Patterns of activity participation and the well-being of older adults in Singapore

• Main Authors: TIEW, Zidane, NGU, Rachel, TAN, Yi Wen
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2024
• Subjects: Senior adults; activities; life satisfaction; policies; active engagement; Singapore; Asian Studies; Family, Life Course, and Society; Gerontology; Social Policy
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/rosa_reports/27; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/rosa_reports/article/1026/viewcontent/Patterns_of_Activity_Participation_and_the_Well_being_of_Older_Adults_in_Singapore.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Older adults participate in different types of activities and do so in varying frequencies. In this study, we utilised latent class analysis to identify underlying patterns of activity participation among the SLP respondents. We found three patterns: (i) generally active (i.e., socially, physically, and digitally active), (ii) physically and digitally active, and (iii) digitally active. Furthermore, we found that respondents who were more broadly active were more likely to experience higher levels of life satisfaction than those who were only digitally active. These respondents tended to be from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, report having better health, or had more close social ties. We thus recommend that public health messaging on active engagement should be made accessible; active ageing policies should ensure a balanced mix of activities; and that preventive health strategies should provide targeted support for vulnerable subgroups, such as through social prescribing and community centre initiatives.