Edwin Gómez

This commentary is in reference to the article titled “Leisure and the ‘White-Savior Industrial Complex’” included in this issue of the Journal of Leisure Research (Anderson et al., 2021). The prim...

Outdoor recreation is 400-billion-dollar industry, and therefore, understanding the attributes, consequences and values for why individuals participate is a necessity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Means-End of Recreation Scale (MERS) reflective of Gutman’s original Means-end theory conceptualization of attributes, consequences, and values. Data analyses were performed in three stages: (a) PCA, (b) CFA, and (c) structural model testing from three different trail sites (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and First Landing State Park) during three separate time periods. Findings support using the 13-item MERS as a metric to measure Attributes, Consequences and Values within outdoor recreation participation. Furthermore, findings suggest that a strong link can be made directly from Attributes to Values, bypassing Consequences.

The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of dog park use and the role that perceived dog park benefits, park proximity, and both individual and neighborhood characteristics play in predicting dog park use. Factor analysis supported two dimensions of perceived benefits from dog parks (i.e., dog benefits and people benefits), which were used as composite variables in analyses. In addition to individual-level data gathered from the sample, this study used distance-related variables (e.g., street network approach to distance, buffer rings) computed from a Geographic Information System and socioeconomic neighborhood-level variables (e.g., percentage White in the neighborhood, home ownership) obtained from census tract data. Group differences, based upon park use, are explored with respect to both dog and people benefits. Logistic regression is used to predict dog owners’ likelihood of using a fenced dog park.

Perceived Health Outcomes of Mountain Bikers: A National Demographic Inquiry

Dog parks have the potential to be sites that engender community benefits. The purpose of this study is to examine whether dog parks, as places providing social interaction opportunities with other dog owners, can engender perceived social cohesion. Dog parks represent small-scale places where social interaction can occur to improve the personal connections and interpersonal interactions that facilitate neighborhood livability and urban quality of life. The theoretical frameworks of bridging and bonding social capital were explored, in terms of weak/bridging and strong/bonding social ties, as aspects affecting perceived neighborhood social cohesion. We hypothesized that both bridging/weak ties and bonding/strong ties were precursors to neighborhood social cohesion but explored the extent to which weak and strong social ties impact social cohesion in a simultaneous or stepwise manner. Our findings indicate support for the latter.

This study examines the phenomenon of surf localism among local Costa Rican and foreign resident surfers in Pavones, Costa Rica, a well-known surf break considered the second longest left-breaking wave in the world. A multidisciplinary territoriality framework is used to explore the ways in which surfers expressed ownership, defined boundaries and regulated behavior in the surf break. Using an ethnographic approach, the first author engaged in participant observation in the surf and the community. She also conducted interviews with Costa Rican residents, resident foreigners and tourists. The findings indicate a number of differences between Costa Rican surfers and resident foreigners with regard to ownership, boundary definition and regulating behavior. Costa Rican surfers felt a greater sense of ownership for the surf break, but were less likely to start verbal or physical conflicts with other surfers than resident foreigners. Resident foreigners indicated feeling a right to the surf break, more so than ownership, and were more likely to verbally confront tourists who were not following surf etiquette. There was also evidence of a cyclical pattern of localism. Many participants blamed conflicts between surfers on increased crowding. The results also highlight the importance of constant destination monitoring in order to ensure a positive surfing experience for Costa Ricans, foreigners and tourists in a community highly reliant on surf tourism income.

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Perceived Health Outcomes of Recreation Scale (PHORS). Data for PHORS were collected from three different trail sites (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and First Landing State Park) during three separate time periods, allowing for cross-validation and invariance testing. Exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and invariance testing procedures were conducted. The results indicate that PHORS, with 13 items across three underlying factors, showed high reliability and strong evidences of validity. Full configural and metric invariance indicated the factor loading pattern. The measurement properties of PHORS were generally invariant across recreation participants using different trails, situating PHORS as a potential instrument that can be used in various outdoor recreation trail settings.