This research examines why consumers desire unusual and novel consumption experiences and voluntarily choose leisure activities, vacations, and celebrations that are predicted to be less pleasurable. For example, consumers sometimes choose to stay at freezing ice hotels and to eat at restaurants serving peculiar foods, such as bacon ice cream. We propose that such choices are driven by consumer...

Guided by the life-course perspective, this study contributes to the family caregiving, aging, and disability literature by examining the daily experiences of three types of family caregivers in midlife and late adulthood. A sample of 162 caregivers from the National Survey of Midlife in the United States study completed interviews, questionnaires, and a Daily Diary Study. Multilevel models sho...

Risk and promotive effects were investigated as predictors of persistent serious delinquency in male participants of the Pittsburgh Youth Study (R. Loeber, D. P. Farrington, M. Stouthamer-Loeber, & W. B. van Kammen, 1998), living in different neighborhoods. Participants were studied over ages 13-19 years for the oldest sample and 7-13 years for the youngest sample. Risk and promotive effects we...

A case is made to wed research on serious leisure and recreation specialization. Before such a marriage can occur, the strengths and differences of the two perspectives must be examined. In this article, four important contributions of the recreation specialization are put forward that will further our understanding of serious leisure and intense forms of leisure. These are (1) there is diversi...

OBJECTIVE To compare the distribution and observation of helmet use patterns among 4 common childhood leisure activities-bicycle riding, in-line skating, skateboarding, and scooter riding-in a setting with no helmet use legislation. DESIGN A cross-sectional, unobtrusive, direct observation of children engaged in 1 of the 4 activities was conducted during an 8-week period. SETTING Eight comm...

The aim of this study was to examine the possible differences in self-reported quality of life of people with physical disabilities with regard to both socio-demographic and disability-related characteristics. Testing was conducted on 153 respondents with physical disabilities, residents of the City of Zagreb. Positive correlations were found between the quality of life and income satisfaction,...

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY Despite the importance of the relationship between retirement and health only a limited amount of empirical research has addressed this issue, particularly concerning physical health. This study examines whether retirement has a short-term influence on six health measures. METHODS Using data from the Swiss Household Panel from 1999 to 2003, we perform an ordinal regressi...

There is growing evidence that participation in constructive leisure activities facilitates positive youth development. Empirical evidence also supports the influence of families and communities on positive developmental outcomes for adolescents. This study examined the relationship among attitudes toward family and community, participation in structured out-of-school activities, and pro-social...

BACKGROUND Using longitudinal panel data, the aim of this study was to examine the contribution of age, period, and cohort effects on changes in physical activity over time in a population-based sample of Canadians. We focused on three domains of physical activities: leisure time, commuting (i.e. walking and cycling), and daily activities (i.e. sedentary behavior). We also examined whether chan...