Low Income Health Benefits

Introduction In North America, higher levels of education can lead to higher levels of income. As income rises so does the ability to choose more leisure aspirations. Income is a main barrier in accessing leisure for low income individuals. With access to education and higher income perhaps leisure satisfaction can increase for previous low income populations. Low income families who are do not have access to education or higher income though, still deserve access to leisure. The question being asked in this review of literature is can better leisure access increase the leisure satisfaction of low income individuals? Research will fall under three headings, benefits of leisure, low income, and gaps in research. Throughout the research similar

Holt, N.L, Kingsley, B.C., Tink, L.N., & Scherer, J. (2010). Benefits and challenges associated with sport participation by children and parents from low income families. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 12, 490-499.

In Canada there has been a decline in sports participation among youth ages 15-18. Between 1992 and 2005 sports participation declined from 77% participation to 59% participation. One of the reasons is the lack of funding for low income families to participate. Although there is funding available, parents feel like they do not have the knowledge of funding or how to apply. Since there are many benefits of sport, such as social skills, confidence, weight management and academic performance, parents want to get past the barriers preventing their children from participating. As of the date this research was completed, there was no research on how low income families participated in leisure with funding. The researchers used interviews to find out the families concerns, they asked 35 low income families about their children’s sports participation and perceived

Physical inactivity can have serious health concerns such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, types of cancer, and osteoporosis. The study offered people in the community education sessions and workshops that allowed them to understand nutrition and how to be physically active. Over the five year study, 36% of people who signed up became physically inactive. Although living in low income can be a factor for inactivity the study also showed that gender, age, poor view of health, and not using resources provided played a key role in inactivity. To evaluate the level of physical activity that was being done, the researchers used the “leisure-time exercise questionnaire”.

Low Income Families

This section will focus on low income families. There are four sections to be looked at, stigma, leisure lifestyle, opportunities to raise income level, and educational opportunities. Each area will bring together research that acknowledges the barriers low income families face when it comes to participating in meaningful leisure. It will also focus on how raising ones income can create better leisure