Body image as a leisure constraint: Examining the experience of aerobic exercise classes for young women

Abstract

Previous research has shown that women, and especially young women, in this culture experience pressure to be thin. Although considerable research has been directed toward the investigation of body image and its relationship to psychological health and self‐image, the impact of body image on leisure behavior has not been adequately addressed, nor has body image received much attention as a potential leisure constraint. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways in which body image might function as a constraint to young women's participation in aerobic exercise classes. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods, including a survey of 190 women undergraduate students and in‐depth interviews with a sub‐sample of 11 students. The qualitative data are the main focus of this analysis. The data indicated that body image did not seem to prevent participation or constrain levels of participation in aerobics. Nevertheless, body image concerns were shown to constrain the enjoyment of aerobics as a leisure activity, and this reduction of enjoyment was related to the clothing worn for aerobics and to competition over appearance and body weight among participants. The findings also showed that body image functioned as a constraint into participation in that body‐image‐related concerns were a major motivating factor exerting pressure on young women to participate in aerobics. In sum, the study suggested that body image can constrain leisure in some situations, although it is not a constraint in the traditional sense of preventing participation. The implications of these findings for the conceptualization of leisure constraints were discussed. Furthermore, some practical implications for the provision of aerobics classes were provided.     

An analysis of the social unit of participation and the perceived psychological outcomes associated with most enjoyable recreation activities

Abstract

Two research questions were addressed by this study: (1) to determine the predominant social units in which individuals participate in their two most enjoyable recreation activities, and (2) to determine if a relationship exists between the social units with which individuals participate in their two most enjoyable activities and the reasons for participating in these activities. Outdoor activities predominated as individuals’ two most enjoyable activities with a marked predominance of participation in the family/friends social group. Two discriminant analyses revealed a strong relationship between social units of participation and reasons for participation. The reasons of family togetherness, relation with nature, being with people, escaping the family, escaping physical pressure, and meeting new people were the primary discriminating variables in pre‐dicting the social unit of participation. However, these reasons were not, in general, viewed as primary reasons for engaging in one's most enjoyable activities. Therefore, it may be concluded that the type and degree of social interaction desired vary with the social unit of participation, but the primary reasons for participation remain relatively stable regardless of the social unit of participation.     

Exploring factors influencing individual participation in community‐based tourism: The case of Kampung relau homestay program,Malaysia

This paper presents the early findings from a qualitative investigation conducted to examine how participation is practiced in a community‐based tourism program which offers homestay experience to tourists in Kedah, Malaysia. The first objective of the study was to determine where on the spectrum of participation (Pretty 1995) does the homestay program fall. The second objective was to explore the variables that may influence the extent of community participation in this program. Findings from the present study indicate that participation in community‐based tourism is influenced by community members’ motivations to participate. An important implication from this finding is that community‐based tourism projects must include awareness programs among its members so as to educate them about the project and to motivate them to participate.     

An exploration of the factors influencing social media continuance usage and information sharing intentions among Korean travellers

The tourism and hospitality industry is largely influenced by the use of social media. However, there is still a need for more empirical research about the factors social media continuance usage and information sharing intentions among travel-related social media (TSM) users. With this realization, underpinned by elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and uses and gratifications theory (UGT), our study investigates the interrelationships of argument quality, source credibility, and information seeking, entertainment, and relationship maintenance motives, and social media continuance usage and information sharing intentions. Data gathered from TSM users in Korea were used to gauge the relationships through structural equation modeling. Argument quality leads to an increased activity in information seeking and entertainment motives, while source credibility positively influences information seeking, entertainment, and relationship maintenance motives. Information seeking, entertainment, and relationship maintenance motives trigger travelers' propensity to display higher social media continuance usage and information sharing intentions.     

The Effects of Depression on Leisure: Varying Relationships Between Enjoyment,Sociability, Participation,and Desired Outcomes in College Students

Depression leads to negative mood and affect, difficulty experiencing enjoyment in chosen activities (anhedonia), and a reduced desire for social interaction. This study compared 974 college students with different levels of depression (minimal, mild, and moderate to severe) relative to their desired outcomes for leisure, and their enjoyment of, participation and sociability in, different types of chosen leisure activities. Findings indicated consistency in their desired outcomes students, yet there were differences in how social they chose to be, the extent to which they partook, and how much enjoyment they perceived during their leisure participation. In addition, in several activities only a mild state of depression was sufficient to produce differences in leisure involvement. The results question whether depressed individuals experience “leisure” in the same manner as nondepressed individuals and whether elements of “leisure” experiences stressing enjoyment and sociability are applicable for individuals with differing levels of nonclinical depression.     

Capacity of Mass Participant Sport Events for the Development of Activity Commitment and Future Exercise Intention

Mass participation sport events are often cited as increasing population-level physical activity, but empirical evidence is scarce as to their effectiveness. The current research examined the developmental role of these events in increasing positive attitudes toward physically active leisure by a) determining its motivational capacity and b) investigating how sport event participation contributes to activity commitment and future exercise intentions. A multiattribute survey was distributed on-line to participants of a running event held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, (N = 2,791) three months after the event. Inferential statistics revealed that 10 motives directed participation across 75% of the population. Multivariate multiple linear regression analyses revealed event participation motives combined with event satisfaction and physical activity involvement explained 30% of running commitment and 31% of future exercise intentions. Most notably, the event promoted stronger attitudes toward regular exercise among participants who were more satisfied with their event experience, least active before the event, and had completed fewer prior organized events. This evidence demonstrates that mass participant sporting events can serve as important social and environmental correlates of physical activity.     

Determinants of Leisure Time Physical Activity Participation Among Latina Women

The goal of this study was to examine leisure time physical activity (LTPA) among Latina women and to determine factors influencing their LTPA participation. The ecological model was employed as a theoretical framework in order to examine attitudes, social support, and constraints affecting physical activity. Surveys and in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Results showed that although women's LTPA participation was low, they had positive attitudes toward LTPA, and they believed they had high levels of support for LTPA. The most often mentioned constraints included lack of child-care and lack of time. Attitudes toward LTPA, social support for LTPA, and certain constraints were significant predictors of LTPA participation. Results of the in-depth interviews complemented the survey data.     

Leisure styles: A hidden core

Abstract

Factor analysis has been employed in a number of North American and European studies to categorize leisure activities according to participation patterns. The resulting factors have been the basis of proposed labels for leisure styles. Since the results of the factor analyses have been found to vary with the relative heterogeneity of samples and activities studied, comparison of previous findings with a more varied sample and activity list is indicated. With an NORC national sample and participation measured in a diverse list of leisure activities, factor analysis was completed and stepwise multiple regression used to measure the relationship of the resulting factors to age, sex, and social position indices. The factors do not support a neat or clearly differentiated set of activity groupings. Further, a set of activities with high participation rates did not appear in any factors or vary systematically by age, sex, or social position. Support is given to a model that suggests that adult leisure chores begin with a common core of accessible and informal activities.     

Start-up Factors for Small and Medium-sized Accommodation Businesses in Sabah,Malaysia: Push and Pull Factors

This article identifies start-up factors for small and medium-sized accommodation (SMSA) businesses. Using the Heider theory, it explains the push and pull factor start-up motives in SMSA businesses. The purpose of this research was to indentify the underlying motivational factors and the primary motivational factors of SMSA operators. This topic was chosen owing to the fact that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role as key drivers of employment and economic growth in most countries, especially in Malaysia. The results show there is a wide range of these start-up factors related to the tradition of business operation, resources, location, market opportunities and the desires of individuals. The findings show that key start-up factors are driven by pull factors – namely, family business, availability and readiness of resources (land, building), market potential and opportunity of accommodation business, strategic location, the influence of friends and family, and profitability. Conversely, the key start-up factors related to push factors that emerged in this study include personal attitude, previous working experience in the accommodation business, personal interest and retirement. The findings provide an insight into the understanding of the start-up factors for small and medium-sized accommodation businesses, and add to the existing literature on start-up factors for small and medium-sized accommodation businesses from pull and push factors. They implicate the growth of small and medium-sized accommodation businesses in Sabah and, subsequently, may affect the SMEs' development policies in accommodation businesses.     

Predicting congregate meal program participation: Applying the extended theory of planned behavior

Authorized under Title III-C of Older Americans Act, congregate meal programs provides individuals 60 years of age and older nutritious meals in senior centers. Declining participation in recent years underscores the need to understand factors that affects participation. This study applies the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to explain the intention of community-dwelling older adults to participate in congregate meal programs. One additional variable, past behavior, was added to increase the prediction power of participation intention. A total of 238 participant surveys were collected and analyzed. Seven hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The data fits the TPB model well. All predictor variables (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control and past behavior) had a significant positive effect on participation intention. Perceived behavior control (PBC) had the greatest prediction power on intention. Based on the research findings suggestions were made to increase congregate meal program participation.     

How do tourists' attribution of destination social responsibility motives impact trust and intention to visit? The moderating role of destination reputation

Through the lenses of attribution theory, signal theory, and social exchange theory, this study proposed and tested a conceptual model that investigates how tourists' attribution of destination social responsibility (DSR) motives impact destination trust and intention to visit a destination. The moderating effects of destination reputation (good vs. average) were particularly examined in the proposed model. The results of three experimental studies revealed that the impact of DSR motive attributions on destination trust and intention to visit vary under different conditions of destination reputation. In particular, when a destination has a good reputation, the positive impact of intrinsic DSR motive attribution tends to be stronger than that of extrinsic DSR motive attribution. However, when a destination's reputation is average, the impact of the two types of DSR motive attributions become insignificant. The findings of this study provide theoretical and practical implications for destination marketing and DSR campaigns.     

Self-Determination Theory as a Framework for Understanding Women's Psychological Well-Being Outcomes from Leisure-Time Physical Activity

Self-determination theory (SDT) is used as a framework to understand how women's psychological well-being is influenced by participation in leisure-time physical activity and the social context in which activity occurs. Data were collected during in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 participants and analyzed using constant comparison. Findings indicate women's well-being can be enhanced through casual participation in leisure-time physical activity if activity contexts support interaction between the elements of self-determination: competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Participant interactions during activities also play an important role in facilitating well-being outcomes. The findings qualitatively add to understanding and development of SDT as a legitimate psychological construct by explaining the key components of the theory through the participants own words and reflections.     

Questioning policy,youth participation and lifestyle sports

Young people have been identified as a key target group for whom participation in sport and physical activity could have important benefits to health and well-being and consequently have been the focus of several government policies to increase participation in the UK. Lifestyle sports represent one such strategy for encouraging and sustaining new engagements in sport and physical activity in youth groups, however, there is at present a lack of understanding of the use of these activities within policy contexts. This paper presents findings from a government initiative which sought to increase participation in sport for young people through provision of facilities for mountain biking in a forest in south-east England. Findings from qualitative research with 40 young people who participated in mountain biking at the case study location highlight the importance of non-traditional sports as a means to experience the natural environments through forms of consumption which are healthy, active and appeal to their identities. In addition, however, the paper raises questions over the accessibility of schemes for some individuals and social groups, and the ability to incorporate sports which are inherently participant-led into state-managed schemes. Lifestyle sports such as mountain biking involve distinct forms of participation which present a challenge for policy-makers who seek to create and maintain sustainable communities of youth participants.     

How Do Playful People Play? Gendered and Racial Leisure Perspectives,Motives, and Preferences of College Students

Playfulness is an aspect of personality that predisposes individuals to reframe boring situations into more amusing ones for themselves. This study extends knowledge about the playfulness construct by contrasting college students who were high or low in playfulness relative to the activity preferences they make, the motives they have, and their perspectives on their leisure time. Significant differences were found in perspectives and motives but not in activity preferences, leading to the conclusion that playfulness relates more to how individuals view their leisure and what they seek than in what they do. Only minor differences due to gender or race were observed.     

Children's Recreational Physical Activity

This study explored children's participation in recreational (physical) activities and the extent to which this participation was influenced by individual and household socio-demographics and characteristics of the social and physical environment. Travel and activity diaries were used to collect data on out-of-home recreational activities for a random sample of 4,293 children in primary schools in the Netherlands. These data were investigated in relation to measures describing the social and physical living environment. Specifically, a Bayesian belief network was proposed because it derives and represents simultaneously all direct and indirect relationships between the selected variables. Results indicated that participation in various types of recreational activities was directly related to the socio-economic status of the household, the perceived safety of the neighborhood, the size of agricultural area in the neighborhood, travel distance, and day of the week. Planners and designers are recommended to find a good land use mix, and specifically make sure that they focus their attention on safety issues, as these factors stimulate children's participation in recreational physical activities.     

Gambling motivation among tourists in Macau's casino resorts

The number of tourists visiting casino resorts has risen in recent years. Tourists often view gambling as a leisure activity option that they can participate in during their holiday. This study aims to investigate the motives that influence tourists’ gambling intention. A list of potential motives is derived from the extensive tourism literature, and a sample including 462 respondents was collected in Macau. The survey results indicate that benefits, learning, pleasure, costing, and socialization are all motives for tourists to engage in recreational gambling. However, adventure, relaxation, prestige, and winning are not influencing factors among tourists who gamble during their trip. The study also explores the moderating roles of gender, age, and educational level on the relationship between different motives and gambling intention. Understanding the motives for why tourists gamble is useful for integrated resort operators to formulate marketing strategies for attracting tourists.     

Errata

Abstract

Using large‐scale and nationally representative surveys of the American public conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the authors examined recent differences in the sport and fitness activities of men and women aged 18 or older. It was found that participation in sport and fitness activity declined by 12% between 1985 and 1990. Contrary to expectations, such declines were greater among women than men, thus increasing the gender gap in sport and fitness. Young women showed greater rates of decline than did older women, and the largest declines, amounting to more than 30 occasions of sport and fitness participation per year, were found among the youngest group of women in the sample. Such differences continued to be pronounced even when the influence of a variety of variables pertaining to biological, social, economic, and lifestyle statuses were controlled. A model for the analysis of such variables in relation to sport and fitness activity is presented.     

Is there an incompatibility between personal motives and social capital in triggering pro-environmental behavioral intentions in urban parks? A perspective of motivation-behavior relations

Drawing from the perspective of motivation-behavior relations, this study explores whether self-transcendent and activating status motives trigger pro-environmental behavioral intentions of residents living nearby urban parks. Meanwhile, this study particularly examines the moderating effect of community social capital and whether there exists an incompatibility between community social capital and personal motives. This study adopts Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) method to conduct data analysis and reveals that self-transcendent and activating status motives positively influence nearby residents' pro-environmental behavioral intentions. The relationships between personal motives and pro-environmental behavioral intentions are negatively affected by community social capital, suggesting that there is an incompatibility between community social capital and personal motives. Furthermore, a positive spillover effect between low and high effort pro-environmental behavioral intentions is noted. These findings provide park and community managers with insights as far as the residents' engagement in urban park sustainability is concerned.     

Outcome-focused national park experience management: transforming participants,promoting social well-being,and fostering place attachment

Understanding visitor experiences is essential if park managers are to facilitate beneficial outcomes for both individuals and society. We investigated visitor experiences in a special model of thematically connected guided walking, biking, and 4WD tours in Australian national parks. Outcomes attained by first-time and repeat participants were assessed by questionnaires with more detailed insights from semi-structured interviews with repeat participants. Participants developed strong social ties with community members and experienced significant improvements in health, well-being, and competence, gaining a sense of achievement from mastering a challenge with positive implications for their lives beyond the tours. The tour series performed well in achieving visitor satisfaction, repeat participation, and word-of-mouth recommendation. The experience increased participants’ attachment to national parks, reinforcing their sense of environmental stewardship. The findings are especially relevant to efforts in parks and elsewhere to better integrate senior citizens into the community and provide opportunities to increase their physical, mental, and social well-being. Such opportunities become limited, for example, when people retire from work or suffer health impairment. The tour series proved an effective tool for outcome-focused park management, providing significant personal benefits to participants with positive implications for larger societal benefits, plus political and financial advantages for park managements.     

Incorporating emotion into social exchange: considering distinct resident groups’ attitudes towards ethnic neighborhood tourism in Osaka,Japan

While numerous studies have utilized SET to examine the residents’ attitudes towards tourism, relatively scant from the literature is a discussion regarding the influence of emotion generated through SET among residents on their attitudes towards tourism. In addition, past studies mainly explored the social exchange between visitors and locals, while neglecting the social exchange within a local community. The goal of this study is to examine the influence individuals’ emotions toward their ethnic counterparts within a community can have on residents’ (i.e., members of the dominant ethnic group—Japanese and members of the ethnic minority group—Koreans) attitudes toward ethnic neighborhood tourism within the Korean neighborhood of Ikuno, Osaka, Japan. Ikuno has the highest concentration of Korean residents in Japan, and the town has become a destination of cultural tourism centered on Korean culture. Analysis of 640 completed questionnaires revealed while attitudes of Korean residents, who are more likely to perceive economic benefits from tourism have more favorable attitudes towards tourism, Japanese residents form their particular attitudes towards tourism based on the emotional solidarity they experience with their Korean neighbors. These findings indicate both utility of economic approach of social exchange theory and significant role of emotion in social exchange.