Constraints on outdoor leisure participation among Thai families with young children

ABSTRACT

While outdoor leisure activities provide numerous health and wellness benefits, there has been a dramatic decrease in the time that young people spend in active outdoor play. As the outdoors are regarded as the primary tourism resource sustaining Thailand’s economy, it is important to conduct effective outdoor leisure program planning for a sustainable society. This study focused on family outdoor leisure as a significant influence on children’s outdoor opportunities, specified the outdoor leisure constraints on Thai parents with young children, and examined whether individuals from distinct profiles based on constraint patterns differ in the frequency of outdoor leisure participation. The study found five constraining factors affecting Thai parents: health and physical fitness, interpersonal, time commitment, facilities, and opportunity. Time and opportunity constraints were key factors affecting the frequency with which Thai families participated in outdoor leisure activities. Implications for outdoor leisure program planning and service provision are also discussed.

RÉSUMÉ

Alors que les activités de loisirs en plein air offrent de nombreux avantages en matière de santé et de bien-être, le temps que les jeunes passent à jouer activement en plein air a considérablement diminué. Les activités de plein air étant considérées comme la principale ressource touristique soutenant l’économie thaïlandaise, il est important de planifier des programmes de loisirs en plein air efficaces pour une société durable. Cette étude s’est concentrée sur les loisirs familiaux en plein air en tant qu’influence significative sur les possibilités d’activités en plein air des enfants, a spécifié les contraintes liées aux loisirs en plein air pour les parents thaïlandais ayant de jeunes enfants, et a examiné si les individus de profils distincts basés sur des modèles de contraintes diffèrent dans la fréquence de la participation aux loisirs en plein air. L’étude a mis en évidence cinq facteurs contraignants pour les parents thaïlandais : la santé et la condition physique, les relations interpersonnelles, le temps à consacrer, les installations et les possibilités. Les contraintes de temps et de possibilités sont des facteurs clés qui influencent la fréquence à laquelle les familles thaïlandaises participent à des activités de loisirs en plein air. Les implications pour la planification des programmes de loisirs en plein air et la prestation de services sont également discutées.

KEYWORDS:

• Outdoor leisure recreation
• family leisure
• constraints
• nature-based tourism

Mots-clés:

• loisirs en plein air
• loisirs familiaux
• contraintes
• tourisme axé sur la nature

Acknowledgments

I would like to sincerely thank all of the study’s participants. I also want to express my gratitude to the two reviewers for their insightful comments which helped improve the quality of this manuscript. Finally, I’d want to thank Dr. Wason Deuanjeang and Dr. Bhuwanat Siriton for their assistance with data collection, without which this research would not have been possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Sports Challenge Research Grant from the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Yamaha Motor Foundation for Sports

Notes on contributors

An Uesugi

An Uesugi (PhD) is a lecturer in the Department of Sport Management at Kasetsart University, Thailand. Her research interest are sport tourism and sustainable tourism development.