ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Life-Course Epidemiology and Social Inequalities in Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1570705
Leisure Activity Participation, Health Status, and Subjective Well-being of Adult Women: A Cross-sectional Study from a Life Cycle Perspective in China
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shandong Sport University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
- 2Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong Province, China
- 3City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR China
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Objective: Based on life cycle theory, this study aims to explore the changes in leisure activity participation, health status, and subjective well-being among women at different life stages, and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Additionally, the study examines the moderating effects of demographic characteristics.Methods: This study used data from the China General Social Survey (CGSS) and employed a cross-sectional research design to compare data from women in early adulthood, early maturity, and late maturity. Stepwise regression and mediation analysis were applied to systematically examine the complex relationships between leisure activity participation, health status, and subjective well-being.Results: The results indicate that women in early adulthood report significantly higher levels of subjective well-being and health status than those in early and late maturity stages. Furthermore, leisure activity participation showed significant changes across the life cycle. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that the impact of leisure activity participation on subjective well-being varied across different life stages, but health status remained a key determinant of well-being. Mediation analysis further confirmed that health status partially mediated the relationship between leisure activity participation and subjective well-being.This study provides an in-depth examination of the dynamic changes in women's subjective well-being across the life cycle and highlights the strategic importance of leisure activities in enhancing women's quality of life. Future research could employ longitudinal tracking designs to explore the causal mechanisms between these variables in greater depth, while also considering the multifaceted influences of cultural background and psychosocial factors.
Keywords: life cycle, Leisure Activities, Subjective well-being, Health Status, Women's development
Received: 04 Feb 2025; Accepted: 28 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xiao, Ma, Zhao, Li, Li and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Zhaoxiang Li, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, Shandong Province, China
Jie Yang, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.