Subjective leisure experiences of older Australians

Background:  Previous studies into leisure have employed methodologies that may understate the significance of experiential components. This exploratory study investigated the leisure experiences of retired Australians over 65 years of age.
Methods:  Five semistructured interviews were used to explore the leisure experience of older people from metropolitan Adelaide. Data were coded and analysed thematically.
Results:  Relaxation and engrossment emerged as commonly expressed experiences, yet were found to emerge as a result of engagement in occupations predefined as leisure. Experiences of freedom from both necessary duties and a sense of obligation were discussed as potential determinants of leisure consciousness.
Practice implications:  This study highlights a need for therapists to actively access clients' subjective leisure experiences to enable engagement in personally meaningful leisure occupations.     

Differences in leisure-time physical activity levels between blacks and whites in population-based samples: The Minnesota heart survey

Energy expenditure in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) was measured using the Minnesota LTPA Questionnaire in 35- to 74-year-old black and white residents of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Estimates of the geometric mean LTPA energy expenditure were 129 and 204 kcal per day for black and white men (p<.05) and 91 and 123 kcal per day for black and white women (p<.05). The percentage of individuals expending 2000 kcal or more per week in LTPA was significantly lower in black men than white men (25 vs. 35%; p=.01) but was not different in black versus white women (18 vs. 17%). Although black men and women reported greater occupational physical activity than their white counterparts, LTPA and job activity were unrelated in all race and sex groups. In both races, LTPA energy expenditure declined with age. LTPA increased with level of formal education, and the largest LTPA difference between blacks and whites was observed in those who had a high-school diploma or less. Blacks had lower participation rates than whites in most of the individually assessed physical activities. Additional research is needed on the determinants and promoters of LTPA in population subgroups.The research was funded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Research Grant R01 HL 23727 and National Research Award T32 HL 07328-10.     

Leisure Activities of Individuals With Prader-Willi, Williams, and Down Syndromes

This study extends laboratory-based profiles to participation in leisure activities for persons with three genetic syndromes. Parents of 223 persons with Prader-Willi, Williams, and Down syndromes filled out a newly developed Leisure Activities Questionnaire. Sixteen items loaded onto five distinct factors: social; visual-spatial; visual-strategy; musical; and physical activities. Individuals with Williams syndrome less often participated in visual-spatial activities, those with Prader-Willi syndrome more often performed both visual-spatial and visual-strategy activities, and those with Williams and Down syndromes more often performed musical activities. With increasing chronological ages, all groups increased in their social activities, while those with Williams and Down syndromes decreased in their visual-spatial activities. In both Prader-Willi and Williams syndrome, decreased maladaptive behaviors related to greater amounts of participation in etiology-related activities. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

On Functions,Abilities and Quality of Life After Subarachnoid Haemorrhage: Occupational Therapy Aspects

This investigation addresses functions/impairments, abilities/disabilities and quality of life (QoL) in a consequtive series of non-hospitalized long-term survivors [2, 5–12 years] of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). The investigated parameters of functions/impairments were: motor, language, perceptual and memory functions. Abilities/disabilities studied were: activities of daily living (ADL) including both personal- and instrumental ADL, working and leisure capacities. Quality of life was assessed using a double visual analogue scale. Occurrence of depression was registered using a self-rating scale.

A questionnaire focusing motor and language impairments, personal ADL, work and leisure activities was initially mailed to 324 subjects. Most of them answered the questionnaire. Ten hospitalized subjects could not validly report their functions and abilities and for that reason were excluded.

In a follow-up investigation up to 247 long-term non-hospitalized subjects were investigated by a physician and an occupational therapist. A total of 82% had at least one impairment. The majority (73%) had memory impairment and among these subjects equal proportions (about 50%) had impairments of long-and short-term memory. Forty-five percent were perceptually impaired, while motor impairment occurred for 25% and aphasia in 10%. Only a small minority (9%) were, according to self-reports, regarded as being to some extent disabled in personal ADL. The corresponding numbers of disabled in instrumental ADL, leisure and working-capacity were 52%, 48% and 40% respectively. Depression was found in 22%—among whom the majority had minimal or mild depression. Overall QoL was judged to be unchanged or increased in 62% of cases and, therefore, decreased in 38%.

As expected, impairments to a significant degree caused disabilities. None of the five different categories of impairment were associated with mood (depressed/not depressed) and QoL (decreased/not decreased). Occurrence of depression was significantly associated with the different aspects of disabilities. In contrast, among a series of instrumental ADL-variables, leisure and working capacity, QoL was influenced negatively only by decreased ability to act sociably and, to a minor extent, by depressed mood.

Judging from the extent of decreased quality of life, it appears that nearly 40% of all non-hospitalized former victims of SAH have not coped successfully with the impact of the SAH. A follow-up programme aiming at optimizing the coping process of SAH victims is, therefore, outlined     

Leisure participation for school-aged children with Down syndrome

Purpose.?To describe leisure participation for school-aged children with Down syndrome and to investigate how factors, classified by the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, influence their leisure participation.

Method.?Families in Western Australia with a child aged 5–18 years with Down syndrome were surveyed in a population-based study (n == 208) in 2004.

Results.?One-third of parents reported that their child with Down syndrome had no friends although half reported two or more friends. Factors affecting number of friendships included the child's functional ability, behavioural issues and parent's availability of time. Those children with higher functional independence scores in daily tasks were more likely to have two or more friends than those with lower functional independence scores (OR: 1.02, 95%% CI 1.01–1.04 for a single point increase in WeeFIM score). All children participated in predominantly solitary and sedentary leisure activities.

Conclusions.?Leisure participation was affected by complex factors both within and external to the child with Down syndrome. Further investigation of the relevance of these factors to leisure may enable more satisfying and meaningful participation in leisure for school-aged children with Down syndrome.     

"Reader"

No abstract available for this article.     

The Impact of Managed Care on the Practice of Occupational Therapy by Hand Therapists

Current Occupational Therapy (OT) literature on managed care is limited to opinion or anecdotal experience. Questionnaires were mailed to 214 OTs practicing as hand therapists nationwide to test the null hypothesis that there was no difference in reimbursement or barriers to practice for OT services between patients enrolled in managed care organizations and those enrolled in fee-for-service insurance plans. Statistically significant results were obtained indicating greater barriers to reimbursement for OT under managed care. The primary effect has been the increased administrative demands it places on both therapists and patients. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1–800–342–9678. E-mail address: getinfo@haworth.com]     

“I do like the activities which I can do…” Leisure participation experiences of children with movement impairments

Aim: To explore in depth the leisure participation experiences of children with movement impairments.

Methods: We used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach to interpret and understand the experiences of 22 children with movement impairments, aged between 6 and 12?years. Children expressed their views through flexible child-centred methods of data collection that allowed the children to draw, paint, use stickers, and demonstrate their leisure activities and equipment while communicating about their experiences.

Results: Children participated in leisure activities of their choice, and expressed positive experience of fun, challenge, independence and achievement. The choice of activities depended on a combination of the motor functioning of the individual child, inspiration and support from families, friends and health professionals, as well as the possibility of adaptations and availability of community programmes. At times children felt disappointed and avoided some activities due to associated negative experience such as injury, fear, non-inclusion and the difficulty they had experienced in adapting and performing certain activities.

Conclusion: Families, therapists and community service providers such as disability organisations could enhance leisure participation experiences by suggesting and creating opportunities that could increase children’s choices of leisure activities.

• Implications for rehabilitation

• Children’s choice of activities, places and friends is important for positive experiences of fun, achievement, challenge, independence and motivation in leisure participation.

• Families and health professionals could assist children make appropriate choices for leisure activities that depends on factors such as motor abilities, adaptations and availability of activities in the community.

• In the community, widening the options for leisure activities such as non-competitive adaptive sports and indoor sports for children with variable levels of movement impairment could improve leisure participation experiences.