Jerome F. Singleton

Canadian Activity Patterns Across the Life Span: A Time Budget Perspective

Previous research on activity patterns of the elderly has relied on survey and interview methods which have depended on special measures and the long term memory of the respondents. This paper examines the use of time budgets in studying changing activity patterns across the life span. The independent variables of interest in this analysu were age, sex, marital status, education, and whether or not the individual lives alone. The dependent variable was the activity patterns of the individual. Results indicate that only age, of the factors considered here, endured significance across all comparisons.

Stage of Lifecycle and Time Spent in Activities

Leisure recreation patterns of people have been investigated using a variety of methodologies.3,5,6,7,8. Historically age has been used as a predictor of participation. It has been postulated that age may be closely related to stage of a persons lifecycle. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if stage of lifecycle affects a persons activity patterns using the General Social Survey time budget data.11 This study indicates that activity patterns may be related to the presence or absence of children, the presence or absence of a significant other. It appears that roles (married, not married, divorced, presence of children, presence of significant other, employed, unemployed) impact on time allocations and activity selection.

The effects and expense of augmenting usual cancer clinic care with telephone problem-solving counseling.

This study was done to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of individualized, problem-solving counseling provided by baccalaureate nurses over the telephone to prevent the onset of depression in persons with breast, lung, or prostate cancer. Of 175 persons randomized, 149 completed the 8-month follow-up. The primary outcome measures were changes in the Jalowiec Coping Scale, the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies in Depression Scale, and the Derogotis Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale. In addition, expenditures for peoples use of all health and social services were computed at baseline and follow-up. Telephone counseling improved the use of more favorable coping behaviors, prevented a clinically important but not statistically significant decline into depression, and poor psychosocial adjustment in a group of people with mixed cancer. These results were associated with a greater total per person per annum expenditure for use of all other health and social services in the community compared with the control group. In a situation of limited resources and a service producing more effect for more costs, one needs either to examine what services to forgo to offer this service or to carefully target the new service to those most likely to benefit.

Prevalence, correlates, and costs of patients with poor adjustment to mixed cancers.

Approximately 2% to 3% of the Canadian society has experienced cancer. Literature indicates that there is poor adjustment to chronic illness. Individuals with poor adjustment to chronic illness have been found to disproportionately use more health services. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, correlates, and costs associated with poor adjustment to mixed cancer. A consecutive sample (n = 171) of breast, lung, and prostate cancer patients at the Nova Scotia Regional Cancer Center were surveyed. Twenty-eight percent of the cancer group showed fair to poor adjustment to illness using the Psychological Adjustment to Illness Self-report Scale Psychological Adjustment to Illness Self-Report Scale raw score. Poor adjustment was moderately correlated with depression (r = 0.50, P < .0001) and evasive coping (r = 0.38, P < .0001) and unrelated to demographic variables. Depression explained 25% of the variance in poor adjustment to illness in regression analysis. Cancer patients with fair to poor adjustment to illness had statistically significantly higher annual healthcare expenditures (P < .002) than those with good adjustment to illness. Expenditure findings agree with previous literature on chronic illnesses. The prevalence of fair to poor adjustment in this cancer population using the Psychological Adjustment to Illness Self-Report Scale measure is similar to that reported for chronic illness to date, suggesting that only those with better adjustment consented to this study.

‘Cultural life’, disability, inclusion and citizenship: moving beyond leisure in isolation

We reside within a global village, with approximately 10% of the world’s population or 650 million people (including about 200 million children) living with some form of disability (United Nations 2011). This has been estimated to rise to 1.2 billion by 2050 (United Nations 2011). The World Health Organization and the United Nations have recognized that people with disability have a right to access services from all areas of citizenship. The purpose of this special issue of Annals of Leisure Research was to seek contributions examining the inclusion and citizenship of people with disability in ‘cultural life’, defined by the United Nation’s (2006) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPWD) to include recreation, leisure, the arts, sport and tourism. In particular, the issue aimed to:

Understanding, teaching and assessing the elements of the CanMEDS Professional Role: Canadian Program Directors’ views

Abstract Background: Physicians are required to maintain and sustain professional roles during their careers, making the Professional Role an important component of postgraduate education. Despite this, this role remains difficult to define, teach and assess. Objective: To (a) understand what program directors felt were key elements of the CanMEDS Professional Role and (b) identify the teaching and assessment methods they used. Methods: A two-step sequential mixed method design using a survey and semi-structured interviews with Canadian program directors. Results: Forty-six program directors (48% response rate) completed the questionnaire and 10 participated in interviews. Participants rated integrity and honesty as the most important elements of the Role (96%) but most difficult to teach. There was a lack of congruence between elements perceived to be most important and most frequently taught. Role modeling was the most common way of informally teaching professionalism (98%). Assessments were most often through direct feedback from faculty (98%) and feedback from other health professionals and residents (61%). Portfolios (24%) were the least used form of assessment, but they allowed residents to reflect and stimulated self-assessment. Conclusion: Program directors believe elements of the Role are difficult to teach and assess. Providing faculty with skills for teaching/assessing the Role and evaluating effectiveness in changing attitudes/behaviors should be a priority in postgraduate programs.

Use of secondary data in leisure research.

Secondary data analysis is the use of existing data by another researcher in a way in which the primary researcher had not intended. Hakim (1982, p. 12) stated that “secondary analysis is any furth...

Les tâches professionnelles et la satisfaction au travail des intervenants en loisir œuvrant en milieu institutionnel québécois

This study examined the job duties and job satisfaction of stakeholders working in the 350 leisure facilities affiliated with the Fédération québécoise du loisir en institution. The sample included 159 respondents including recreational therapists, community recreation technicians, or special education technicians. The average age was 42 years and 77% of respondents were women. Factor analysis of the tasks identified four factors: (1) administration, (2) therapy, (3) animation, and (4) development. Factor analysis performed on the simplified version of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire confirmed the extrinsic or intrinsic dimensions generally attached to this measurement instrument. In addition, a canonical analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between the categories of professional tasks, job satisfaction, and certain demographic variables. The results indicate that the stakeholders engaged more in recreational therapy, administration, development, and less in animation-related tasks were recreational therapists, with higher wages, and higher expressed extrinsic satisfaction. In addition, stakeholders doing fewer administrative and animation-related tasks and more therapeutic tasks did not work in a care facility and showed less intrinsic satisfaction. This study points to several practical implications for professional associations, training program managers, and researchers wishing to better understand the professional reality of stakeholders in therapeutic recreation.

What Do We Mean by Older Adult and Physical Activity? Reviewing the Use of These Terms in Recent Research

ABSTRACT As our global population ages, physical activity has been found to be an important dimension of healthy aging. Many research fields use the terms “older adult” and “physical activity,” but differences in how these terms are defined and conceptualized can impair interpretation and comparison. As such, the purpose of this review was to determine how recent peer-reviewed articles defined, conceptualized, and operationalized the terms “older adult” and “physical activity.” Gaps in the literature resulting from considerable variation in term use and operationalization are discussed. Measures such as functional ability may be useful in addition to chronological age when describing a sample of “older adults,” while a number of age-specific considerations for physical activity measurement are presented. By illustrating the variability in how these two terms are used in the literature and outlining considerations for conceptualization and assessment, this article provides guidance for future study in the field of aging and physical activity.

An Exploratory Study as to the Effect of a Leisure Education Program on a Geriatric Day Hospital Patient Population

This research explored the effectiveness of a leisure education program on participants’ overall leisure functioning. The study took place within a Geriatric Day Hospital (GDH) where the goals are to treat and ameliorate patients’ symptoms and conditions, while also ensuring promotion of a healthy lifestyle. At the time of the study there were no recreation therapy services provided to the GDH patients. The literature reviewed suggested that a formalized service including leisure education to address leisure awareness, social interaction skills, leisure resources, leisure activity skills, and recreation participation may have significant impact on GDH patients’ physical, psychological, and social health. The study design therefore focused on participants’ motivation and competence to engage in leisure activities and their personal leisure satisfaction. No significant differences were found between the experimental and control group related to leisure satisfaction and leisure motivation. However, interesting trends were identified in the Leisure Competence Measure. The research also identified useful thematic information collected by the research assistant and interventionist.