Leisure meets health: important intersections and alternative discourses (original) (raw)
Related papers
Leisure and health: conjoined and contested concepts
Annals of Leisure Research, 2019
This paper explores the various ideas, notions and conversations that underpin the leisure/health nexus and focuses on identifying the interrelatedness and synergies between these concepts. There are competing understandings of ‘health’ that underpin the domains of leisure. Within these disciplines there are contrasting discussions involving biological, economic, environmental, historical, medical, political, psychological and sociological ways of constructing meaning. These occur in the domains of bio-medical treatment and health promotion framed within embodiment and embodiment practice. The bio-medical domain frames ‘health’ as the prevention of disease/illness/injury and views ‘leisure’ as a tool through which to reduce risk. While 21st century health promotion posits ‘health’ more holistically, ‘leisure’ still often focuses on issues related to individual’s physical ‘health’. In reality leisure and health are complex concepts that exist within a system of ebbs and flows that impact each other in different ways depending on your point of view.
Annals of Leisure Research Leisure and health: conjoined and contested concepts
Annals of Leisure Research, 2019
This paper explores the various ideas, notions and conversations that underpin the leisure/health nexus and focuses on identifying the interrelatedness and synergies between these concepts. There are competing understandings of ‘health’ that underpin the domains of leisure. Within these disciplines there are contrasting discussions involving biological, economic, environmental, historical, medical, political, psychological and sociological ways of constructing meaning. These occur in the domains of bio-medical treatment and health promotion framed within embodiment and embodiment practice. The bio-medical domain frames ‘health’ as the prevention of disease/illness/injury and views ‘leisure’ as a tool through which to reduce risk. While 21st century health promotion posits ‘health’ more holistically, ‘leisure’ still often focuses on issues related to individual’s physical ‘health’. In reality leisure and health are complex concepts that exist within a system of ebbs and flows that impact each other in different ways depending on your point of view.
Leisure is a multidimensional construct, encompassing both personal and social factors. Subjective and social wellbeing are mutually dependent and are intertwined in ways that affect one another through dynamic processes. Participation in leisure has repeatedly been linked to a reduction of stress, which in turn leads to an increase in overall health and life satisfaction. This chapter discusses why leisure is one of the most important components of social wellbeing that contributes to a sense of social belonging. Leisure could however also work to constrain leisure opportunities in the face of unequal social relations and risk-taking behaviours that compromise community wellbeing. We argue that leisure practices are often embedded in relational, social contexts, which go beyond individual differences and preferences and are affected by economic, political, racial, cultural and social factors. The chapter also argues that leisure relations are always political. Firstly, leisure is located in the symbolic space between freedom and control. Secondly leisure provides the possibility for contestation of mainstream norms and the accommodation of alternative lifestyles.
Leisure, Health and Well-Being
World Leisure Journal, 2007
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Social Indicators Research, 2015
International policy now constantly advocates a need for populations to engage in more physical activity to promote health and to reduce society's health care costs. Such policy has developed guidelines on recommended levels and intensity of physical activity and implicitly equates health with well-being. It is assumed that individual, and hence social welfare will be enhanced if the activity guidelines are met. This paper challenges that claim and raises questions for public policy priorities. Using an instrumental variable analysis to value the well-being from active leisure, it is shown that the well-being experienced from active leisure that is not of a recommended intensity to generate health benefits, perhaps due to its social, recreational or fun purpose, has a higher value of wellbeing than active leisure that does meet the guidelines. This suggests rethinking the motivation and foundation of existing policy and perhaps a realignment of priorities towards activity that has a greater contribution to social welfare through its intrinsic fun and possibly social interaction.
Purveyors of One Health: The Ecological Imperative Driving the Future of Leisure Services
Leisure Sciences
The coronavirus pandemic, for all of its damage to human health and well-being, has brought to light the wisdom underlying the idea of One Health, whose advocates reason that health is a reciprocal relationship between our species and the environment that sustains us. What is good for people should also be good for the environment, and what is good for the environment should also be good for people. Their preferred future is one in the same. As the recent days, weeks, and months have also shown, leisure is not necessarily a cure for what ails us. Indeed, leisure pursuits may have contributed to the pandemic's spread. What, then, are we to make of leisure in the time of the coronavirus? We believe it is a fundamental lesson in ecology.