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Body-image research has focused on younger women and girls, and tended to ignore women in later life, although recent studies have called for more research into the body image of older women, particularly from a lifecourse perspective. The lifecourse perspective can address the complexity of body image by identifying personal and/or environmental factors that shape body image and the trajectories of body image across the lifecourse. Accordingly the purpose of the study reported in this paper was to explore older women's body image using a lifecourse perspective. We conducted individual interviews and follow-up focus groups with 13 women aged 60-69 years, all of them resident in a United States non-metropolitan county (its largest city having a population of 38,420) and having lived in the country for more than 30 years. The findings highlight the influence of inter-personal relationships (e.g. with a spouse or parent), the macro-environment (e.g. media or community attitudes) and key life events (e.g. physiological changes or educational experiences) that shaped body image at various life stages. In addition, the findings demonstrate that as women age, they de-prioritise appearance in favour of health or internal characteristics. Finally, the findings highlight the complexity of body image as a construct, which includes attitudes toward appearance, evaluations of health and physical ability, and assessments of appearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How older women cope with challenges and losses in later life influences not only their physical health but also their psychological wellbeing and quality of life. The purpose of the analysis reported in this paper was to understand how participation in a women's leisure-based social group - the Red Hat Society® - serves as a coping resource for older women. The Society is an international organisation of women aged 50 or more years and has the mission to `celebrate the silliness of life'. The Society currently has an estimated one million members in 30 countries. To understand the ways that social group participation may contribute to older women's health and wellbeing, this paper examines the dynamics of leisure-based coping with positive emotions as the focus. Based on an analysis of responses to an open-ended question about meaningful experiences associated with being involved in the Red Hat Society, the sample of 272 members identified the main reasons for their involvement as chronic and acute stressors, challenging life transitions and daily hassles. In addition, they described four ways that participation helped them to manage these stressors: as a context for social support, emotional regulation, sustaining coping efforts, and meaning- focused coping. The results are discussed in relation to theory and previous evidence on the role of positive emotions and leisure in coping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing maturity of many sectors of the tourism industry, providers have enhanced their efforts to develop loyal relationships with selected customers—a strategy that theoretically results in higher profits and a more stable competitive advantage. There is mounting evidence, however, that most loyalty programs are ineffective in generating psychological attachment to the provider. Therefore, the primary purpose of this article was to document the factors associated with the formation of ongoing, stable, and intimate (i.e., loyal) relationships between individuals and a provider of a cruise package. Data from 20 in-depth interviews with purposefully selected cruisers suggested that loyal relationships between customers and a cruise provider depended on the treatment customers received from the provider, the opportunities customers had to help the provider, and the bond they had with a larger community of cruisers. Implications for the integration and extension of loyalty theory are discussed, and suggestions for the development of effective loyalty programs are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to describe the ways that participation in a leisure organization contributed to the health and well-being of middle-aged and older women. We analyzed 1,693 members' responses to it query about meaningful experiences garnered through participation in the Red Hat Society®. Results suggested that older women's lives have been enriched and changed by their experiences. with the women in this study citing multiple psychosocial health benefits from their participation in the Red Hat Society®. Main themes encapsulating these health benefits were creating happy moments, responding to transitions and negative events, and enhancing the self. These findings are related to research on positive psychology, social support and coping, transformative leisure processes, and social identity formation. We conclude by providing suggestions for applying these findings to leisure and health promotion programming to enhance women's health and well-being in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]