Page 60 - IJPS-8-1

International Journal of
Population Studies Cognitive functioning and active life engagement

Table 3. Estimates of logistic regression for engagement of six types of activities in 2018 (n=1015)
Variables Economic Household Recreational Physical Sedentary Social
work work activity activity time connection
Engagement of activities in 2015 2.03*** 2.17*** 2.21*** 2.05*** 1.36 1.99***
Gender (Women for reference) 1.42* 0.18*** 1.36 + 1.01 1.15 0.84
Age 0.93*** 0.97* 1.00 1.00 0.99 1.02*
Marital status (Single for reference) 1.15 0.68 0.75 0.82 0.80 1.07
Education (Illiterate for reference) 0.92 1.00 1.21 0.95 0.97 0.91
Annual income 1.13* 0.99 1.08 0.95 0.96 0.88*
Living alone 0.75 1.24 0.73 0.94 0.70 1.49 +
Social support 1 0.95 0.98 0.97 1.06 0.95 0.99
Social support 2 1.04 0.95 0.97 1.02 1.08 0.97
Social support 3 0.98 1.01 1.06 0.96 0.89* 0.97
Having diabetes 1.46 1.59 1.49 1.22 0.94 1.54 +
Having hypertension 0.86 1.03 0.95 1.33* 0.95 1.16
Having cardiovascular disease 1.11 0.93 1.04 1.26 0.89 0.88
ADLs 1.09*** 1.06*** 1.02 1.04* 0.99 1.04*
Cognitive function 1.02 1.09*** 1.08*** 1.03 + 0.96 1.06**
Cognitive decline 0.81 0.66* 0.56*** 0.73* 1.44 + 1.00
Constant 0.74 1.45 0.15 0.07* 88.73* 0.03**
LR Chi2 271.04 182.40 116.00 57.67 18.20 78.14
Pseudo R2 0.1949 0.1606 0.0978 0.0430 0.0248 0.0558
Significance levels: +P < 0.1, *P < 0.05, *P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.

Only among the subsets who participated in each participating in sedentary recreational activities, 88%
of the six types of activities in 2018 (duration hours spending 5 h on average for sedentary time. Only 38% and
>0), we run the OLS regression models to examine the 46% engaged in physical activity and socially connected
impacts of cognitive functioning level in 2015 and its activity, respectively. The impacts of cognitive functioning
decline on intensity of participating six types of activities, on probability and intensity of active life engagement varied
respectively. The estimates of OLS regression after by activities’ type. After controlling baseline participation
controlling participating intensity of six types of activities or intensity of activities, respectively, socialdemographic
at baseline (including duration hours = 0), respectively, characteristics and physical health, cognitive functioning,
socialdemographic characteristics, and physical health are and its decline significantly associated with house work,
as shown in Table 4. The level of cognitive functioning was recreational activity, physical activity, and socially
not significantly correlated to participating intensity of connected activity. These findings highlight the importance
any of the six types of activity besides that the association of promoting cognitive functioning to facilitate the active
between cognitive functioning and intensity of social life engagement.
connected activity was significant at 10% level. Cognitive Consistent with some previous studies (Chou, Chow,
functioning decline in follow-up only significantly reduced and Chi, 2004; Dong, Li, and Simon, 2014; Gauthier and
the frequency of participating social connected activity. Smeeding, 2003), we found that the majority of older adults

4. Discussion (over 70%) in rural China averagely spend more than 3 h
in sedentary recreational activities (such as watching TV
Active life engagement has been identified as a critical and reading or listening to radio) or just in sedentary time
indicator of successful aging. The study examined the for rest (such as napping or doze off). Only about one third
patterns of time-use in older adults of rural China using and 45% of respondents engaged in physical activity and
the two waves of time diary data from rural China. On socially connected activity, respectively. However, more
an absolute level, participants had low levels of active life than half of rural Chinese older adults still averagely spent
engagement with more than 70% of rural older adults 4 h on economic work. The previous studies suggested

Volume 8 Issue 1 (2022) 54 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.v8i1.1301