Patterns of Social Activity Engagement Among Older Hispanics and Their Relationship to Sociodemographic and Health Variables

The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of social activity engagement in a sample of older Hispanics (Puerto Rican, Dominican, and other Hispanic) and determine whether these patterns differed significantly from the comparison non-Hispanic White group. This article also analyzes how ethnicity, sociodemographic, and health variables (health problems and depression) relate to each of the activity engagement patterns. The factor analysis of social activities from the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire yielded three factors, which describe engagement in social activities as: children and relatives active, friends and activities active, and senior services active. The results from the regression analyses show that Hispanic ethnicity and education are positively associated with being more engaged in activities with children and relatives, whereas being male and especially a male living alone is inversely associated with this pattern. In addition, being friends and activities active shows positive association with education, the participant living alone, and experiencing more language inclusion; however, it is inversely associated with depression, age, being male, and number of health problems. Finally, engaging in activities offered by senior services is only significantly associated with increased age and the number of health problems. The interpretations of these findings, directions for future research, and implications for activity professionals/recreation therapists are also discussed.