Literature focusing on engagement with life has categorized active engagement, social participation, interpersonal relationships, productive activities, leisure activities, social activities, and fitness activities all under the term social engagement [18]. While this umbrella term expands the focus of engagement beyond productive activities, it is useful to consider the positive impact of all forms of engagement on the maintenance of function in aging.
Despite of the variety of definitions and measurement techniques of social engagement, Maier and Klumb [16] incorporated these ideas into a theoretical model. The model is comprised of two categories of social engagement activities: regenerative activities and discretionary activities. Regenerative activities are those that are physiologically necessary for surviving, such as eating, while discretionary activities are those that are completed by choice [16]. Discretionary activities are then further divided into productive and consumptive. Productive activities are those that are carried out for the purpose of an outcome; for example, an older adult goes shopping to buy the groceries so they can feed themselves. On the other hand, consumptive activities are completed simply for their own sake, (e.g., watching television). A positive aspect of this model is that it adds clarity and depth to the types of engagement in which older adults participate. The term productive activity has been presented consistently across the literature; however, there has been great variability when trying to define consumptive activity. It includes social as well as leisure activities that have been referred to as high-demand leisure (e.g., swimming and walking) [9], low-demand leisure (e.g., sewing and listening to music) [9], active-leisure (e.g., swimming and walking) [7], and social leisure (e.g., visits to theater and visiting with friends) [19]. This wide range of terminology has made it difficult to compare results across the various studies.
Of all the components in Rowe and Khan's model of SA, active engagement has received the least amount of attention in research and literature. However, Rowe and Khan [28] believed that being part of a social network of friends and family is one of the most obvious factors leading to longevity. This socio-emotional support is so vital to SA because it reinforces individual's beliefs that they are valued some way in society. It can be actions as simple as helping with chores, transportation, physical, or financial needs [28]. The level of intimacy occurring throughout social engagement plays an important role in well-being with greater intimacy connections leading to greater life satisfaction [15].
In Mendes De Leon et al's [19] study of social engagement and its influences on well-being, they examined participation in social and productive activity and its association with a reduced risk of disability in adults over 65 years of age. Eleven types of social and productive activities were included in their data collection: visits to the theater, sporting events, shopping, gardening, meal preparation, cards, game playing, trips, community work, fitness activities, and church attendance. They found that adults who were more socially engaged reported less disability. In turn, prevention of disability due to active engagement allowed older individuals to continue to be social. Active engagement might also help modify age-related effects by providing individuals with a sense of purpose and control over their lives [19].
A similar study done by Menec [20] measured activity levels of Canadian seniors at the beginning of the study and then examined function, well-being, and mortality in the sample 6 years later. A specific focus was the relationship between specific types of activities and their individual influence on well-being, function, and mortality. Level of well-being was measured based on happiness and life satisfaction, while function was defined using a measure which combined physical as well as cognitive functioning. Participants indicated the types of activities they participated in throughout the past week via a 21-item checklist and these activities were divided into three different categories; social activities (i.e., visiting family), solitary activities (i.e., collecting hobbies), and productive activities (i.e., housework or volunteering). Results showed that individuals participated in eight activities on average. Social activities were the most common, with 93.1 % indicating that they visited or phoned a friend/family member; reading was the most common solitary activity, and light housework/gardening was the most prevalent productive activity.
Menec [20] found that several of the activities were related to happiness, including activities such as participating in social groups, sports, or games; solitary activities like handiwork hobbies, music/art/theater, and reading; and productive activities such as light housework and gardening. However, the only activity that significantly contributed to life satisfaction was participating in sport or games. There were also a number of activities that contributed to maintained function and reduced mortality. Individuals who attended church, and performed housework/gardening were less likely to die within the next 6 years. Mass activities (e.g., Bingo) and church attendance predicted better function over the 6 years studied. Of the solitary activities, only music/art/theater was positively correlated with maintained function.