Outdoor Recreation Participation Research Articles

Being “outdoors” in a new country: associations between immigrant characteristics, outdoor recreation activities, and settlement satisfaction in Canada

ABSTRACT Many immigrants in Canada experience rapid mental health deterioration as they integrate into their host country. Participation in outdoor recreation, and natural environments at large, have been suggested as a health-promoting activity that facilitates immigrants’ adaptation, fostering mental health and wellbeing. We used cross-sectional data from the Canadian General Social Survey 2016 (n = 15,876) to explore the associations between immigrant characteristics (i.e. status, length of settlement, and migration programme), participation in outdoor recreation activities, and settlement satisfaction (operationalised as satisfaction with life in Canada and with the local environment). Our findings suggest that immigrants engage in significantly fewer outdoor activities, and settlement satisfaction varies according to the length of settlement and immigration programmes (i.e. refugees, family reunification and economic immigrants). Participation in outdoor recreation activities was associated with significantly higher levels of settlement satisfaction. Participation in a broader range of outdoor activities moderated the association between immigrant characteristics and satisfaction with the local environment. Our findings have implications for recreation professionals and settlement agencies.

Food for Active Outdoor Recreation: Convenience, Sustainability, and Gender Perspectives

Given increases in outdoor recreation participation observed in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic, recent increased public recreational initiatives, and a societal focus on the 17 sustainability goals of Agenda 2030, an exploratory study was initiated to consider the role of food in the outdoor recreation experience. Specifically, the question of how food may serve as a factor in sustainable outdoor recreation was explored. The study was designed to consider patterns in outdoor recreation participation and self-reported food choices/preferences among active outdoor participants. The survey methodology used questions about outdoor recreation participation and food choice preferences to investigate this intersection of food and outdoor recreation. For example, taste, activity function, ease of use, and sustainability were considered. Unsurprisingly, taste emerged as the strongest outdoor recreation food preference factor. Results show how highly active outdoor participants perceive food’s role in 1-day and multiday outdoor recreational experiences. For example, over 90% of all respondents indicated that food was a part of their enjoyment of the outdoor recreation experience. Increased interest in the nutritional value of food used in multiday outdoor recreation activities was also reported–with 99% of respondents indicating its importance. However, the most interesting results indicated a relationship between gender and food choice/preference factors. A review of the results opens the door to further inquiries into gender and persistent gender roles as a food/outdoor recreation factor. The discussion of the results also considers the breadth of potential sustainability factors, individual and collective, and the need for more definitional clarity regarding sustainability within the context of outdoor recreation food.

The Effect of Place Attachment and Leisure Identity on Wildland Stewardship

With increasing outdoor recreation participation in the U.S., managers face the challenge of balancing visitor experiences with the protection of natural resources. To address declining management capacity, agencies seek to involve both new and established recreationists in local stewardship behaviors. However, community involvement in stewardship efforts is hindered by a lack of understanding of the connection between recreationists’ antecedent conditions and their behavioral intentions. This study focuses on a wildland recreation setting near a western U.S. city to examine the relationship between place attachment, leisure identity salience, and local environmental stewardship behavioral intention. The results show that place identity influences willingness to engage in place-specific proactive stewardship, while leisure identity is predictive of engagement in Leave-No-Trace behaviors. The findings highlight the importance of targeting place and leisure identity in messaging strategies and forming partnerships with recreation organizations to encourage stewardship and engage the local community in land management.

The Influence of Parents’ Outdoor Recreation Preferences on Children’s Outdoor Activities in State Parks

Parents play a vital role in influencing their children’s outdoor recreation participation. Families can enjoy nature and stay active in state parks, which provide abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation and education. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parents’ experiences with, and attitudes toward, outdoor recreation and children’s participation in outdoor recreation for one state park system. A total of 104 parents completed an online survey in spring 2020. In these state park settings, parents generally valued their children’s participation in nonconsumptive outdoor recreation activities more than consumptive activities. A series of chi-square analyses further indicated, however, that parents who prefer engaging in consumptive recreation activities placed higher importance on their children’s participation in the consumptive activities of fishing and hunting. Parents’ outdoor recreation activity preferences did not reflect differences in their own levels of physical activity but did relate to variations in their children’s physical activity levels.

Fad or Renaissance? Motivational and demographic characteristics of USDA Forest Service recreationists during and after the pandemic

While there have been a host of studies investigating the COVID-19 pandemic's influence on outdoor recreation, few have investigated the socio-demographic composition and motivations of visitors who increased their outdoor recreation during this period and if these users will continue recreating at the same level as the pandemic wanes. This study surveyed visitors to the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests (NPNF) within the US state of North Carolina to identify if rising outdoor recreation participation is solely a result of the pandemic or more indicative of a renaissance. Demographic and motivational differences between those whose recreation decreased, stayed the same or increased during the pandemic were also analyzed to see if these patterns remain stable one year after the pandemic. The sample of 1594 visitors from Georgia (n = 483), South Carolina (n = 682), and North Carolina (n = 429) indicate growth in visitation to the NPNF is not just a fad but more of a renaissance with continued high levels of visitation forecasted after the pandemic. Results also show that outdoor recreationists characterized as more ethnically diverse with lower income and educational levels had visitation levels to the forest that increased during the pandemic compared to the outdoor recreationists who were White, more affluent, and highly educated. However, these changes appear to reverse moving out of the pandemic as these more diverse users mention having greater structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal constraints. Managers who seek social and environmental justice with the provisioning of outdoor recreation should follow-up with these more diverse users to better understand their satisfaction with the FS experience during the pandemic and identify strategies to help them negotiate constraints limiting their outdoor recreation. Management implicationsFor public land managers, these findings suggest that increased visitation levels are here to stay. The results also suggest that the pandemic provided users with more diverse backgrounds the space and time to recreate during the pandemic. Unfortunately, it appears that the challenges of everyday life may limit this group from continuing to recreate at the level they did during the pandemic. Managers should take advantage of this opportunity to try to understand these more diverse users and why they anticipate their participation in outdoor recreation dropping as we move out of the pandemic.

Neighborhood Walkability, Walking Difficulties, and Participation in Leisure Activities Among Older People: A Cross-Sectional Study and 4-Year Follow-Up of a Subsample.

Objectives: To study cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between objectively assessed neighborhood walkability, walking difficulties, and participation in leisure activities among older people. Methods: Self-reported 2km walking difficulty (intact, modifications, difficulties) at baseline and participating in organized group, outdoor recreation and cultural activities at baseline and follow-up were studied in community-dwelling persons (N = 848) aged 75-90. A walkability index, calculated using a geographic information system, was categorized into tertiles (lowest, middle, highest). Results: Residence in the highest walkability areas was associated with higher participation in cultural activities and lower participation in outdoor recreation, while the latter was most frequently reported by residents in the lowest walkability areas. Those reporting no difficulties were more likely than those reporting difficulties to participate in all studied activities. Residence in the middle or highest walkability areas predicted higher participation in cultural activities at follow-up. Discussion: Older persons activity profiles associate with neighborhood walkability and walking difficulties.

Worry about Climate Change of Outdoor Recreation Participants: A Case Study in Türkiye

Abstract Anthropogenic climate change (ACC) is considered to be one of the biggest threats to humanity in this century, with severe direct or indirect impacts on people’s lives. Such a significant threat causes serious concern, which can motivate low-level proenvironmental behavior and lead to serious health problems at high levels. Therefore, determining the level of this concern is crucial. Outdoor recreation participants, who are constantly in contact with nature, can closely witness the effects of ACC due to these interactions. Therefore, evaluating their ACC worry is essential. In this study, the aim was to determine the ACC worry levels of outdoor recreation participants. The research data were collected through an online survey from a sample reached through convenience sampling method throughout Türkiye. The data were analyzed using analysis of moment structures (AMOS) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The relationship between independent variables and ACC concern was revealed through ordinal logistic regression. The research found that the participants had a high level of concern about ACC, with a score of 3.50. It was also determined that this level of concern was influenced by variables such as the type of outdoor recreation, the duration of participation in outdoor recreation, and exposure to the effects of ACC. Considering that ACC can motivate proenvironmental behaviors, the research suggests that outdoor recreational participants with high levels of concern about ACC should not be ignored in the adaptation process.

The effects of climate change on outdoor recreation participation in the United States: Projections for the 21st century.

Climate change is expected to impact individuals' recreational choices, as changing temperatures and precipitation patterns influence participation in outdoor recreation and alternative activities. This paper empirically investigates the relationship between weather and outdoor recreation using nationally representative data from the contiguous United States. We find that across most outdoor recreational activities, participation is lowest on the coldest days (<35 degrees Fahrenheit) and highest at moderately high temperatures (80 to 90 degrees). Notable exceptions to this trend include water sports and snow and ice sports, for which participation peaks at the highest and lowest temperatures, respectively. If individuals continue to respond to temperature changes the same way that they have in the recent past, in a future climate that has fewer cool days and more moderate and hot days, our model anticipates net participation across all outdoor recreation activities will increase by 88 million trips annually at 1 degree Celsius of warming (CONUS) and up to 401 million trips at 6 degrees of warming, valued between $3.2 billion and $15.6 billion in consumer surplus annually (2010 population). The increase in trips is driven by participation in water sports; excluding water sports from future projections decreases the consumer surplus gains by approximately 75 percent across all modeled degrees of warming. If individuals in northern regions respond to temperature like people in southern regions currently do (a proxy for adaptation), total outdoor recreation trips will increase by an additional 17 percent compared to no adaptation at 6 degrees of warming. This benefit is generally not seen at lower degrees of warming.

Effects of outdoor adventures on emerging adults’ well-being and connection with nature

ABSTRACT While well-being and health benefits of nature are increasingly recognized, young people’s decreasing contact with nature has raised concerns. The emerging adulthood period is seen as critical for ongoing participation in outdoor recreation. This mixed methods study examines how participation in an outdoor education course, including canoeing and hiking trips, affects participants’ perceived well-being and connection with nature. The study is based on survey and interview data collected from Finnish vocational students (N = 16) in 2020. The results showed that the outdoor adventures had positive impacts on participants’ mood, restoration, and life satisfaction. Participants highlighted the benefits on social relationships and group cohesion. The trips increased participants’ nature-related curiosity and motivation to engage with nature. Providing opportunities for contact with nature as part of the school curriculum in vocational training as well as in other studies might provide an effective means of promoting well-being and connection with nature in emerging adults.

"It Doesn't Die Within You": Outdoor Recreation Participation Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Although some people with spinal cord injury (SCI) return to outdoor recreation, many have low activity levels and encounter significant environmental barriers. The purpose of the study was to describe how people with SCI engage in outdoor recreation activities, what meaning they attribute to these, and to inform occupational therapists in promoting outdoor recreation post-SCI. The study used qualitative, descriptive phenomenology. Thirteen participants completed semi-structured interviews, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Outdoor recreation contributes to personal well-being. It is a way to share life with loved ones and other disabled people. Having the right equipment and using a trial-and-error approach facilitated participation, which was sometimes supported and frequently constrained by physical, built, and information environments. Findings suggest implications for occupational therapists in the areas of direct intervention, entrepreneurship, and advocacy. These are consistent with the American Occupational Therapy Association Vision 2025 to collaborate for inclusion and accessibility in occupational performance.

Outdoor Recreation in Southeastern United States National Forests: An Investigation of the Influence of Ethnicity and Gasoline Price on Individual Participation

Outdoor recreation is one of the most widely recognized ecosystem services provided by forests and grasslands in the world. This paper examined the influence of factors not related to landscape values, such as ethnicity and gasoline prices, on individual participation in outdoor recreation in the southeastern region of the U.S. The model results showed that there were no significant (p &gt; 0.05) differences between the race groups (Caucasians and non-Caucasians) for participation in the different activities either between racial groups or among National Forest (NF). This may be due to the very high proportion of Caucasian participants in the study. The results also revealed that travel costs negatively influence the number of NF visits. The number of NF visits decreases if the gasoline price increases by 20% and more. The results of this study have practical importance for different entities such as stakeholders, tourism operators, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, and local authorities.

Effects of Outdoor Recreation Participation and Interpretation

We conducted a field experiment in Thailand to evaluate effects of appreciative and mechanized forms of recreation and interpretation on environmental concerns of park visitors. Research participants were randomly assigned to one of eight ex-perimental conditions defined by recreation type (appreciative vs. mechanized), recreation activity (birdwatching, nature photography, motorcycling, and motor boating) nested within recreation type, and interpretation (interpretation provid-ed vs. not provided). We measured three dimensions of environmental concern: specific environmental concern (SEC), worldwide environmental concern (WEC), and general environmental behavior (GEB). Appreciative activity participants and participants who received interpretation had significantly higher SEC scores than those who participated in mechanized activities and those who did not receive interpretation. Interpretation experiences elevated WEC and GEB, with the effect being more substantial among participants who participated in mechanized rec-reation activities.

Prepared food on the trail: Exploring sustainability in outdoor recreation food choices

Given the breadth and depth of environmental concerns such as biodiversity loss and climate change, sustainability is a topic for all sectors of contemporary society, inclusive of outdoor recreation. The guiding global framework focus for sustainability is the United Nations Agenda 2030; this framework is used to support a transition to a more sustainable society. Within outdoor recreation, sustainability can be explored and pursued from a multitude of perspectives, for example, participant behavior, outdoor recreation product production, or outdoor resource management. This paper will provide one small example of how an element of outdoor recreation, prepared backcountry food, can serve as a model for the numerous other questions that need to be addressed to pursue more sustainable outdoor recreation. The research will highlight the complexity of the details of sustainability and the opportunity for sustainable transitions. Outdoor recreation participants make extraordinary decisions as they plan and execute their participation; sustainability can be one of those critical decisions. Research is needed to support the outdoor recreation industry, from producers of outdoor recreation products to resource managers, toward reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030 in their professional work, specifically: Outdoor recreation product producers and outdoor recreation resource managers should use the SDGs as a framework to guide action on multiple levels, broad or very narrowly focused. Outdoor recreation product producers and outdoor recreation managers can collaborate with other professionals, such as food scientists, to achieve Agenda 2030. Producers need to provide missing sustainability information, such as sourcing ingredients or transport methods, to facilitate more comprehensive sustainability decision-making. Outdoor recreation product producers and resource managers must recognize the importance of communicating sustainability factors to facilitate consumers' sustainable decision-making ability.

Investigating Recreation Activity Type on College Students’ Subjective Well-being and Leisure Satisfaction

Those working in higher education have a vested interest in understanding how outdoor recreation activities facilitate happiness in students, especially with student well-being at an all-time low. The following study compares indoor versus outdoor recreation activities within the context of the DRAMMA model of leisure engagement and subjective well-being, which includes the psychological mechanisms of meaning, mastery, detachment-recovery, autonomy, and affiliation. In addition, the role of leisure satisfaction is considered as part of the model. Findings indicated a significant difference in the subjective well-being score between outdoor and indoor recreation participants and a higher score in leisure satisfaction for outdoor than indoor recreation participants.Keywords: DRAMMA, Happiness, Leisure Satisfaction, Recreation Activity

Confidence, community &amp; conservation: Exploring the relationship between self-efficacy and experience in female hunters

Self-efficacy, or the belief we have in our own abilities, plays an important role in determining individuals’ participation and success in outdoor activities. In the U.S., managers have increasingly sought ways to support underrepresented groups’ participation in outdoor recreation. Hunting provides a particularly illustrative example, where female hunters and hunters of other racial and ethnic groups remain a starkly underrepresented, albeit growing constituent of the U.S. hunting population. In this study, we investigated the role of self-efficacy as it relates to female hunter participation to inform managers’ innovative efforts to recruit and retain this important constituency. Specifically, we look at how self-efficacy and its components change as female hunters gain experience. In a sample of female Oregon hunters (n = 147) drawn from the 2008 big game license database conducted in the summer of 2010, we found that hunters with fewer years of experience had lower overall self-efficacy compared to more experienced hunters. While skills-based components of self-efficacy were lower for less experienced hunters, there was less of a difference in the social support-based components of self-efficacy as hunters gained experience. These findings suggest that social support is important for the recruitment and retention of all female hunters regardless of skill level or experience. Managers seeking to bolster or maintain hunter participation might consider tailoring recruitment and retention efforts to address the social support needs and unique motivations of female hunters as they seek to achieve the goals of inclusivity in hunting as well as conservation and wildlife management more broadly.

아웃도어레크리에이션의 사회계층화 분석

Guided by social inequality perspectives, this study seeks to advance our understanding of social inequality and outdoor recreation participation by testing if socioeconomic status affects the range and frequency of outdoor recreation participation. Six outdoor recreation activity subfields were analyzed and compared. The result indicated that participation in six outdoor recreation fields was socially structured by educational status and economic status, however, to different degrees. A wider range of outdoor recreation participation was associated with higher educational and economic status. Differences were observed in the frequency of participation in subfields, as some outdoor recreation fields were more selective by educational or economic status whereas others were not socially structured. The results also showed that educational and economic status had mixed effects on different outdoor recreation fields.

Youth Outdoor Recreation Experience, Race, and Socioeconomic Status: Explaining Connection to Nature and Future Career Interest

The outdoor recreation industry faces the challenge of recruiting the next generation of professionals. This study examined factors that may influence young adults’ interest in outdoor recreation careers, including participation in organized and unorganized outdoor recreation as a youth, connection to nature (CTN), racial identity, and socioeconomic status (SES). An online questionnaire was distributed using a Qualtrics panel, and criterion sampling was used to ensure the sample included participants with approximately equal representation across racial identity and SES categories. Participation in unorganized recreation, CTN, and SES were found to be significant predictors of interest in outdoor recreation careers. Additionally, participation in organized recreation was found to be a significant negative predictor of CTN, while participation in unorganized recreation and racial identity were significant positive predictors of CTN, and CTN had a small mediating effect on the relationship between unorganized recreation participation and interest in outdoor recreation careers.

Military veterans’ motivation and barriers to outdoor recreation participation

ABSTRACT Outdoor activity benefits veterans’ sense of well-being, coping skills and affective experience while improving physical and mental health. Understanding military veterans’ motivation for and barriers to outdoor recreation allows healthcare providers to design interventions that help veterans achieve their healthcare objectives through outdoor activity, which may enhance treatment engagement and clinical outcomes. Veterans were surveyed about their reasons for and barriers to participation in outdoor recreational activities. Veterans’ motivations for engaging in their preferred outdoor activities were: 1. keep fit and healthy, 2. meet new people, 3. learn something new, 4. feel in harmony with nature, and 5. achieve spiritual fulfilment. Veterans with mobility challenges more frequently pursued outdoor activities when it was important for them to keep fit and healthy. Veterans without mobility challenges more frequently pursued outdoor activities when it was important for them to: 1. experience challenge and excitement, 2. meet new people, 3. learn something new, 4. feel harmony with nature, and 5. achieve spiritual fulfilment. The most common barriers to outdoor recreation were health problems, crowded facilities, family time, and feeling too tired. Veterans’ motivations for outdoor recreation were stronger drivers of their actual outdoor recreation participation than barriers to that activity.

Identifying Primary Drivers of Participants from Various Socioeconomic Backgrounds to Choose National Forest Lands in the Southeastern Region of the US as a Travel Destination for Recreation

Growing demand for National Forests (NFs) recreational activities makes it crucial to understand the attitudes towards valuing public recreational resources and the potential conflicts with other functions of the forests. The study was conducted to identify the primary drivers influencing individual participation in outdoor recreation on NF lands in the southeastern region of the US among participants of various socioeconomic backgrounds. The study was based on the 2010–2014 dataset of fourteen NFs across thirteen states in the Southeastern USA—retrieved from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Different statistical models and statistical analyses were utilized for the study. The statistical results revealed that individual needs for relaxation were the main driver for participation in forest recreation for the whole sample and pulled data (approximately 52% of the participants). It has been noted that the drivers varied depending on the forest. The personal need for mental development was the least valued driver with only 2%. Some significant differences were observed by gender, age category, and income level. The study results have practical importance for different stakeholders such as tourism operators, the USDA Forest Service, and local authorities.

Experiences in outdoor recreation among individuals with developmental disabilities: Benefits, constraints, and facilitators

ABSTRACT Background Individuals with developmental disabilities have specific physical and psychosocial needs that can require extra support to participate fully in and enjoy many benefits of recreation activities. Unfortunately, little is known about individuals with developmental disabilities' experiences in outdoor recreation. The purpose of this study was to explore adults with developmental disabilities’ perceived benefits of outdoor recreation, and the constraints or facilitators that affected their participation. Method Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven adults with developmental disabilities. Interviews were analysed using open, axial, and selective coding techniques. Results Results revealed three themes: (a) benefits of; (b) constraints to; and (c) facilitators of outdoor recreation. Benefits of outdoor recreation reported by study participants included their experiencing satisfaction, mental reprieve, empowerment, enlightenment, social connectedness, and thrill. Participants also shared intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints and facilitators related to their outdoor recreation participation. Conclusions Practical implications and future research recommendations are discussed.