The purpose of the study was to ascertain the leisure practices and attitudes of a population of rural, midwestern elderly. Trained interviewers surveyed 3097 subjects in their homes. Data were analyzed at individual and activity cluster levels.Individual activity participation rates portrayed present subjects as regular gardeners, walkers, and media users. They also seemed to be fairly regular participants in games of chance. Those 75 years of age or older participated less than subjects 65-74 years old. Some sex-related patterns emerged; women were more apt to participate in home-centered activities, men more likely to report outdoor recreation pursuits. Analysis of activity clusters reflected remarkably high involvement by subjects. Taken together, individual and activity cluster analyses indicated that subjects were more active in leisure than has been suggested in past studies and that their leisure attitudes were generally positive. From a conceptual standpoint, many theories of aging and leisure suggest a positive relationship between psychological health and leisure activity patterns.

No abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between attitude toward physical activity and exercise practices among a large, well-defined population of rural mid western elderly. The frequency of participation in exercise was a composite across three questions regarding physical activity. Intensity of exercise was also considered. The data were analyzed according to a weighted least-squares approach to categorical data. The resulting chisquare goodness-of-fit model was significant and replicated the exercise behavior of the subjects. A significant main effect for gender and a significant age × attitude interaction was observed. The main effect for gender revealed that, for any age × attitude combination, males were more apt to participate at a given exercise level. However, age mediated the influence of attitude on exercise. Older age had a more detrimental effect on exercise behavior if attitude toward exercise was positive.

No abstract