Kathleen Lloyd

The Role of Leisure in Determining Quality of Life: Issues of Content and Measurement

Traditional approaches to themeasurement of leisures relationship toquality of life have emphasised place-centredindicators (e.g., the frequency of leisurefacility usage) and tended to ignoreperson-centred criteria (e.g., satisfactionwith leisure experiences). Moreover, theunderlying assumption in subsequent policyoutcomes has been that increasing the number offacilities and services will automaticallyenhance peoples QOL. This paper focuses onboth the content and measurement of leisure andits relationship to quality of life. Itreports the results of a study that examinedthe relative importance of selected place andperson-centred leisure attributes in predictingquality of life. The study tested a set ofobjective and subjective indicators that peopleare most concerned with in their leisure lives. Overall, it was found that the person-centredleisure attribute, leisure satisfaction, wasthe best predictor of quality of life. Place-centred attributes failed to influencequality of life. Further analysis revealedthat people who engage in social activitiesmore frequently and who are more satisfied withthe psychological benefits they derive fromleisure, experience higher levels of perceivedquality of life. The results suggest thatthere is a need to reconcile objectiveknowledge with subjective perceptions ofleisure in order to achieve greaterunderstanding and comprehensive measurement ofthis complex domain and its relationship toquality of life.

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 womens 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 womens 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.

Leisure, public space and quality of life in the urban environment

The regeneraton of cities has focussed on changing the physical shape of the urban leisure environment in order to increase economic values at the expense of social values. An increased focus on the social outcomes of leisure spaces is needed if quality of life is to be improved for residents.

Quality of life, aren't we always searching for that?: How women can achieve enhanced quality of life through participation in outdoor adventure recreation.

Abstract Goals related to improving quality of life (QOL) have been implied in leisure service provision for many years. In order to more explicitly realize these goals, it is important that policy makers, practitioners, and researchers understand and document QOL outcomes and how they are achieved. Since 1998, Real Adventure Women (RAW) has provided women in Brisbane, Australia, with an opportunity to try outdoor activities in non‐competitive and supportive environments. This paper reports findings from in‐depth interviews conducted with 20 women between 2001 and 2002. Results indicate that participation in RAW enhanced QOL by providing: a sense of balance, access to new opportunities, a sense of belonging, and improved self‐perception. This knowledge offers a useful context for the development of leisure programs and the monitoring of changes in the quality of participants’ lives.

Keeping Women Active: An Examination of the Impacts of Self-Efficacy, Intrinsic Motivation, and Leadership on Women's Persistence in Physical Activity

Physical inactivity in women is a worldwide problem that has not only been well-documented but has provoked much government concern and policy activity. However, an even more important issue is encouraging womens persistence in physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the links between womens experiences of participation in a government-funded physical activity festival, their intentions to continue participation, and their participation behavior six months after the festival. Results from semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 20 women revealed that enhanced self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, and supportive leadership had motivated the womens future intentions to participate. Follow-up surveys showed their levels of interest and participation in physical activity had been maintained. These results enhance our understanding of the relationship between key outcomes of womens physical activity participation and their persistence in physical activity.

Where is the ‘social’ in constructions of ‘liveability’?: exploring community, social interaction and social cohesion in changing urban environments

Abstract Ongoing changes in the urban environment have renewed interest in the transformation of cities and suburbs as liveable places. This article examines the limitations inherent in a functional (objective) notion of liveability that commonly underpins government policy directions. Through an examination of key debates in the literature we consider how the delivery of the social (subjective) dimension of liveability, linked to community, social interaction and social cohesion, poses unique challenges for policy makers, urban planners and developers. We argue for a deeper understanding of the social constructs of liveability that acknowledges the complexity of changing urban environments in contemporary society.

Living it up in the 'new world city': High-rise development and the promise of liveability

The growth of high-rise developments raises questions about how the emotional and social leisurescape of the city is evoked, produced and represented. In this article, we examine how advertising images and texts promoting new high-rise developments produce notions of ‘liveability’ through the depiction of idealized spatial experiences that typify urban leisure lifestyles. The focus of our analysis is three high-rise developments in Brisbane, a self-proclaimed ‘New World City’, and the capital of Queensland in Australias northeast. We identify how marketing images evoke particular emotions to construct desirable relationships between consumers, domestic space and urban leisurescapes. Our analysis revealed social tensions between different constructions of the liveable city and the implications for leisure planning. While Brisbane City Council sought to be inclusive in its planning for urban liveability, developers imagined urban renewal projects through exclusive lifestyle practices and normalized consumer identities (white, middle class, heterosexual, without children).

Women who RAW! Programming for women's participation in adventure based pursuits.

Abstract Numerous constraints have been identified over recent years as impeding womens participation in leisure. Although these limitations have been recognised, and the benefits of participation acknowledged, the role of providers and policy makers in reducing the impacts of constraints has been less clear. This article examines one local government initiative to encourage womens participation in a range of adventure-based physical recreation pursuits. Based on a social planning model of activity provision, the efficacy of the RAW (Real Adventure Women) program is explored from the participants perspectives. The results reveal that a focused project, specifically targeted at women, can offer accessible, safe and supportive opportunities for womens engagement in leisure that can reduce the impact of identified constraints and lead to positive personal outcomes.

Perceptions of the Impacts of Major Commercial Sport Events

Governments worldwide have been encouraged to subsidize events, build stadia and arenas and engage in highly competitive and costly bidding processes by the expectation that benefits will accrue from major events (Bennett, 2006; Bull and Lovell, 2007; Crompton, 1995; Dolles and Soderman, 2008). There is a general belief amongst policy makers that hosting large-scale sporting events can realize substantial positive externalities (Bull and Lovell, 2007), and that the associated recognition effects are ‘a major rationale for hosting such events’ (Bob and Swart, 2009; Jones, 2001). Baade (2000: 24) argued that cities have used the “promise of increased economic activity to persuade citizens to lend financial support to an aggressive city strategy to remake their centres into cultural destinations”. Such strategies are often manifested through the hosting of major sport events.