ArticleBMC public health2022
Frequency of leisure activity engagement and health functioning over a 4-year period: a population-based study amongst middle-aged adults.
Article in BMC public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: an updated systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis in a combined sample of 3.3 million people.British journal of sports medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Attachment, Physical Leisure, and Suicidal Ideation in Emerging Adulthood: Evidence from University Students.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Leisure Activities are Associated with Physical and Mental Health.Current research in behavioral sciences · 2026Article
- Self-Selected Leisure Promotes Ambulatory Blood Pressure Dipping: A Within-Person Randomized Field Experiment.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
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- "Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Life-course social participation and physical activity in midlife: longitudinal associations in the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70).European journal of epidemiology · 2024Article
- Association between commuting time and work-related low back pain with respect to sports and leisure activities in Korean workers.Industrial health · 2024Article
- [Disability and participation in active leisure activities: results from a Chilean population-based survey].Cadernos de saude publica · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
rationaleLeisure activities have wide-ranging benefits for physical and mental health. However, previous studies have often focused on "leisure" as a homogeneous group of activities. This study was therefore designed to take a prospective and comparative approach exploring different types of leisure activities, as well as investigating whether frequency of engagement is associated with strength of benefits.
methodData from the 1970 British Cohort Study Waves 9 (age 42) and 10 (age 46) were analysed (N = 5,639). Eight domains derived from the SF-36 health survey questionnaire were used to measure health functioning (general health, vitality, bodily pain, social functioning, physical functioning, mental health, role limitations due to emotional, and role limitations due to physical problems). Leisure activities included physical activity, culture engagement, arts participation, volunteering or community engagement, and literature activities. Both ordinary least squares and logistic regressions were applied.
resultsPhysical activity was associated with greater levels of physical functioning, general health, and vitality at higher frequencies, while cultural engagement was associated with social functioning and physical functioning when engaged in several times a year. Arts participation and literature activities had a general negative association with health functioning. Engagements in volunteering/community groups showed varying associations with health functioning (both positive and negative) depending on the levels of engagements.
conclusionThis research suggests that the types of leisure activities and levels of engagement can have differential associations with health amongst middle-aged adults. This may be helpful for public health initiatives and programmes such as social prescribing schemes when formulating programmes, especially regarding 'dosage' of engagement. Further, the overall benefits of high engagement frequency suggest that increasing leisure engagement could play an important role in supporting improving health and wellbeing at a population level.
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Registered trials
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