Daly, Michael and Hall, Peter and Allan, Julia L.
(2019)
Time Perspective and All-Cause Mortality: Evidence From the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 53 (5).
pp. 486-492.
ISSN 0883-6612
Abstract
Background: Long-term future thinking has been associated with a range of favorable health behaviors. However,
it is currently unclear whether this translates into an
effect on morbidity and mortality.
Purpose The goal of this study was to study the relationship between time perspective and all-cause mortality
and to examine the role of health behavior in explaining
this association.
Methods: Participants (N = 9,949) aged 50 and over
from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a representative cohort of older English adults, estimated
the length of their time horizon for financial planning
(time perspective). Two thousand ninety-two deaths were
recorded over a 9-year follow-up period (2002/2003–
2012). Smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption were examined as factors that may underlie the time
perspective–mortality link.
Results: Our prospective survival analyses showed that
those who tend to plan for longer periods experienced
a significantly reduced risk of all-cause mortality
(HR = 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.80, 0.87],
p < .001 per 1 SD increase in future time perspective).
This association remained after adjusting for baseline
socioeconomic status and health (HR = 0.92; 95% CI:
[0.88, 0.97], p < .001). The link between time perspective
and mortality was observed across the gradient of
financial circumstances and did not appear to be due
to reverse causality. Healthy behavior among the more
future orientated explained 34% of the link between time
perspective and mortality.
Conclusions: Using a simply administered indicator of
time perspective, this study suggests that a future-orientated time perspective may be an important predictor of
reduced risk of death.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Additional Information: |
Cite as: Michael Daly, PhD, Peter A Hall, PhD, Julia L Allan, PhD, Time Perspective and All-Cause Mortality: Evidence From the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Volume 53, Issue 5, May 2019, Pages 486–492, https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kay046 |
| Keywords: |
Time perspective; Time preference; Health;
Mortality; Smoking; Physical activity; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology |
| Item ID: |
13606 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kay046 |
| Depositing User: |
Michael Daly
|
| Date Deposited: |
23 Nov 2020 15:26 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Annals of Behavioral Medicine |
| Publisher: |
Springer Verlag |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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