Association of intrinsic capacity with leisure activities in community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional analysis

• Published in: BMC geriatrics Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 577 - 9
• Main Authors: Shen, Ji, Kang, Yuting, Zhang, Chi, Pang, Jing, Li, Jing, Shi, Hong, Zhang, Jie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 01.08.2025; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Chi-square test; China - epidemiology; Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Cognition - physiology; Cognitive ability; Confounding (Statistics); Cross-Sectional Studies; Dementia; Female; Geriatric Assessment - methods; Health aspects; Health care; Healthy aging; Humans; Independent Living - psychology; Intrinsic capacity; Leisure; Leisure activities; Leisure Activities - psychology; Life expectancy; Locomotion; Male; Malnutrition; Mental health; Middle Aged; Mortality; Older adults; Older people; Participation; Physical fitness; Physical fitness for the aged; Psychological aspects; Public health; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; Variables; Visual acuity; Well being; China; Beijing China; Intrinsic capacity; Healthy aging; Older adults; Leisure activities
• ISSN: 1471-2318; 1471-2318
• DOI: 10.1186/s12877-025-06201-3

Intrinsic capacity (IC) is defined as the combined physical and mental capacities of older adults and is closely related with their functional abilities. This study examined how specific types and patterns of leisure activities (LA) associate with distinct domains and overall levels of intrinsic capacity (IC) in community-dwelling older adults from Beijing, China. This study included 916 participants (aged 70.19 ± 6.23 years) from four communities in Beijing. The five IC-related domains, namely, locomotion, cognition, psychological, vitality, and sensory domains were assessed using the tools recommended by WHO. Leisure activities, including physical leisure activities (PLA) and intellectual leisure activities (ILA), were analyzed using a 8-question self-administered questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the association of IC with LA and types of LA after adjustment of confounding variables, including demographic characteristics and health status parameters. Among the 916 study subjects, 605 (65.8%) showed impairment in at least one dimension of IC. The total score of LA was 6 (4,7). Furthermore, LA (OR = 1.150, 95% CI = 1.041-1.271) and ILA (OR = 1.202, 95% CI = 1.046-1.382) were associated with IC after adjusting for the covariates. In the subgroup analyses, LA (OR = 1.242, 95% CI = 1.069-1.442) and ILA (OR = 1.427, 95% CI = 1.145-1.780) were associated with IC in the males, but the correlation was not observed in the females. Among the different age subgroups, individuals in the 70-79 year age group showed association between LA and IC. All the types of LA, except pet-keeping and volunteerism, showed correlation with one or more dimensions of IC. LA and LA types are independently associated with IC in community-dwelling older adults. Therefore, participation in diverse leisure activities is necessary for maintaining and improving IC in the older adults.