Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Growing aging populations pose a threat to global health because of the social and psychological challenges they experience. To mitigate this, many countries promote hobby engagement to support and improve mental health. Yet, it remains unclear whether there is consistency in benefits across different national settings. We harmonized measures of hobby engagement and multiple aspects of mental wellbeing across 16 nations represented in five longitudinal studies (N = 93,263). Prevalence of hobby engagement varied substantially across countries, from 51.0% of Spanish respondents to 96.0% of Danish respondents. Fixed effects models and multinational meta-analyses were applied to compare the longitudinal associations between hobbies and mental wellbeing. Independent of confounders, having a hobby was associated with fewer depressive symptoms (pooled coefficient = -0.10; 95% confidence intervals (CI) = -0.13, -0.07), and higher levels of self-reported health (pooled coefficient = 0.06; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.08), happiness (pooled coefficient = 0.09; 95% CI = 0.06, 0.13) and life satisfaction (pooled coefficient = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.08, 0.12). Further analyses suggested a temporal relationship. The strength of these associations, and prevalence of hobby engagement, were correlated with macrolevel factors such as life expectancy and national happiness levels but overall, little variance in findings was explained by country-level factors (<9%). Given the relative universality of findings, ensuring equality in hobby engagement within and between countries should be a priority for promoting healthy aging.
Source: Nature Medicine
Institutions: University College London, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, Chiba University, Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $11,690
Awards: Social Determinants of Dementia, Healthy Aging and Well-being: Examining positive Health Assets and Resilience factors, G1308043341, 社会モデルの統合医療に関する実態調査とデータベース構築に向けた産官学共同研究開発, G161844060, G2531142358, G2922291121, 介護予防政策へのパーソナル・ヘルス・レコード(PHR)の利活用モデルの開発, Study on elucidating the generation process of inequality in well-being and social capital among older people, G3761102885, G3814791677, G3968331801, G4205714675, 介護予防につながるIoT活用による行動変容促進サービスの創出に関する研究, Arts, Society and Public Health: An Exploration of the Major UK Cohort Studies, 地域包括ケア推進に向けた地域診断ツールの活用による地域マネジメント支援に関する研究, G5072998035, G5538279096, G5979593037, G6074669440, 保険レセプトデータを用いた死に至るまでの生活活動能力の経時的変化の類型化とその決定要因の解明, Arts, Society and Public Health: An Exploration of the Major UK Cohort Studies, 地域づくりによる介護予防の推進のための研究
OpenAlex ID: W4386600274