Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. E-mail concerning this paper can be addressed to jopp fordham. Everyday leisure activities in adulthood and old age have been investigated with respect to constructs such as successful aging, an engaged lifestyle, and prevention of age-related cognitive decline. They also relate to mental health and have clinical value as they can inform diagnosis and interventions. In the present study, we enhanced the content validity of the Victoria Longitudinal Study activity questionnaire by adding items on physical and social activities, and validated a shortened version of the questionnaire.
Our proposed leisure activity model included 11 activity categories: three types of social activities i. Confirmatory factor analyses validated the proposed factor structure in two independent samples. A higher-order model with a general activity factor fitted the activity factor correlations with relatively little loss of fit. Convergent and discriminant validity for the activity scales were supported by patterns of their correlations with education, health, depression, cognition, and personality.
In sum, the scores derived from of the augmented VLS activity questionnaire demonstrate good reliability, and validity evidence supports their use as measure of leisure activities in young, middle-aged, and older individuals. Preferences for and execution of specific activities are important features of everyday human life.
Assessment of activities is therefore essential for various clinical diagnoses. Specific activities can also provide complementary information further clarifying clinical diagnosis e.
In addition, activity measures have clinical utility by informing the design of suitable interventions and aiding the assessment of activity changes related to recovery e. Activities have also received substantial attention in the context of aging. An active life style is considered as essential for aging well e. There are multiple pathways by which an active life style can benefit adult cognition Hertzog et al. The pathways by which activities benefit functioning can be relatively general and global, but can also be quite specific to the type of activity and the type of function involved.
