Socioeconomic disparities in leisure activities over the life course of the oldest-old in China

Objective To identify the socioeconomic factors leading to disparities in participation in leisure activities over the life course among Chinese oldest-old people. Methods Data are from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), a sample of adults aged 80 years or older in the period 1998-2012, featuring 38 312 individuals (58 945 observations). Results The younger birth cohorts were found to have significantly higher levels of participation in leisure activities, with a non-linear decrease in age observed for oldest-old men and women. Higher participation levels were significantly related to higher education levels, economic independence and non-manual occupations before retirement among the Chinese oldest-old. Conclusions Leisure activity participation has increased substantially in recent cohorts of Chinese oldest-olds. Those with lower socioeconomic status may represent a disadvantaged population in terms of participation in leisure activities over their life course.