leisure time activities of faculty members of isfahan university of medical sciences, iran; emphasizing the role of sports and healthy recreational activities

background: one of the new concepts that have found their true meaning with technological advancement and the industrialization of societies is leisure time and how it is spent. recreational sports and frequent leisure activities are the most relevant and essential types of spending leisure time. therefore, this study attempted to examine how faculty members of isfahan university of medical sciences, iran, spend their leisure time, with emphasis on physical activities. methods: this was a descriptive study. the study population included all faculty members of isfahan university of medical sciences, which were 670 members. a sample size of 150 was calculated with a preliminary study and using cochran's formula. the subjects were chosen by the random stratified sampling method according to variables of gender and school. the data gathering tool was the researcher-made leisure questionnaire. the reliability of the questionnaire was 0.82, which was obtained using cronbach's alpha coefficient. findings: results showed that research activities with the average of 3.37 was the first priority, physical activities with 2.49 the second priority, social and cultural affairs with 2.25 the third priority, and personal and family affairs with a mean of 1.89 was the fourth priority of subjects for their pastime (α ≤ 0.05). health maintenance, with the average of 3.94, was the most important motivation to engage in leisure time physical activities. moreover, there was a significant difference between leisure activities based on gender and work experience. conclusion: the amount of leisure time of faculty members was low (x = 3.44). it seems that society must be informed on the characteristics and methods of community sports and leisure facilities and the necessity to create the appropriate conditions through planning and cultural actions. moreover, social groups especially the academics should be made aware of the positive effects of healthy leisure and recreational activities.