A Quasi-Experimental Study on the Effect of an Outdoor Physical Activity Program on the Well-Being of Older Chinese People in Hong Kong

Daniel W. L. Lai, Xiaoting Ou and Jiahui Jin
Additional contact information
Daniel W. L. Lai: Faculty of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Xiaoting Ou: Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Jiahui Jin: Faculty of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-8

Abstract: Active participation in physical activity by older people is effective in improving their health. This research aims to examine the positive effects of participation in vigorous outdoor physical activities by older Chinese people in Hong Kong, and whether such effects would vary with socioeconomic background. A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent group design was used. A total of 22 participants were randomly assigned to participate in an outdoor physical activity program. Another 14 participants took part as a control group. The 14-item Self-Image of Aging Scale for Chinese Elders and the four-item self-report Subjective Happiness Scale were used to measure participants’ self-image and overall happiness level. All participants completed the assessment before and after the program. Happiness level was enhanced in participants in the experimental group ( p = 0.037) and their level of overall mental health also improved ( p = 0.031, η 2 p = 0.129). Demographics did not have any significant effect on well-being outcomes. A structured outdoor physical activity program could be a viable choice for future practice to enhance the mental well-being of older Chinese people.

Keywords: Chinese; older people; physical activity; happiness; mental health; quasi-experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/15/8950/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/15/8950/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:15:p:8950-:d:869702

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().