The role of health beliefs in moderating the relationship between leisure participation and wellbeing among older Chinese adults

ABSTRACT

Much research suggests that physical leisure activity contributes to wellbeing and that sedentary leisure activity diminishes wellbeing, but an increasing number of studies challenge this dominant discourse. To better understand the relationship and provide new insight to inconsistent findings, we examined how health beliefs concerning the benefits of leisure moderate the association between leisure participation and subjective wellbeing by drawing on data gathered in a self-administered survey conducted in southwest China with 329 older adults. The results suggest that health beliefs strengthen the association of greater participation in physical leisure activity with higher life satisfaction, and weaken the association of more participation in sedentary leisure activity to lower life satisfaction and increased negative affect. Thus, health beliefs impact the association between leisure participation and wellbeing in a Chinese context.

KEYWORDS:

• Sedentary leisure activities
• physical leisure activities
• health beliefs
• subjective wellbeing
• moderating effect

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Jibin Yu

Dr. Yu received his Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo, his research interests include qualitative research methods, the impact of leisure and tourism on wellbeing, older adults’ leisure behaviours, and health tourism.

Steven E. Mock

Dr. Mock’s research interests include lifespan development, sexual minority development, and leisure as a coping resource.

Bryan Smale

Dr. Smale’s research interests include leisure, health, and wellbeing of individuals and communities.