The new potential and prospects of leisure activities of older adults individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan on health-span

With the rapid increase in the number of older adults aged 75 and over by 2025, the importance of extending healthy life expectancy has been emphasized. This study focused on leisure activities of the older adults under social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of obtaining new perspectives on leisure activities and suggestions for improving the healthy life expectancy of the older adults. A literature review by three Scoping Reviews was conducted to gain a comprehensive view of leisure activities of the older adults under social distancing. The three selected studies were based on questionnaires and involved older adults aged 75 years or older visiting specific areas or medical institutions. These studies focused on the effects of social distancing due to the COVID-19 on the leisure activities of the older adults and its negative impact on their health. Leisure activities that were not affected by the social distancing included games, exercise and gymnastics, video calls using smartphones and other devices, and e-mails. The leisure activities listed in the results are expected to be brought to the health of various older adults through the application of digital technology. In addition, the limited literature on leisure activities in the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of analyzing the attributes of the older adults were noted. The importance of conducting a retrospective study on leisure activities in social distancing was suggested in order to broaden the multifaceted perspective on leisure activities among the older adults and to clarify the effects of such activities on the health span of the older adults.