Leisure education reduces stress among older adults.
OBJECTIVE
The objectives of this study were to examine whether a leisure education program could facilitate leisure competence among older adults and whether it could also reduce their stress.


METHODS
A pre-test-post-test randomized experimental design was conducted. Subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 30). A leisure education program was used to serve as the intervention. A day before this experiment was carried out, pre-test data were collected using leisure competence and stress scales. Thirty minutes after this experiment ended, post-test data were collected using the same scales. These data were analyzed using an analysis of covariance.


RESULTS
The results indicated that the average post-test scores of leisure competence in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group and that the average post-test scores of stress in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Healthcare practitioners should adopt the provision of leisure education as a priority to facilitate leisure competence and reduce stress among older adults.
a Department of Living Sciences , National Open University , New Taipei City , Taiwan.
Liang-Chih
LC
Chang
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy*; D013624:Taiwan
leisure competence; leisure education; stress