University of California Research Initiatives

Previous research suggests that singing in a choir as an older adult is associated with better quality of life (QOL). However, the degree to which sociodemographic and activity level variables contribute to this relationship is largely unknown. The overall aim of the study was to compare quality of life (QOL) of older adult choir singers with a matched sample of olderadults from the general population in Finland, taking into considerationsociodemographic, satisfaction with health, and activity level. Case-control methods were used to match a sample of 109 older adult singers with a sample of 307 older adults from the general population. Tobit regression analysis with sociodemographic covariates was used to explain observedgroup differences in QOL as measured by two WHOQOL-Bref domains (psychological and physical). Probit regression analysis was used to examine the effect of overall activity level and sociodemographic variables on overall QOL and satisfaction with health. As expected, sociodemographic variables were strong predictors of physical and psychological QOL. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, theolder choir singers reported significantly higher ratings on physical QOL, but not psychological QOL, compared to matched controls. Additional adjustment for satisfaction for health attenuated the results. When considering overall activity level, older adult choir singers reportedsignificantly higher overall QOL and satisfaction with health whencompared to either active or inactive controls. These results suggest thatsinging in a choir as an older adult may promote well-being, even afteraccounting for sociodemographic and overall activity variables.