Relationships Between Types of Leisure Activities and Mental Health among Older Adults With Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: Three types of leisure activities such as sedentary, social, and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) have been identified as essential factors that influence mental health outcomes among older adults with diabetes. In this study, we aimed to investigate what types of leisure activities are associated with mental health outcomes among older adults with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We used 2020 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data. We extracted 310 records from 3266 individuals diagnosed with diabetes and conducted a hierarchical regression analysis to investigate the research question. Results: LTPA was the strongest predictor of reduced loneliness and stress and increased happiness and life satisfaction among older adults with diabetes. Discussion: Our findings highlight the relationship between different types of leisure activities and mental health for older adults with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data suggest that LTPA, social leisure, and sedentary leisure reduce loneliness and stress and improve happiness and life satisfaction.

Identifying the Relationship between Leisure Walking and Prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias.

The literature suggests that leisure walking can play an important role in preventing dementia. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between leisure walking and the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias among older adults. Using the 2020 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), 4581 responses constituted the sample for the present study. A hierarchical logit regression analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between leisure walking and the prevalence of AD and dementia. The results show that leisure walking has been negatively associated with the prevalence of AD and other dementias-that is, they indicate that older adults who frequently engaged in leisure walking were less likely to develop AD and other dementias. This finding suggests the importance of leisure walking as a dementia prevention program for older adults.