 75% engaged in religious activities. The respondents also reported that they participated in various kinds of productive activities. Age, physical health status, perceived social support, and perceived neighborhood satisfaction were the most important regression predictors of perceived well-being. Higher levels of involvement in religious activities and leisure activities were related to a greater perceived well-being.

Keywords:

• productive activities
• volunteer
• leisure
• religious activities
• employment
• African American older adults
• urban
• well-being

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Dr. Ruth E. Dunkle and Dr. Huei-Wern Shen for their valuable comments on this article.