Neighborhood social cohesion can contribute to leisure time physical activity (LTPA) involvement and psychological well-being. In spite of the value of neighborhood social cohesion for health benefits, there is a dearth of empirical study that explores how neighborhood social cohesion influences LTPA and mental health among older adults. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association among neighborhood social cohesion, light-to-moderate and vigorous LTPA, and mental health in a representative sample of U.S. older adults (n = 6,412). Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that older adults who perceived neighborhood social cohesion were more likely to participate in light-to-moderate and vigorous LTPA, which in turn resulted in better mental health. This study confirmed the importance of neighborhood social cohesion in promoting older adults’ health-related behaviors and mental health. The practical implications on how to promote mental health among older adults, as well as future research directions were discussed.

Background: People with cancer often report high levels of negative psychological symptoms and poor perception of health due to cancer treatment and activity limitations. Prior studies have suggested that participation in leisure time physical activity (LTPA) can reduce negative psychological symptoms and improve health perception. However, a few studies have examined the contribution of LTPA to health benefits among people with cancer. Thus, we aimed to examine how a different level of LTPA engagement contributed to mental health and health perceptions among people with cancer. Methods: Using the 2017 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) data, cross sectional data of 504 respondents diagnosed with any types of 22 cancers listed in the survey questionnaire were analyzed. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to test for mean differences in mental health and health perception among the three different LTPA groups(i.e., inactive, moderately active, and vigorously active groups). Results: Results indicated that people with cancer who reported higher levels of LTPA scored higher on mental health and health perception than those with lower levels of LTPA (Pillai’s trace= 0.060, F (4,944) = 15.06, P < 0.001). Conclusion: This finding suggests that individuals with cancer gained more health benefits through high engagement in LTPA. Moreover, we suggested that LTPA can be used as an important therapeutic intervention to promote health quality and wellbeing among people with cancer. Implications for practical suggestions are further discussed.

Leisure walking has been found to be positively associated with increased mental health. However, the benefits of leisure walking of varying intensities on the mental health of older adults (>50 years old) with mild cognitive impairment are not clear. This study employed 2020 Health and Retirement Study data to investigate the benefits of leisure walking for three groups based on levels of participation (low, mid, and high). We conducted a multivariate analysis of covariance (n = 834) to examine the group mean differences (MDs). The respondents in the high and mid groups presented higher life satisfaction and happiness than those in the low group. The high group had lower loneliness and stress scores than those in the low and mid groups. These findings indicate that older adults with mild cognitive impairment gained more mental health benefits and life satisfaction through moderate and vigorous leisure walking than through light leisure walking.