title: Painting pictures and playing musical instruments: change in participation and relationship to health in older women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore how changed participation in painting pictures or playing a musical instrument is related to change in physical and mental health in older women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women enrolled in the 1921-1926 birth cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health were surveyed in 2005 and 2008. Changed participation in painting pictures or playing a musical instrument was considered in relation to changes in social activity, social support, health status and health-related quality of life.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were available for 5058 women. Improvements in instrumental activities of daily living (odds ratio (OR) 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-1.2; P = 0.004) and role limitations due to emotional factors (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.5; P = 0.002) were associated with starting participation. Decline in mental health-related quality of life (OR 4.1, 95% CI 2.3-7.2; P < 0.0001) was associated with stopping.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Changed participation was associated with change in functional capacity and tied to emotional well-being.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. jeannine.liddle@uon.edu.au
authors.forename: Jeannine L M
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Liddle
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parkinson
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Sibbritt
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D009146:Music / Q000523:psychology*; D010151:Paintings / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health