Free Time Activities Research Articles

CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTICING WOMEN’S FOOTBALL AS A FREE-TIME MOTOR ACTIVITY

Background. Motor activities are actions that involve the movement of the body and the use of the locomotor apparatus in order to fulfill the proposed tasks and objectives. These are important activities for the physical development of the individual and the health of the human body in general. Lately, more and more emphasis has been placed on devoting free time to activities of relaxation, entertainment, personal development, socializing, to restore the body after the pressure exerted by work tasks or other daily responsibilities. Motor activities can lead to the recovery of the required body, movement being a tool/means of relaxation, revitalization and optimization of physical condition. For females, involvement in sports activities has been limited by historical and social contexts. Introduced in Romania only three decades ago, women's football represents one of the team sports with multiple benefits, both physically and mentally, a fact for which it can be successfully classified in the category of free-time motor activities. Purpose. The aim of the paper is to highlight the importance of playing football by women as a leisure activity. Thus, the presentation highlights the physiological and psychological benefits of this sport on the female body. These aspects are discussed through the prism of my personal experience as a player in the Representative Football Team of the University of Bucharest. Rezults. Playing football, among other things, leads to the improvement of physical and mental resistance, resilience, tolerance and collaborative character, contributes to the hormonal balance of the body and the intensification of metabolic processes. At the same time, through the intense and complex demand on the body, women's football presents benefits on the cardio-respiratory system, reducing the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Conclusion. From my experience as a player of women's football, both in my spare time and within the Representative Football Team of the University of Bucharest, we can conclude that this sport fits very well the physical needs of anyone who wants their free time to be used for health, relaxation and socializing.

Towards Automatic Object Detection and Activity Recognition in Indoor Climbing

Rock climbing has propelled from niche sport to mainstream free-time activity and Olympic sport. Moreover, climbing can be studied as an example of a high-stakes perception-action task. However, understanding what constitutes an expert climber is not simple or straightforward. As a dynamic and high-risk activity, climbing requires a precise interplay between cognition, perception, and precise action execution. While prior research has predominantly focused on the movement aspect of climbing (i.e., skeletal posture and individual limb movements), recent studies have also examined the climber’s visual attention and its links to their performance. To associate the climber’s attention with their actions, however, has traditionally required frame-by-frame manual coding of the recorded eye-tracking videos. To overcome this challenge and automatically contextualize the analysis of eye movements in indoor climbing, we present deep learning-driven (YOLOv5) hold detection that facilitates automatic grasp recognition. To demonstrate the framework, we examined the expert climber’s eye movements and egocentric perspective acquired from eye-tracking glasses (SMI and Tobii Glasses 2). Using the framework, we observed that the expert climber’s grasping duration was positively correlated with total fixation duration (r = 0.807) and fixation count (r = 0.864); however, it was negatively correlated with the fixation rate (r = −0.402) and saccade rate (r = −0.344). The findings indicate the moments of cognitive processing and visual search that occurred during decision making and route prospecting. Our work contributes to research on eye–body performance and coordination in high-stakes contexts, and informs the sport science and expands the applications, e.g., in training optimization, injury prevention, and coaching.

Professional Dilemmatic Spaces in Swedish School-Age Educare

Global interest in the field of extended education has increased over the past two decades. Extended education in the context of Swedish school-age educare has a unique position in the school system due to its voluntariness and governance as well as the free time and leisure activities it offers pupils and the lack of set learning outcomes. These features create dilemmas for teachers; thus, this study aims to generate knowledge about the complex and challenging dilemmas of school-age educare teachers in their professional work. The results are derived from a thematic analysis of two sets of data: oral and written reflections from 22 school-age educare teachers. The three themes of the teachers’ dilemmas identified concern compulsory school vs. SAEC, offering pupils attractive teaching methods and content, and differing experiences and perspectives among the staff. The dilemmatic spaces that are recognised actualise positions and negotiations in everyday practices in relation to the teachers’ professional identities. The findings are expected to be useful as a constructive starting point for policymakers, teacher trainers, and school-age educare teachers to understand this specific educational context and the need for professional development. This study contributes to a further understanding of the multifaceted professional identities of school-age educare teachers.

Sexual revictimization by peers in school and organized activity contexts among adolescents: A 3-year longitudinal study.

Based on sexual revictimization theory, this study investigates the role of individual characteristics (e.g., depression and subjective well-being) and contextual factors (school and organized activities) in the development of sexual harassment revictimization among Swedish Grade 7 (46% girls; Mage = 14.09) adolescents who were followed over 3 consecutive years. The analytic sample comprises adolescents in the school context (T1 N = 678, T2 N = 563, and T3 N = 471) and in organized free-time activity contexts (T1 n = 443, T2 n = 400, and T3 n = 356). Our findings suggest that adolescents with experiences of sexual harassment victimization in Grade 7 were at an increased risk of being sexually revictimized the following 2 years across the two distinct developmental contexts. Further, our results reveal that adolescents are more sexually harassed by their peers in organized activity contexts both concurrently and over time if they were victims of sexual harassment in the school context and the other way around. The findings underscore the need for sexual harassment prevention interventions to consider different developmental contexts simultaneously and to focus on the history of adolescents' experiences of victimization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploring Beginner Free diver’s Experience of Benefit Recreational Freediving Activity

The purpose of this article is to explore the experience of an Indonesian beginner free diver perspective while practicing programmed recreational freediving. This freediving recreational theme tries to be built from the experience of a beginner free diver who obtains mental and physical health benefits from relaxation and other physical aspects through diving. This is to support the program for further development of freediving recreation as a choice of physical activity in free time. A qualitative methodology has been used twenty-six freedivers aged between 18 and 43 years were recruited to participate in the study. In-depth interviews were specifically designed to collect data about the forms of experience, learning, motivation, positive mental involvement through recreational freediving activities carried out. Data were collected with anecdotal notes through interviews and submitted to inductive content analysis in the ATLAS.ti 9 program. Physical theoretical literacy analysis was used to address the empirical data analysis. The results showed patterns in the data, including information gathering physical exercises, mental training, engagement as a learning journey, and experience and withdrawal from recreational freediving performed. It is concluded that this type of recreational freediving exercise provides a form of physical activity that provides mental and physical benefits for novice freediving. Keywords: Perspective, Benefit, Recreational Freediving

Exploring Activity Interests of Older People with Low-Income

ABSTRACT Older people living on low incomes may experience inequitable access to activities they find interesting because they may live in homes with even fewer resources and may not be able to afford to participate in the activities they enjoy. The aim of this study was to explore the interests of older people living on low incomes living in residential homes. We used a cross-sectional analytic study design and the Interest Checklist to investigate the activity interests of 82 older people with low incomes in 9 residential homes in Cape Town, South Africa. Findings revealed 27 activities they were most interested in, within five categories: musical, everyday, social, free time, and religious or cultural activities. There were few statistically significant differences between men and women, or between residents with different levels of independence. Understanding the interests of older people with low incomes is a first step toward creating opportunities for participation, and growing well-developed individual interests.

Predictors and Prevalence of Alcohol and Cannabis Co-use Among Filipino Adolescents: Evidence From a School-based Student Health Survey.

This study explored the prevalence and predictors of alcohol and cannabis co-use among 9263 Filipino adolescents, using data from the 2019 Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). We conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis of the GSHS, targeting adolescents aged 13-17 years and excluding cases with incomplete data on alcohol and cannabis use. Our analysis employed the bivariate chi-square test of independence and multivariable logistic regression using Stata version 18 to identify significant predictors of co-use, with a p-value threshold set at 0.05. The weighted prevalence of co-users was 4.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4 to 5.3). Significant predictors included male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.50; 95% CI, 3.31 to 6.10; p<0.001) and being in a lower academic year, specifically grade 7 (aOR, 4.08; 95% CI, 2.39 to 6.99; p<0.001) and grade 8 (aOR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.30 to 3.72; p=0.003). Poor sleep quality was also a significant predictor (aOR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.29 to 2.44; p<0.001), as was a history of attempted suicide (aOR, 5.31; 95% CI, 4.00 to 7.06; p<0.001). Physical inactivity was associated with lower odds of co-use (aOR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.33 to 0.62; p<0.001). Additionally, non-attendance of physical education classes (aOR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.06 to 2.05; p=0.021), infrequent unapproved parental checks (aOR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.80; p=0.024), and lower parental awareness of free-time activities (aOR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.87; p=0.005) were associated with higher odds of co-use. Factors not significantly linked to co-use included age group, being in grade 9, always feeling lonely, having no close friends, being bullied outside school, and whether a parent or guardian understood the adolescent's worries. The findings highlight the critical need for comprehensive interventions in the Philippines, addressing not only physical inactivity and parental monitoring but also focusing on sex, academic grade, participation in physical education classes, sleep quality, and suicide attempt history, to effectively reduce alcohol and cannabis co-use among adolescents.

Effects of slackline training during active breaks and free-time activities break at school on children's attention: a comparison of two-intervention methods

Purpose: To describe the effects of two interventions, regular Physical Education classes plus free active break times and school Physical Education plus Slackline classes during free time, on the attention of schoolchildren. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a quantitative approach. Two groups participated in the interventions: body balance training (Slackline group) (n: 10; age: 7,8±1,93) and free-time activities break (FTA group) (n: 10; age: 7,8±1,22). Attention was assessed using the D-2 test. Repeated measures ANOVA was used. The magnitude of the effect size was estimated by the partial squared eta - η2p. Results: When we analyzed the interactions between time*group, it was not possible to find significant changes attributed to the specificities of the one intervention group, with most results having a medium effect size (η2p≥ 0.06 ≤ 0.25). The results of the paired analysis confirmed that both groups improved the results over time, but the slackline group showed changes with a slightly greater magnitude. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that in free time, both free physical activities and body balance training are effective for children's attention. However, pairwise analysis revealed that both groups demonstrated improvements over time, with the slackline group showing slightly greater changes in magnitude. Key words: Postural Balance, Physical Education and Training, Exercise, Psychomotor Performance, Cognition

Predictors of students’ SQ3R in Learning Statistics During Distance Education: an Ordinal Logit Modeling

Studying statistics during distance education is challenging due to limitations and communication problems. This has an impact on learning activities that could be more optimal. This research aims to analyze students' SQ3R level in learning statistics and determine its significant predictors. This type of research is quantitative research. The research design of this study is complex correlational research. The data collection method uses a questionnaire. Data analysis techniques use descriptive and inferential statistics. Secondary data from existing research studies were used and summarized using standard statistical metrics. In addition, ordinal regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of students' SQ3R level in statistics learning and was tested at a standard significance level. Findings reveal that students usually use the SQ3R method to learn statistics during online learning. The statistical model illustrates that students' ability to read and review statistics is shaped by the learning environment, teaching attitudes, physical and emotional health, and free time activities. The study suggests that to improve students' learning of statistics in distance education, educational institutions and professors should create a conducive learning environment, use strategic teaching methods, and emphasize the importance of harmonious study habits due to the SQ3R method.

Examining Diversity and Team Satisfaction: A Quantitative Analysis in Czech Urban and Rural Contexts

From the historical development of the Czech Republic, regional differences in cultural, social, working, free-time activities and others are noticeable. If we look at the fact that people of different ages, from different social groups, residences, ethnicities move around us. The null hypothesis is that women from smaller cities are happier in a team than people from big cities over the age of 45. The research was conducted on 113 respondents from five cities and ten teams were approached for research within the Czech Republic. These were sports and work teams in the following cities: 2 large cities of Prague, Brno. 3 small towns Šumperk, Hustopeče, Otrokovice. The teams consisted of both women and men in the 25-68 age group. The questionnaire survey was evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The Kruskal-Wallis test refuted the zero hypothesis.

The Relationship between School Sports Participation and Academic Performance: A Comprehensive Review

This paper delves into the intricate relationship between school sports participation and academic performance among children and adolescents. It explores three primary types of physical activity in schools: physical education classes, school sports, and free-time activities. While physical education is typically mandated, school sports represent a voluntary but popular form of physical activity. The paper investigates existing literature on the impact of school sports on academic outcomes, considering both biological and social mechanisms. It examineshow sports participation influences cognitive function, brain structure, and academic achievement. Additionally, the paper explores the development of key skills consistent with educational values, the role of social relations, and the psychological benefits associated with sports participation. Moreover, it scrutinizes potential drawbacks such as time allocation and energy devoted to sports at the expense of academic pursuits. The synthesis of findings reveals a nuanced relationship, emphasizing the need for further research to elucidate causal mechanisms and inform educational policies promoting holistic development. Keywords: Sports Participation, Academic Achievement, Cognitive Benefits, Athletic Identity, Competitive Sports

Formative Spaces of Empire: Masculinities and Outdoor Experiences ca. 1860–1960

ABSTRACT This special issue integrates gender analysis into the global history of outdoor activities in the Age of Empire by focusing on masculinities, a field that has received renewed attention from scholars. The premise of the special issue is that social constructions of masculinities in imperial settings functioned twofold. They operated simultaneously as methods to spread Western-colonial hegemonic values and as a means to expand territorial domains into far-off lands. In examining outdoor experiences, without taking the dominance of ‘imperial’ men over non-Europeans for granted, the contributions here presented develop an intersectional understanding of the conditions in which fashioning and self-perception of masculine roles were constantly contested and negotiated. Outdoor experiences, as seen in this special issue, were formative spaces of empire: while made possible thanks to the wide imperial networks in the colonial world, they existed on the margins of imperial rule. At the ‘frontier’ and in colonial battle-grounds, but also as leisure or free-time activities in transcultural contexts, outdoor experiences served to transform boys into men, and for men to test and perform hegemonic ideas of manhood and hence of imperial power. The essays are in two sections that highlight the dual processes of being and becoming ‘manly’ in the imperial outdoors. The first four contributions focus on archetypical roles of adult men in empires: the mountaineer, the hunter, the sportsman and the soldier. The second section approaches cases of scouting as formative spaces for boys in contexts of decolonisation in the early 1900s. The case-studies included in this special issue cover multiple imperial formations from the American Midwest, the Middle East to the British and Dutch Indies. These diverse cases serve to open up often Anglo-centric historiographies of gender and empire by emphasising the global momentum of new masculinities that were embedded in a trans-imperial fashion between ca. 1860 and 1960.

The Associations between Lifestyle Habits and Anxiety: A Prospective Study on Adolescents One Year after the Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Changes in lifestyle during the pandemic may have predisposed adolescents to vulnerability to poor mental health. This study aims to evaluate these changes and their association with the course of anxiety. A prospective study was conducted with 153 participants (16 years old, 72% female) who were assessed before the pandemic (T0, November 2019-January 2020) and one year later (T1, April-May 2021). Lifestyle habits (free-time activities, maladaptive behaviors, sleep, screen use) and anxiety were measured. Data concerning experiences related to COVID-19 and family relations during lockdown were collected. A worsening in lifestyle habits and anxiety was found. Of note, the pattern of associations between lifestyle habits and anxiety was quite different in the two time-points, suggesting that the purpose and the impact of some habits may be changed after the pandemic. Regression analyses showed that increases in anxiety were associated with increases in sleep problems, heightened efforts to reduce screen time, and loneliness. Pathway analysis revealed the absence of cross-lagged effects among anxiety, screen use, and sleep, while concurrent associations between variables were found in both the assessments. These results suggest possible long-term effects of the pandemic. Risk-factors associated with the course of anxiety were identified among lifestyle habits, thus contributing to identifying targets for interventions.

Are lifestyle behaviors associated with excellent self-rated health among American adolescents? A cross-sectional study

Excellent self-rated health has been associated with decreased mortality and positive health outcomes in adults. However, less is known about youth populations. To evaluate lifestyle behaviors and their relationship with excellent self-rated health in an adolescent population in the United States. The FLASHE study, conducted by the National Cancer Institute, is a cross-sectional survey with publicly available self-reported data. The present study included complete data from 1250 adolescents (males N= 626, mean age = 14.5y, SD = 1.61y; and females N=624, mean age=14.4y, SD = 1.57y). Logistic regression models were used to analyze associations between lifestyle behavior exposures and the outcome of excellent self-rated health. Lifestyle exposures included: free-time physical activity; sedentary behavior time; beneficial and detrimental food intake; perception of the importance of family meals; meeting sleep duration guidelines, having trouble sleeping, and having a regular bedtime. In addition, potential confounders included weight status, smoking, sex, age, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity in adjusted models.&#x0D; Approximately 47% of males (n=295) and 35% of females (n=217) reported having excellent self-rated health. In the fully adjusted model, the frequency of beneficial food intake (OR=1.06, 95%CI=1.02–1.11 for each additional exposure, p=0.004); perception of the importance of family meals (OR=1.88, 95%CI=1.35–2.63, strongly agree vs. not agree, p&lt;0.001); frequency of physical activity in free-time (OR=2.17, 95%CI=1.20–3.92, very often vs. none, p&lt;0.001; ); and had no trouble sleeping (OR=0.42, 95%CI=0.27–0.64, yes vs. no, p&lt;0.001), were significantly associated with excellent self-rated health. These results support the importance of enhancing future efforts to implement salutogenic interventions that address health behaviors to improve health outcomes in adolescents, focusing on everyday living situations and actively promoting health.

Is There a Relationship Between Physical Activity in Free Time and the Incidence of High Blood Pressure?

Is There a Relationship Between Physical Activity in Free Time and the Incidence of High Blood Pressure?

Is There a Relationship Between Physical Activity in Free Time and the Incidence of High Blood Pressure?

Is There a Relationship Between Physical Activity in Free Time and the Incidence of High Blood Pressure?

THE IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT POLITICAL DECISIONS ON ACCESS TO RECREATIONAL FACILITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE LEISURE PREFERENCES OF YOUNG PEOPLE

Purpose. Determining the impact of government policy in the field of applicable restrictions on access to recreational facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic on leisure behaviours (on the example of physical activity and the use of social media) of young people attending secondary schools and higher education facilities in Kraków (Poland).Method. The main research method used in the research process was a diagnostic online targeted population survey using the questionnaire technique. The research was conducted between 29 January and 26 March 2021 on a sample of secondary school and university students in Kraków (with particular emphasis on students from the University of Physical Education in Kraków). The survey resulted in 1,714 correctly completed questionnaires. An auxiliary research method was using focus group interviews conducted via the Internet.Findings. Government policies regarding the restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the leisure activities of young people. They were generally less physically active than prior to the pandemic. In addition, the restrictions affected the selected forms of physical activity in free time – young people preferred mainly walks and hiking. At the same time, most of the respondents indicated spending more time on social media than they did before the pandemic. They used it to maintain social contacts with family and friends, as well as for entertainment, educational and professional purposes.Research conclusions and limitations. The empirical research concerns only secondary school and university students from Kraków and covers only the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland.Practical implications. The results of the research can be used by decision-making institutions in the scope of introducing restrictions on the functioning of the State (e.g. the Ministry of Health), as they indicate consequences of specific restrictions. The article may also be helpful for institutions organising leisure time, such as the Society for the Promotion of Physical Culture, the Polish Scouting Association, sports and recreation centres or local cultural centres. It will enable them to adapt their offer to leisure behaviours preferred by young people during lockdowns.Originality. The study of leisure behaviours relates to the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, making it novel and not previously studied or analysed.Type of paper. Article presenting the results of an empirical study.

Досуг современной молодежи

The article deals with the features of leisure of modern youth based on the materials of a social survey of schoolchildren and students. The analysis of the needs of the younger generation in the choice of leisure is carried out. The problems of organizing free time and leisure activities of the younger generation are considered.

Active aging with leisure and free time activities for a better quality of life

The objective of this research was to study the relationship between the participation of the elderly in learning programs in cultural activities developed in senior centers. The research was quantitative, cross-sectional and relational; a probabilistic sample was applied to select 340 elderly people over 65 years of age, corresponding to a senior center in Madrid. The instrument used to collect information consisted of 20 questions grouped into 4 dimensions. The results indicate that the elderly are satisfied with the new cultural learning offered by the senior centers. 72% of the people surveyed, contribute to improve learning through these activities. The research provides possible improvements to prevent loneliness, improving the quality of life. It is suggested to improve the learning programs in cultural activities to achieve greater participation in society. This research suggests possible improvements in areas that will help prevent dependency, such as those where there is greater demand from users. Specific plans to increase the participation of men in the workshops held in the senior centers are suggested as suggestions for improvement. Keywords: Active ageing; free time; life expectancy; leisure; permanent education

Support for children and families, including those arriving in the face of the war from Ukraine, offered in specialist day care facilities in Bialystok

Abstract Day care centres provide families with assistance in the care and upbringing of their children. Various forms of classes, from pedagogy of play to specialist therapeutic help, planned in the annual calendar of the institutions constitute a great support for families. Classes, free time activities, trips are free of charge, which is important in the case of families struggling with life and financial difficulties. Specialist day-care centres are a bridge between educational institutions and the family house. Such places constituted a mainstay for children coming to Białystok from a war-torn country, from Ukraine. This article is a summary of methodological activities that took place in specialized day care facilities with the participation and great commitment of students of the Faculty of Education of the University of Bialystok. The article presents good practices that can also be promoted in other institutions in the country.