ORIGINAL ARTICLE: BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Self-perceived health and quality of life by activity status in community-dwelling older adults Lara Pino, 1 Abel E González-Vélez, 2 Maria-Eugenia Prieto-Flores, 3 Alba Ayala, 4 Gloria Fernandez-Mayoralas, 5 Fermina Rojo-Perez, 5 Pablo Martinez-Martin 6 and Maria João Forjaz 1,7 1 Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital, Sandanter, 2 Service of Preventive Medicine, University Hospital Ramón y Cajal, 3 National Distance Education University (UNED), 4 Carlos III Institute of Health, 5 Center for Human and Social Sciences, Spanish National Research Council, and 6 Alzheimer Center Reina Sofia Foundation, Alzheimer Disease Research Unit, CIEN Foundation, Carlos III Institute of Health, and 7 REDISSEC, Madrid, Spain Aim: The present study aimed at analyzing whether activity status is associated with self-perceived health status and quality of life (QoL) in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: We used a cross-sectional design based on a semi-structured QoL questionnaire in a representative sample of 1106 community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older in Spain. Logistic regression models were used to explain the association of activity status with self-perceived health status and QoL, assessed by means of the EQ-5D-3L index, controlling for the influence of sociodemographic, social and support network variables, and health indicators. Results: The mean age ± standard deviation was 72.1 ± 7.8 years. For the activity status, 8.5% were working people, 53.7% retirees, 30.6% homemakers and 7.2% pensioners. All homemakers and 93.6% pensioners were women. In the model to assess perceived health status, when controlling for sociodemographic, social and support network variables, we found that working people rated their health better than the retired group. In this model, pensioners rated their health status worst, whereas homemakers did not show any significant difference compared with the retired group. However, there were no differences in the model of QoL by activity status. Conclusion: Activity status was associated with self-perceived health status, but not with QoL. This study draws attention to the need of considering the activity of older adults for actions aimed at maintaining and improving their health. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; ••: ••–••. Keywords: aged, health status, quality of life, occupational status, retirement. Introduction The present aging of the population is unprecedented in the history of humanity, resulting from the transition from high to low fertility and a continuous reduction of adult mortality. While the world population is increas- ing at 1.2% annually, the population aged 60 years and older is growing at a rate of 2.6% per year. 1 As a popu- lation ages, the potential support ratio (those aged ≥65 years as a proportion of those of working age) tends to fall. This reduction has important implications for social security policies, particularly for pension pro- grams where the taxes the current workers pay fund the pensions of retirees. 1 Spain, like other developed countries, has more than one-fifth of its population aged over 60 years, and a 20-year life expectancy at the age of 65 years, 2 where many older adults are still able to work and contribute to society. According to the Time Usage (Empleo del Tiempo) survey of the National Institute of Statistics of Spain, 86.3% of older adults aged 65 years and older carry out household chores during the day, 22.5% use their time for volunteer work and informal support, and 2.1% carry out professional work. 3 Previous studies on quality of life (QoL) and activity status have shown that unemployment and retirement were significantly associated with lower QoL. 4,5 In contrast, continued employment after retirement has been correlated with Accepted for publication 12 June 2013. Correspondence: Dr Maria João Forjaz PhD, National School of Public Health, Carlos III Institute of Health, Avda. Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029 Madrid, Spain. Email: jforjaz@isciii.es Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013 © 2013 Japan Geriatrics Society doi: 10.1111/ggi.12119 | 1