Benjamin Hickerson

Women and Leisure: Premises and Performances Uncovered in an Integrative Review

Research about women and leisure continues to expand as meanings are examined from different perspectives. The purpose of this paper is to extend three previous integrative reviews about research trends and outcomes regarding womens leisure. Research articles appearing from 2001–2005 in selected major research journals of English speaking countries were analyzed through an integrative review to ascertain patterns and themes. New as well as recurring patterns in the content of the research emerged. Results indicated five themes related to premises and performances of leisure that summarized the recent literature about women and leisure at the beginning of the new century: gender resistance and leisure choices, gendered leisure and critical theory, constraints in context, womens leisure and social factors, and active leisure.

Opportunities for Promoting Youth Physical Activity: An Examination of Youth Summer Camps

BACKGROUND Youth summer camp programs have the potential to provide opportunities for physical activity, but little to no research has been conducted to determine activity levels of campers. This study aimed to examine physical activity occurring in day and resident summer camps and how activity levels differed in these camps based upon demographic characteristics. METHODS Pedometer data were collected during hours of camp operation from 150 day campers and 114 resident campers between the ages of 8 and 12 years old. Independent t tests were used to compare physical activity by sex, race, and Body Mass Index. RESULTS Campers at day camps averaged 11,916 steps per camp day, while resident campers averaged 19,699 steps per camp day. Day campers averaged 1586 steps per hour over 7.5 hour days and resident campers averaged 1515 steps per hour over 13 hour days. Male sex, Caucasian race, and normal Body Mass Index were significant correlates of more physical activity. CONCLUSIONS Youth summer camps demonstrate the potential to provide ample opportunities for physical activity during the summer months. Traditional demographic disparities persisted in camps, but the structure of camp programs should allow for changes to increase physical activity for all participants.

Parental Intention to Support Video Game Play by Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine parental attitudes regarding engagement with video games by their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and whether attitudes vary based on ASD symptom severity. METHOD Online survey methodology was used to gather information from parents of children with ASD between the ages of 8 and 12 years. The finalized data set included 152 cases. Descriptive statistics and frequency analyses were used to examine participant demographics and video game play. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to evaluate questions on the theory of planned behavior. Regression analyses determined the predictive ability of the theory of planned behavior constructs, and t tests provided additional descriptive information about between-group differences. RESULTS Children with ASD play video games. There are no significant differences in the time, intensity, or types of games played based on severity of ASD symptoms (mild vs. moderate). Parents of children with ASD had positive attitudes about video game play. CONCLUSIONS Parents of children with ASD appear to support video game play. On average, parents indicated video game play was positive for their children with ASD, particularly if they believed the games were having a positive impact on their childs development.

Understanding the Sources of Online Travel Information

Given that online travel media enable multilateral communication patterns in destination marketing, this study investigates technical attributes presenting the number and type of source-related visual cues. From a technological perspective, the sources of online travel information can be conceptualized in terms of specialization, endorsement, and other users’ star rating to reflect technological functions and psychological effects. An experiment with a 2 (specialization: a generalist website vs. a specialist website) × 2 (endorsement: absence vs. presence) × 3 (star rating: low vs. medium vs. high) factorial between-subjects design was conducted to test the relationships between source-related visual cues, cue-induced perceptions, information credibility, and destination images. This study found that each source-related visual cue produced distinctive psychological effects on a tourist’s perceptions. Furthermore, these cue-induced perceptions were influential to tourists’ judgment of information credibility, which was positively related to destination images and behavioral intention.

Physical Activity Mode and Mental Distress in Adulthood

INTRODUCTION Nearly one fifth of American adults suffer from mental health issues, yet many treatments have side effects and stigma attached. Physical activity can be an effective treatment for mental health disorders, but most promotion efforts fail. One understudied aspect of physical activity is the specific mode, including if it engages others, and how this may relate to mental health. This study examined the potential relationship between different modes of physical activity and the frequency of mental distress. METHODS Data from the 2000 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed in 2015 to determine the relationship between participation in different modes of physical activity and frequent mental distress. RESULTS Data were obtained on physical activity and frequent mental distress from 183,341 adults (aged 18-99 years, 51.9% female, 57.4% overweight/obese, 9.5% frequent mental distress). Prevalence of mental distress for those reporting activities was contrasted against walking alone. People who participated in tennis had 46% lower odds (95% CI=0.35, 0.84) of frequent mental distress. Approaching significance, non-team play sports were associated with 18% lower odds (95% CI=0.66, 1.01) of frequent mental distress, compared with walking alone. CONCLUSIONS Activity modes are associated with mental health outcomes above and beyond the frequency and duration of activity. Given the social and play nature of the activities, this may reflect the relational aspect, enjoyment, or a combination of both. These results suggest that adding social or affective components to physical activity may enhance engagement and retention in activity promotion efforts and their benefits on mental health.

Challenges to Field-Based Outdoor Research: Pitfalls and Possibilities

Research and evaluation in field-based outdoor settings are often needed to assess program outcomes and ascertain ways to improve programs as well as add to a broader body of knowledge. Although outdoor programs foster an array of important outcomes, research in these settings presents challenges. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to explore the pitfalls and possibilities of field-based outdoor research. Examples of some of the issues encountered in field-based outdoor research include: theory-testing in an applied setting, research that spans multiple sites, garnering support from program staff, Institutional Review Board approval and other ethics issues, designing effective staff training, the appropriateness of instruments in field-data collection, uncontrollable events on site, and the role of parents in longitudinal studies. In each of these areas an explanation of the possibilities and problems are articulated related to these issues.

Leisure as a cross-cultural concept.

Leisure is a complex topic that, at times, appears to defy logical explanation. Research that examines and compares leisure cross-culturally can provide important information to aid our understanding of the phenomenon. With an increasing need for such studies, researchers have recognised that common academic definitions of leisure may not directly translate or be usefully applied in such research. In this paper, we re-examine the concept of leisure to develop an operational definition that is applicable across cultures and ensures comparability across study results. To do this, we review and incorporate theories and research from biology, anthropology, psychology, economics and leisure studies to identify key characteristics and develop a definition of leisure. We also discuss potential methodological and theoretical implications of using the proposed definition.

Changes in tourists’ perception of well-being based on their use of emotion regulation strategies during vacation

ABSTRACT Based on the theoretical foundation of emotion regulation, this exploratory study aimed to examine changes in tourists’ perceived well-being and to determine whether these changes were due to use of emotion regulation strategies (ERSs) during their vacation. This study used travel diaries to record tourists’ use of ERSs on a daily basis, and also measured tourists’ perceived well-being one day before and after their vacation. Results indicated that tourists had significantly higher perceptions of well-being after vacation, and those who used ERSs were more likely to indicate a higher sense of well-being after vacation. The results provide new insight into which aspects of tourists’ subjective and psychological well-being can be boosted by taking vacations and how these aspects may be enhanced by using different ERSs.

Social Referencing Gaze Behavior During a Videogame Task: Eye Tracking Evidence from Children With and Without ASD

The purpose of this study was to understand the social referencing behaviors of children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while visually attending to a videogame stimulus depicting both the face of the videogame player and the videogame play action. Videogames appear to offer a uniquely well-suited environment for the emergence of friendships, but it is not known if children with and without ASD attend to and play videogames similarly. Eyetracking technology was used to investigate visual attention of participants matched based on chronological age. Parametric and nonparametric statistical analyses were used and results indicated the groups did not differ on percentage of time spent visually attending to any of the areas of interest, with one possible exception.

Service Delivery Experiences and Intervention Needs of Military Families with Children with ASD.

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of military families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) specifically as it relates to relocation. Online survey methodology was used to gather information from military spouses with children with ASD. The finalized dataset included 189 cases. Descriptive statistics and frequency analyses were used to examine participant demographics and service delivery questions. Results indicated the larger sample of military spouses largely confirmed the experiences reported qualitatively in previous studies and contributed information that was previously unknown about variables associated with the access, availability, quality, and frequency of intervention services for military families with children with ASD.