The relationship between active, balanced participation and well-being in older adults in the United States: A time-use perspective

The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between occupational balance and well-being in older adults. The sample was 2,142 older adults (aged 65 and older; mean age=73.4; 59.6% female) from the American Time-Use Survey (ATUS). Work and leisure time use was reported as the amount of time (min) spent on work and leisure occupations in the 24-hour day. A median split of total time spent on both work and leisure was used to create 4 time-use groups: high work-high leisure = active balanced; high work-low leisure = work-focused; low work-high leisure = leisure-focused; and low work-low leisure = inactive balanced. Well-being was rated from 0 (the worst possible life) to 10 (the best possible life). Results showed that the active balanced group had significantly higher well-being than the inactive balanced group, after controlling for perceived health and well-restedness (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between any other group combinations (e.g., leisure-focused vs. work-focused and work-focused vs. active-balanced). These findings are consistent with the occupational science literature indicating the importance of active participation in both work and leisure occupations for higher well-being and extended to the older adult population.