Recreational well-being and the neglected older adult play
How ageism and built environment affect female seniors in Hong Kong
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19230437 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Izzy Yi Jian (0000-0001-7957-3546, Education University of Hong Kong), Tian Cheng (0000-0002-3654-0055, Education University of Hong Kong), Weixuan Chen (0000-0003-4121-9589, Jinan University), Kar Him Mo (0000-0001-6579-1358, Chinese University of Hong Kong, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Urban Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0042-0980 • E-ISSN: 1360-063X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00420980261444166 |
| OpenAlex | W7161264891 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 63 |
While age-friendly initiatives increasingly recognise the importance of play for recreational well-being in later life, its conceptualisation and the specific mechanisms driving it remain significantly underexplored, particularly among female older adults (FOAs). Addressing this critical gap, our study focuses on FOAs in Hong Kong’s high-density public housing estates (PHEs), a vital yet overlooked demographic in urban ageing research. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 52 participants, we integrated thematic analysis with fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), guided by the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework. This approach elucidates the complex interplay of factors facilitating FOAs’ playful engagement, with a specific focus on the roles of ageism and the built environment. Our findings reveal a multi-dimensional framework of FOA play, delineating five primary dimensions: Embodied Health Instrumentality, Collective Participation, Organisational Dependency, Generational Temporalities, and Implicit Playful Mindset. FOAs conceptualise play as a dual-purpose pursuit, bridging functional imperatives (e.g. health maintenance, cognitive stimulation) and recreational vitality (e.g. social engagement, emotional regulation). The fsQCA results yielded six distinct configurations that enable play, highlighting health aspirations and collective participation as core enablers, frequently synergised with an implicit playful mindset. Peripheral yet significant factors encompass favourable environmental quality, financial freedom, and the absence of loneliness or ageism. Beyond dismantling ageist stereotypes, this research establishes play as a critical missing element in contemporary age-friendly urban discourse. These findings offer transformative insights for reimagining inclusive urban environments that authentically accommodate diverse recreational expressions and combat the pervasive loneliness crisis among older adults in high-density contexts
Affect (linguistics) · Aging in place · Built environment · Embodied cognition · Loneliness · Recreation · Thematic analysis · Transformative learning · Vitality · Health disparities and outcomes · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Urban Green Space and Health
Redesigning Social Inquiry
The Ludic City
Ten questions concerning age-friendly cities and communities and the built environment
Social relationships and risk of dementia
Environmental factors influencing older adults’ walking for transportation
Ecology and the aging process.
Interrater reliability
Mechanism of the impacts of older adults social participation on their health
The impact of different dependency levels on elderly tourism decisions
Gender-bias in the built environment
Active ageing in urban environments
Sense of security in age-friendly cities
Set-Theoretic Methods for the Social Sciences
Conceptual and design thinking for thematic analysis
Self-efficacy
“I Did Not Have Time to Play Growing Up… So This is My Play Time. It's the Best Thing I Have Ever Done for Myself”
Women's perceived safety in public places and public transport
Making degreeness count in QCA
How public open spaces co-construct solitary experiences in densely populated urban environments
What we count shapes what we learn
Taking Play Seriously in Urban Design
All concerns me”
Expanding the Playful City
How older people experience the age-friendliness of The Hague
Meaning of age-friendly neighbourhood
The role of community environments in older adults' intergenerational and peer social interactions
Rethinking micro-level spatial rationalities
Inclusive public open space for all
The impact of microscale environmental features on older adults’ recreational activities in shared spaces of high-density residential neighbourhoods
Age-friendly spatial design for residential neighbourhoods in a compact city
Ageism can be Hazardous to Women's Health
Silently ageing, quietly shrinking
Older adults' capability to use community facilities and the associations with neighborhood satisfaction and well-being in high-density urban environments
Everything Is Perfect, and We Have No Problems
Social Desirability Bias and the Validity of Indirect Questioning
Translating Interviews, interpreting lives
Middle Alternatives Revisited
| Highly cited | No |
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