Leisure Benefits Research Articles

Generation Z

Generation Z (Gen Z) is the best-educated, technologically adept, and most racially and ethnically diverse generation entering the workforce today. Gen Z also has the highest rate of diagnosed depression and anxiety. They prefer to have a side hustle on top of their full-time jobs; however, the act of monetizing their leisure activity has been shown to add more stress. The benefits of serious and casual leisure are shared; with emphasis on the need for Gen Z to engage in more forms of serious leisure to enhance their well-being and self-perceived employability. Employers and schools should encourage, promote and invest in more serious leisure activities for Gen Z. Continuing the emerging focus on research in leisure studies and careers, specifically focusing on Gen Z is highly recommended.

Importance of Serious Leisure Pursuits: Participation in Silver Sneakers & Impact of Quality of Life in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Date Presented 03/21/24 Serious leisure has the opportunity to advance successful aging in the community through a variety of health outcomes. This poster will empower practitioners to reevaluate the benefits of serious leisure in community-based settings for older adults. Primary Author and Speaker: Devyn Elise Carder Contributing Authors: Susan Maloney

Index Air Quality Monitoring for Light and Active Mobility.

Light and active mobility, as well as multimodal mobility, could significantly contribute to decarbonization. Air quality is a key parameter to monitor the environment in terms of health and leisure benefits. In a possible scenario, wearables and recharge stations could supply information about a distributed monitoring system of air quality. The availability of low-power, smart, low-cost, compact embedded systems, such as Arduino Nicla Sense ME, based on BME688 by Bosch, Reutlingen, Germany, and powered by suitable software tools, can provide the hardware to be easily integrated into wearables as well as in solar-powered EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) for scooters and e-bikes. In this way, each e-vehicle, bike, or EVSE can contribute to a distributed monitoring network providing real-time information about micro-climate and pollution. This work experimentally investigates the capability of the BME688 environmental sensor to provide useful and detailed information about air quality. Initial experimental results from measurements in non-controlled and controlled environments show that BME688 is suited to detect the human-perceived air quality. CO2 readout can also be significant for other gas (e.g., CO), while IAQ (Index for Air Quality, from 0 to 500) is heavily affected by relative humidity, and its significance below 250 is quite low for an outdoor uncontrolled environment.

Addressing leisure interest conflicts surrounding the transgressive human-animal relationships of unhoused people and their pets

ABSTRACT Pet ownership is an important leisure activity for unhoused people, yet housed people at leisure often disapprove. Reviewing literature from leisure studies and beyond, I consider the tension surrounding this practice through the lenses of critical leisure, multi-species perspectives, and the capabilities approach. I examine (1) how people at leisure react to unhoused pet owners, (2) how pet ownership impacts wellbeing and leisure activities while unhoused, (3) whether the human leisure benefits produced also serve the animals involved, and (4) what actions and attitudes are necessary to alleviate the conflicting leisure interests produced by unhoused pet ownership. Housed people at leisure assume the unhoused cannot care for a pet when they “cannot even take care of themselves.” However, these pets generally receive good care, and unhoused pet owners also perceive practical and emotional benefits, though empirical evidence for these benefits is still lacking. While the everyday challenges faced by unhoused pet owners are apparent, more research is needed to assess the physical, psychological, and social benefits they experience by participating in leisure through pet ownership. To address this leisure conflict, animal-accommodating shelter services must be provided, and the public must better understand the relationship between unhoused people and their pets.

중국 노인 레저스포츠 안전의식과 안전조치에 대한 현황조사연구

The purpose of this study is to explore the sports safety awareness, insecurity, implementation of safety protection measures and related influencing factors to improve the safety of sports leisure activities in the elderly.This paper adopts the questionnaire survey method and selects 400 elderly residents in Xinxiang city, aged over 60 years old, as the survey objects. Through the investigation and analysis, we find that elderly people have a certain awareness of sports safety, but there are differences between different education levels and age groups. The main reasons for sports injury in the process of exercise are lack of scientific fitness knowledge, lack of understanding of body physiology and muscle degradation, lack of professional fitness guidance, physical exhaustion/poor physical condition, excessive amount of exercise, equipment of origin will not be used or damaged, organization and management is not standardized/imperfect, poor awareness of self-protection and other factors. The factors that affect the implementation of sports safety protection mainly include education level, economic status, professional guidance and safety facilities of sports venues. This study emphasizes the safety of leisure sports activities for the elderly, and puts forward suggestions to improve the safety of leisure sports activities for the elderly, including providing more professional guidance, improving sports facilities, encouraging moderate exercise, and establishing a sports monitoring system for the elderly. The government should strengthen the sports infrastructure, especially the supporting safety facilities, add obvious signs of safety facilities, and establish a response plan for sports injury accidents, which will help the elderly better enjoy the benefits of leisure sports activities and improve their quality of life. The findings can be used to guide policy development and health promotion activities to help support older people to have a more active lifestyle in the process of healthy aging in order to improve the quality of life of older people.

Motivations and meanings for Camino pilgrims

ABSTRACT While increasing in popularity, pilgrimages appear to be blurring their distinction with tourism. This research investigates the motivations and meanings behind contemporary pilgrimages along the Camino de Santiago in Spain and the Chemin de Saint Jacques in France. Using both face-to-face interviews and Facebook postings, several motivations and outcomes were identified. First, these pilgrimages often served as a rite of passage. Second, the journey provided an opportunity to disconnect from regular routines to embrace a simpler, slower pace of life. Third, pilgrims fostered a sense of connection to nature and to fellow humans. Fourth, most pilgrims derived a sense of accomplishment from their journey. Finally, for many pilgrims this journey became a part of their personal identity, and many memorialized their pilgrimage through memorabilia or tattoos. Overall, understanding the benefits of leisure is important to understand the benefits that experiences can provide to participants.

Investigation of University Students' Recreation Benefit Awareness and Physical Activity Levels

Physical activity level is an important factor that affects health of people of all ages and awareness level about the benefits obtained from recreational activities may increase the frequency of participation. The objective of the study is to review the correlation between university students’ recreation benefit awareness and their physical activity levels and to demonstrate whether or not there is a difference about this subject in terms of gender and faculty. A total of 909 university students 541 female students and 368 male students who studied at different universities in Turkey joined the study. Information Request Form, Leisure Benefit Scale and International Physical Activity Questionnaire were administered to the participants. The data obtained from the study were analyzed using Pearson Correlation Analysis and Independent Samples t Test. The study results indicate that there is a positive correlation between participants’ recreation benefit awareness and their physical activity levels. Besides, it is seen that female participants’ physical and psychological recreation benefit awareness was higher; however, as for the male participants their physical activity levels were higher. It was identified that of the participant students, those who studied on sports sciences had higher psychological and social recreation benefit awareness and physical activity levels. In light of the study findings, the fact that the university students’ benefit awareness perception on recreational activities had increased made a positive contribution to their physical activity levels and dimensions of recreation benefit awareness and as a result, physical activity levels differed in terms of gender and the type of the faculty.

From the Global North to the Global South: the contribution of equestrian sport and leisure to children’s informal learning

ABSTRACT The Global South has been largely excluded from equestrian sport and leisure debates. In particular, the equestrian experiences of children in developing countries have remained silent since most of the studies on equestrian sport and leisure have focused on the experiences of adults in the Global North. Despite the fact that equestrian sport and leisure are part of children’s practices in countries of the Global South, very little is known about the benefits of equestrian sport and leisure in early childhood education in developing countries. This research explores the contribution of equestrian sport and leisure to children's informal learning. From an ethnographic approach to children's equestrian practice in Mexico, the study reveals that equestrian sport and leisure contribute to developing socialization, teamwork, discipline, and interspecies communication skills in children. This paper contributes to incorporating countries from the Global South into the global debates on equestrian sport in general, and on children in sport and leisure in particular.

A Qualitative Study on Leisure Benefits, Constraints, and Negotiations in Urban Parks Based on Perception of Chinese Older Adults

Urban parks, one of the most significant outdoor leisure areas, are particularly important for the physical and mental health of older adults. In order to investigate the benefits and constraints of leisure activities that older adults perceived in urban parks, as well as their negotiation mechanisms, this study was conducted using a qualitative method, interviewing 102 retired older adults aged 55 or older in Guangzhou, China, and using Rost CM 6.0 for word frequency analysis. The study findings indicated that due to the lack of age-friendly public leisure facilities in Guangzhou, Chinese older adults expressed multiple expectations regarding the benefits of urban parks, mainly in terms of physical, psychological, and social interaction, with physical benefits being their primary drivers. Leisure constraints can be intrapersonal, interpersonal, or structural. Older adults who visited parks and those who did not were affected by different levels of limitations, with the oldest people experiencing the most pronounced constraints. Older adults were able to access leisure opportunities through a variety of constraint negotiation strategies, including cognitive adaptability, spatiotemporal adaptation, interpersonal coordination, skill acquisition, and alternative leisure activities. The results of this study might assist related management departments in building more age-friendly parks based on the framework of the benefits and constraints of park recreation for older adults, in terms such as institutional design and planning to enhance the role of urban parks in healthy aging.

Leisure Involvement, Leisure Benefits, and Subjective Well-Being of Bicycle Riders in an Urban Forest Park: The Moderation of Age

The prominence of participating in outdoor leisure activities has gained significance in individuals’ lives as a result of the rapid growth of the economy and the rise in available leisure time. The present study employed structural equation modeling to examine the relationships among leisure involvement, the three distinct dimensions of leisure benefits (physiological benefits, psychological benefits, and social benefits), and subjective well-being of bicycle riders. Moreover, the moderating effect of age was also investigated. A field survey was undertaken within an urban forest park, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China, in order to gather data, resulting in the collection of 512 questionnaires that were deemed usable. The results suggest that leisure involvement has a significant and positive impact on bicycle riders’ physiological, psychological, and social benefits, as well as their overall subjective well-being. The subjective well-being of individuals is positively influenced by the physiological, psychological, and social benefits. Additionally, the results of the analysis on the moderating effects suggest that age significantly moderates the relationships between leisure involvement and leisure benefits. The present study also addresses the theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and potential avenues for future research.

Exploring the Influence of Self-Efficacy and Autonomy on Outdoor Recreation Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Outdoor Recreation (OR) provides the benefits of physical activity (PA) and traditional leisure placed in an outdoor environment. Motivation, self-efficacy, and autonomy can increase depending on the physical and social environment. This study explored the relationship between self-efficacy and autonomy on OR behaviors and identified barriers and supporters to OR during the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey information was collected from 995 U.S. adults (93.6% white, 64.0% female) regarding OR behaviors, changes in OR during COVID-19, and OR self-perceptions. Significant positive correlations existed between autonomy and self-efficacy (r = 0.138, p < 0.01), and self-efficacy and pre/post pandemic OR behaviors 2020 (r = 0.158, p < 0.01), (r = 0.129, p < 0.01) respectively. Qualitative data implied barriers and supporters to OR as: social, psychological health, and increased or changed OR/PA. Implications from this research are beneficial to OR and health professionals to promote overall physical and psychological well-being for OR participants.

Notching for free: Do cyclists reveal the opportunity cost of time?

We estimate time-for-money tradeoffs for cyclists by exploiting revealed behavior in response to a bikesharing program’s discontinuous, “notched” pricing structure. The cost of a bicycle trip increases from $0 to $1 after 30 min. We observe cyclists adding time to their trip by checking-in at an intermediate station along their route to avoid the price, thus revealing their value of saving time (VST) cycling. Estimates of the VST for cycling are close to the minimum wage or roughly 20% of hourly wages implied by median incomes. These estimates are smaller than comparable estimates for automobiles, likely driven by leisure benefits of cycling. Although bicycle commuters exhibit somewhat larger VSTs, our results across user type, time, and route-specific characteristics are relatively homogeneous, suggesting a more fundamental time–money tradeoff. Additionally, we estimate small changes along extensive margins in response to a large price increase, but changes along intensive margins are virtually nonexistent.

An exploration of the associations between perceived physical and psychological benefits of Chinese yoga leisure participants—A qualitative approach

This paper explores the associations between the perceived physical and the corresponding psychological benefits of yoga leisure. Qualitative interviews with purposeful and snowball sampling methods were conducted to elicit 29 Chinese leisure participants who engaged in yoga with at least two years of yoga participation. The results reveal that respondents’ perceived physical benefit was associated with specific psychological benefit, demonstrating the embodied experience in yoga leisure where the body and the mind are connected. Specifically, (a) Breathing regulation enhances self-focus; (b) Sensory improvements promote self-awareness; (c) Better appearance strengthens self-confidence; (d) Completion of challenging asana (i.e., body postures) boosts self-efficacy; and (e) Body control improves self-control. Theoretically, this paper contributes to our understanding of the associations between the physical benefits and the corresponding psychological benefits of yoga leisure based on the experience of Chinese yoga participants. Practical implications have also been suggested.

The effect of leisure benefits on happiness

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effect of leisure benefits on happiness. Method: In the study, the “Leisure Benefit Scale” developed by Ho (2008) and adapted in Turkish by Akgül, Karakucuk and Ertüzün (2018) was used to measure the recreational benefit perceptions of the participants. In addition, the “Oxford Happiness Scale”, developed by Hills and Argyle (2002) and adapted into Turkish by Doğan and Akıncı Çötok (2011). Convenience sampling in the selection of the sample and face-to-face survey method was preferred in the collection of data. The analysis of the data was performed through the SPSS program, and descriptive statistics, Pearson Correlation, and Regression analyzes were used. Findings: The research group consisted of 1342 university students, 739 males (55.1%) and 603 females (44.9%), between the ages of 18-25 (21.07±2.24) studying in sports sciences faculties across Turkey. When the results of the analysis were examined, a positive relationship was determined between the leisure benefit perceptions of the participants and their happiness levels. Besides, it was observed that the perception of leisure benefits had a positive effect on happiness. Conclusions: Accordingly, a positive change was detected in happiness levels as the level of benefit perceived by the participants from recreational activities increased.

A co-word analysis of museum tourism experience via hierarchy of needs: Case study of the China Block Printing Museum at Yangzhou

Studies on tourism experience frequently emphasize antecedents, neglect consequences, and lack systematisation, which motivated us to explore an application of semantic co-word analysis based on the hierarchy of needs theory in the systematic research of tourism experience. We collected the texts of visitors’ online comments of the China Block Printing Museum at Yangzhou and conducted an empirical research, the results indicated that tourists’ activity-environment needs had three levels; experience of the tourism setting was positive overall; the experience of tourism activities required improvement; and the benefits of the tourism experience were unfavourable. The museum should enhance the ‘participation-dynamic setting’ to create an experience space for tourists, improve ungazed spaces to enhance leisure benefits, innovate the museum guide system to facilitate educational benefits, and develop an ‘exploring-expanding setting’ to create unique all-for-one tourism products. The innovation of the combination of theoretical tools and computational methods in this study is a necessary exploration to use qualitative materials to objectively reveal the operation mechanism of tourism experience.

Organizational leisure benefits – a resource to facilitate employees’ work-life balance?

PurposeUsing the job demands-resources (JD-R) model as a theoretical foundation, this study aims to explore the potential of organizational leisure benefit programs in the interplay of job demands and perceived work-life balance.Design/methodology/approachThis article is based on qualitative data collected from semi-structured interviews with 24 hospitality industry employees in Austria.FindingsThematic analysis revealed that organizational leisure benefits can play different roles in the context of job demands depending on the individual’s perceptions of work-life balance. Three major themes were identified, showing that organizational leisure benefits can be a multifaceted organizational resource (1) to facilitate employees’ leisure participation, (2) to boost employees’ recovery or (3) to meet the employees’ need for workplace fun. The results also demonstrated the limitations of organizational leisure benefits, showing that in case employees are constantly experiencing private duties that interfere with recovery during leisure time, leisure benefits do not play any role regarding their perception of work-life balance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the scare literature on organizational leisure benefits and clarifies their potential, and limitations, as an emerging organizational resource. In particular, findings broaden existing research in the context of the JD-R model by showing that the notion of job resources can stretch beyond workplace resources and can also encompass organizational leisure support.

An exploration of physical activity, migrant women and leisure experiences

ABSTRACT Physical Activity is linked to a wide range of social, psychological, and physical health and leisure benefits. However, many sub-groups of the Australian population experience inequity in accessing opportunities to engage in this health promoting behaviour. Migrant women, from non-English speaking backgrounds, report the lowest levels of physical activity participation within Australia. This study explores the perceptions of physical activity among a group of migrant women living in Sydney, Australia. Focus group interviews and written narratives were used to explore the experiences and perceptions of 81 women born in the Middle East and in North Africa. Key findings include new insights regarding the way the term ‘physical activity’ was defined and understood among the participant group, as well as the perceived benefits, enablers, motives and barriers to participation. These results provide guidance and direction for future policy development and health messaging, with a strong focus on addressing leisure inequity.

Applications of mobile learning on college students' water leisure sports in the post-pandemic era.

This study explored the relationship and influence of college students’ participation in water leisure sports, as well as the technology acceptance model (TAM). With the rapid development of the economy, the government is promoting various water leisure sports centered on the concept and policy of a maritime- and ocean-based nation. Based on the TAM, this study investigated the relationships among its ease of use, usefulness, water leisure involvement, benefits, barriers, and intentions to participate in water activities in connection with college students participating in water leisure sports. A total of 420 college students who participated in water leisure activities were sampled. There were 370 valid questionnaires, and the recovery rate of valid questionnaires was 82.2%. The data were analyzed by the structural equation modeling of the partial least squares method (PLS-SEM). The results show that the ease of use of water facilities had a positive effect on the usefulness, involvement, and participation in water activities; the usefulness of water facilities had a positive and significant impact on the intention to participate in water activities; water leisure involvement had a positive and significant impact on the benefits and the intention to participate in water activities; the intention to participate in water activities had a positive and significant impact on the benefits of water leisure activities. Furthermore, the study found that the intention to participate in water activities had a mediating effect between water leisure involvement and water leisure benefits; water leisure involvement had a mediating effect between the ease of use of water facilities and the intention to participate in water activities; the usefulness of water facilities had a mediating effect between the ease of use of water facilities and the intention to participate in water activities. In addition, the interaction between water leisure involvement and water leisure constraints had an interfering effect on water leisure benefits. Accordingly, recommendations for promotion and implementation are provided. Based on the TAM, the study provided suggestions for implementing water leisure sports to promote college students’ participation behavior in water leisure sports.

A qualitative investigation of leisure benefits for social and psychological health among international volleyball players living in South Korea

ABSTRACT Purpose The proportion of foreign players in global sports industries has steadily increased in the last decade. This qualitative study aims to capture the benefits of leisure activities for the social and psychological health of international volleyball players affiliated with South Korean volleyball leagues. Method A purposeful criterion sampling strategy was employed in this qualitative study. Findings: Based on semi-structured interviews with 12 participants, in this study three major themes pertaining to leisure benefits are identified: (a) new leisure opportunities and coping, (b) inter-intra group friendships, and (c) acculturation. Conclusions These benefits can contribute to social and psychological health for the participants. Practical implications of this study and suggestions for health professionals, sports psychologists, and team counsellors are discussed.

Improving the genuine progress indicator to measure comparable net welfare: U.S. and California, 1995–2017

This paper argues that important improvements in the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) can be made by directly calculating the loss of natural resources, the benefits of leisure, and adjusting for inequality using a global norm, rather than using local, historical benchmarks. Local benchmarking is an obstacle to the standardisation and comparability of the GPI. We provide alternative methods for the five components that have used benchmarking in the standard GPI. We present empirical estimates for the GPI of the United States and California over the period 1995 through 2017, calculated with and without the alternative methods. Using our alternative methods, we show that some differences between the GPI of CA and the U.S. are artefacts of the benchmark methods. Implementing the alternative methods narrows the gap between the CA and the U.S. GPI as it reduces the U.S. environmental costs, and removes the artificial differential between CA and the U.S. in the cost of inequality. However, we find that the GPI provides insight into net welfare not reflected in GDP, both with and without the benchmarking methods. Overall, we suggest that the GPI can be significantly improved with these high priority revisions without changing the fundamental approach or theoretical framework.