Participation for Health and Wellbeing: Factors Associated with Older People's Participation in Remote and Rural Communities

Participation in volunteering is associated anecdotally with maintaining good health - being a way of keeping mind and body active, engaged and thereby healthier. It is commonly assumed that involvement in community activities and organisations benefits both individuals and society. Research shows associations between health and volunteering, but the use of self-reporting health surveys amongst volunteers cannot show a causal relationship. Recent study, largely from North America, is exploring the connection between participation and health more definitively. Longitudinal studies have suggested that mental and physical health can be maintained and even improved through voluntary activity.