The Changing Landscape of Daily Life: How Activity Diversity Affects Longevity Across Generations
You might think that with all the modern conveniences and health advancements, people today would be more active and engaged in a variety of daily activities. Surprisingly, that's not the case. Researchers compared two different cohorts from the United States, one from 1995/1996 and another from 2013/2014, to see how diverse their daily activities were. They used something called Shannon's entropy method to calculate an "activity diversity score" based on seven common daily activities.
What they found was eye-opening. The more recent cohort actually had less diversity in their daily activities compared to the older one. This lack of activity diversity was especially pronounced in individuals over the age of 55. Why does this matter? A less diverse daily routine can be a risk factor for future health outcomes. It's not just about being active; it's about being active in different ways.
So, if you're aiming for a long, healthy life, consider mixing up your daily routine. Whether it's gardening, reading, or socializing, a diverse set of activities could be your ticket to better health and longevity.
Article Information
Adults Older Than Age 55 Engage in Less Diverse Activities Than Those 18 Years Ago
Published on J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci, Soomi Lee et al.
Abstract
Objectives: Life-span perspectives have long acknowledged that individual functioning is shaped by historical and sociocultural contexts. Secular increases favoring recent cohorts are widely documented. However, little is known about secular trends in day-to-day activities and whether historical changes have occurred in younger and older adults alike.
Methods: We compared data from 2 independent cohort samples of the daily diary portion of the Midlife in the United States Study obtained 18 years apart (1995/1996 cohort: n = 1,499 vs 2013/2014 cohort: n = 782) and identified case-matched cohorts (n = 757 per cohort) based on age, gender, education, and race. An activity diversity score was calculated based on 7 common daily activities, using Shannon's entropy method. We additionally examined the roles of age and other sociodemographic and health characteristics in cohort differences in activity diversity.
Results: Results revealed that the 2013/2014 cohort experienced lower daily activity diversity than the 1995/1996 cohort. Age was positively associated with activity diversity in the 1995/1996 cohort, whereas age was negatively associated with activity diversity in the 2013/2014 cohort. These associations were significant for those who were older than age 55. Cohorts also differed in the types of most dominant activities and average time spent on those activities.
Discussion: Findings show changes in the lifestyles and daily activities of U.S. adults across 2 decades. Contrasting to the common belief that today's adults may be healthier and more active, they seem engaging in less diverse daily activities, which can be a risk for future health outcomes.
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