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Research shows that collegiate recreation contributes to a greater sense of campus belonging for undergraduate students. Few studies, however, have examined the recreational interests of Black undergraduate students attending four-year colleges and universities. As part of a study comparing recreational preferences of Black and White students attending historically White institutions, 150 Black and 154 White undergraduate students were surveyed related to their interest in 27 recreational activities. Significant differences existed in several categories, but overall interest in outdoor recreation among Black undergraduate students was higher than expected, compared to prior literature. Moreover, findings were notable in several sport activities when comparing gender differences. Results support the notion that social, psychological, and institutional barriers exist that limit recreational involvement for certain groups. Findings may be useful for collegiate recreation professionals looking to promote sport and outdoor opportunities for undergraduate students of color on college campuses in the U.S.

The article discusses the analysis conducted by the Physical Activity Research Center (PARC) investigators regarding physical activity (PA) in the parks, schools, recreation, built environments and rural areas using equity lens. Topics mention including the American Planning Association (APA) who acknowledged the importance of PA prevalence and urban planning fields, relationship pf PA and green and recreational space availability and equity challenges in rural areas.

AbstractUsing the multiple hierarchy stratification perspective (MHSP), this paper investigated Americans' freshwater and saltwater fishing participation in 2011. Data from the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreationwere examined using two hierarchical generalized linear models. Level 1 variables were age, education, sex (male, female), income, and race/ethnicity. Interactions among these demographic variables were also examined. Level 2 variables for freshwater and saltwater fishing were per capita inland water area in a state and the existence of coastline within each state, respectively. Sex was the most important Level 1 predictor for both freshwater and saltwater fishing participation. The two Level 2 variables were also significantly associated with freshwater fishing and saltwater fishing participation. Moreover, MHSP was an effective theoretical approach to explain Americans' fishing participation. Implications and suggestions for fishery management are discussed.

AbstractUnderstanding leisure-time physical activity among Latinos is a national public health concern. This study examined constraints to leisure-time physical activity among Latinos in North Carolina in relation to their level of acculturation. Data (N= 457) were obtained through a community survey. Four subgroups with similar constraints were identified using cluster analysis: Access and Partner Constrained, Safety and Access Constrained, Least Constrained, and Highly Constrained. Results showed that low acculturation was significantly associated with being highly constrained. Latinos born outside the U.S. were more likely to be classified as Access and Partner Constrained and Safety and Access Constrained. The findings contribute to understanding constraints in the context of acculturation and offer practitioners perspective on creating physical activity programs for Latinos.

Purpose. This study examined correlates of park-based physical activity (PA) among children in neighborhood parks.Design. Direct observation was used to assess PA among children.Setting. Public parks in Tampa, Florida (n = 10), and Chicago, Illinois (n = 18), from low income and high income and racially/ethnically diverse communities.Subjects. Children (n = 3410), coded as anyone who appeared to be 10 years or younger, observed at parks in Tampa and Chicago.Measures. Physical activity was measured by a modified version of the System for Observing Play and Leisure Among Youth (SOPLAY).Analysis. Descriptive statistics and multilevel regression models were used in data analysis.Results. At the activity observation level, children's PA was positively related to temperature and unstructured activities in Tampa and Chicago parks. Among park activity area predictors, type of activity area was significantly related to PA. In Tampa, more PA was observed on courts, and less PA was observed in shelter areas compared with open space areas. In Chicago, less PA was observed on courts and fields compared with open space areas. Neighborhood income was associated with lower PA in Tampa parks. Neighborhood race/ethnicity was not a significant predictor of children's PA in either city.Conclusions. Children's PA was linked to modifiable social and environmental features within parks. Strategies to increase PA among children in parks should promote courts, playgrounds, informal activities, and free play. (Am J Health Promot 2011;25[5]:e1-e9.)

Research on race and ethnicity in leisure will take on greater significance in coming years. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine research related to race and ethnicity within five major leisure journals since their inception to discern quantity of research, thematic patterns in topical areas and to document the research methods used. This assessment identified 150 articles related to race and ethnicity. Nineteen thematic categories were identified. Articles with conceptual discussions, activity and participation studies, and outdoor recreation/forest-based recreation occurred most frequently. Similar to other analyses of the literature, survey research was the most frequently used method of data collection. The discussion focuses on implications for future research on race and ethnicity in leisure studies.

This essay defines the visual approach through a review of leisure-related literature and draws insights from scholars across the social sciences. Visual leisure is the collection of several approaches to research that recognizes the relevance of vision to ways we make sense of leisure in our lives. It is not about more data or incremental advancement, but on providing a different kind of data that repositions research questions in ways that verbal or numeric information are not able to do. Visual leisure has tremendous potential to democratize research through an expanded accessibility of data, an enhanced transparency of argument, and an empowerment of lay people in research-based policy and planning processes. Problems with both visual literacy and representation of leisure contexts are developed as central motivations for producing this special issue.

The purpose of this study is to empirically test the multiple hierarchy stratification perspective on outdoor recreation participation. Data for this study are from a telephone survey conducted of 3,000 Texas residents in 1998. Logistic regression analyses provided strong support for the multiple hierarchy stratification perspective. The results show that elderly minority females who do not have a college degree, and who do not make more than $20,000 per year occupy the lowest rank in the hierarchy of outdoor recreation participation probability. In contrast, young Anglo males who have a college degree, and who make more than $20,000 per year occupy the highest rank in the hierarchy. The remaining groups fall somewhere in the middle. The results indicate that if equity is to be achieved, outdoor recreation managers and planners must make an effort to find ways to enhance outdoor recreation participation among multiple disadvantaged populations.

Drawing upon structural theory and social group perspectives, this study examined two propositions developed to explain the relationship between interracial contact and leisure preferences among African Americans and Whites. The first proposition stated that as interracial contact increases, the greater the probability of observing similarity in the leisure preferences of African Americans and Whites. The second stated that the probability of observing similarity in the leisure preferences will be greater amongWhites with high or low interracial contact than observing similarity amongAfrican Americans with high or low interracial contact. Data to evaluate the propositions came from an on-site survey of Chicago (IL) park users. As hypothesized, Black and White respondents with high interracial contact reported very similar leisure preferences. Also, among African Americans, there was little similarity in the leisure preferences between individuals with high interracial contact and those with low interracial contact. Further, as expected, there was high similarity among Whites with high or low interracial contact. In general, the results of the study highlight the importance of considering social interaction, and interracial contact specifically, in explaining racial differences in leisure participation. The study also demonstrates the importance of examining internal differentiation of African Americans and its implications for leisure lifestyle choices.