Are leisure activity and health interconnected after retirement: Educational differences

Abstract Objectives Retirement is a critical life event accompanied by profound changes in life circumstances to which people have to actively adapt. Two important dimensions for the success of adjustment are health and activity. Therefore, we examined developments of physical health and leisure activity over the first 12-years of retirement and their bi-directional interconnections. In this study, we questioned whether all retirees have the same chances for successful aging. Methods We used longitudinal data of the German Ageing Survey (DEAS) and identified 2897 retirees. We estimated a bivariate dual change score model simultaneously for retirees who have more and retirees who have less education. Physical health was assessed via the number of self-reported chronic conditions and leisure activity via the number of hobbies engaged in at least monthly. Results At the transition into retirement, retirees with less education showed a slightly lower level in health and a distinctly lower level in leisure activity than retirees with more education. These mean level differences persisted over 12 years since an increase of educational difference was neither found for leisure activities nor for physical health. Furthermore, level of activity did not predict changes in physical health. Additionally, only retirees who had less education were sensitive to their levels of health. For those, worse health predicted a reduction in leisure activity. Discussion Illness seem to limit leisure activities only for less educated individuals. We discussed these findings under a cumulative inequality perspective. Retirees who have less education are double-jeopardized. They report not only lower levels in health and activity, they are also dependent in their activity on their physical health status. This shows that people have unequal chances for successful aging in retirement.