Walking as a Meaningful Leisure Occupation: The Implications for Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Introduction: In response to growing interest in leisure in occupational therapy and the importance of understanding how occupations maintain, enhance and promote health and wellbeing, a qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore the experiences of walking for leisure. Method: Six healthy student participants, identified as regular walkers, were interviewed using a semi-structured format. Data were analysed following interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology. Findings: Participants expressed how and why walking was meaningful to them; the four main themes were social connectedness, wellbeing, connection to nature and achievement from a challenge. Findings suggest that occupational therapists could use walking and leisure occupations in intervention, and that there is scope for an occupational therapy perspective in health promotion. Conclusion: Determining the subjective meaning of engaging in walking as a leisure occupation has implications for occupational science and health promotion in helping to explain why people do what they do.

Group Outdoor Health Walks Using Activity Trackers: Measurement and Implementation Insight from a Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

“…GOHWs have been identified as providing a socially supportive setting that attracts people to commence and maintain participation [39,40], and are advocated as part of community-wide approaches to promote walking [8]. However, despite considerable research into why people use available areas of nature [41], a major issue remains unresolved: how to get people out to utilise nearby nature for their health and wellbeing.…”

“…The feedback also provides a form of cognitive engagement, an element identified as a valuable contribution in other walking studies [71]. The social interaction that was generated within the group by the use of the trackers may be another way to build the kind of social connections that have been found to support continued participation [39,40].…”

The development of safer walking technology: a review

“…Walking is viewed as a healthy occupation, promoting both good physical and mental health, (Chief Medical Officers, 2011) particularly when it is undertaken outdoors, (Wensley and Slade, 2012). It is promoted to the general public through a range of schemes such as the "Walking the way to Health Initiative" (WHI) and Walk4Life campaigns (Department of Health, 2011) which seek to improve health and wellbeing through walking and access to outdoor environments.…”

A experiência do significado na dança circular

“…A promoção de uma sensação de comunidade e integração social também foi observada por York & Wiseman (2012) em relação à jardinagem. Pode-se estabelecer um paralelo deste subtema com as diferentes qualidades do lazer sério iv ; seu ethos único e seu universo social (Stebbins, 2007;Wensley & Slade, 2012). Ficou claro, nas informações dadas pelos participantes, que as recompensas sociais da dança circular eram centrais na sustentação do seu envolvimento com os grupos.…”

“…Explorando a experiência de participar de um coral como atividade de lazer para estudantes, outro estudo revelou que os sentimentos de realização, o efeito positivo no humor, a sensação de comunidade e de ligação social eram fatores motivacionais para a persistência do envolvimento (Jacob, Guptill & Sumsion, 2009). Estudos qualitativos também identificaram o caminhar (Wensley & Slade, 2012) e a jardinagem (York & Wiseman, 2012) como ocupações de lazer valiosas, com benefícios positivos para populações saudáveis e atendidas em clínicas, tais como o enriquecimento da sensação de bem-estar individual e a promoção de uma sensação de pertencimento à uma comunidade, bem como de integração social.…”