Handbook of Leisure, Physical Activity, Sports, Recreation and Quality of Life

Lía Rodriguez de la Vega
Dr. in International Relations (USAL, Argentina). Graduated in Oriental Studies. Post Doctoral Studies Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Professor Master Program in Social Sciences and Researcher CICS-UP, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad de Palermo, Argentina. Researcher UNICOM, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora, Argentina. President Argentine Section of the Latin American Association of Studies on Asia and Africa (ALADAA). Member of the Buddhist Studies Foundation Institute. Coordinator of the Working Group on India and South Asia, Asian Affairs Committee, Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI).
Walter N. Toscano

Dr. in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, University of León, Spain, European Union Award for Quality Teaching. Physical Education Teacher, Bachelor in Physical Education and Sports. Bachelor in Higher Education Administration. Post Doctoral Studies , Quality of Life Program, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora, Argentina. Associate Professor Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Universidad Nacional de La Matanza, Argentina. Honor award for excellent international contributions to academic research and development of the sciences of Physical Education, Sport, and Physical Activity granted by the Féderation Internationale D´Education Physique, 2013. Editorial Board Member Applied Research in Quality of Life, Sports, Recreation, and Leisure Fields, Springer-ISQOLS.

This handbook provides an overview and synthesis of relevant literature related to leisure and recreation, and physical activity and its relationship to quality of life. Divided into two parts, the text presents the analysis of leisure and recreation studies and physical activities and sports, with diverse populations. The first part deals with leisure and recreation in relation to quality of life, with different perspectives on different age groups, ethnic groups,  the approach of an Integrated Model of Leisure Well-being focusing on how leisure activities contribute to leisure well-being etc. The second part deals with physical activities and sports in relation to quality of life, discussing the consideration that "exercise is good for you", associating physical exercise with other conditions of life in society, its impact on people with disabilities, etc. It is of interest to researchers and students, legislators, educators, providers of leisure services.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the relation of leisure and recreation with quality of life

Part I.  Leisure and Recreation.- Chapter 1. A Benefits Theory of Leisure Well-Being; M. Joseph Sirgy, Muzaffer Uysal, and Stefan Kruger.- Chapter 2. Leisure Satisfaction in Relation to Quality of Life Using the Asia Barometer Survey Data; Takashi Inoguchi.- Chapter 3. Children's Leisure Activities and Subjective Well-Being: A Comparative Analysis of 16 Countries; Gwyther Rees.- Chapter 4. Recreation, Non-Formal Education and Socialization as Factors Enhancing Well-Being. The Place of the Madrich in the Jewish Community; Denise Benatuil.- Chapter 5. Children's Recreational Engagement with Nature in South Africa: Implications for Children's Subjective Well-Being; Sabirah Adams  and Shazly Savahl.- Chapter 6. Healthy Habits and Healthy Spaces: Children's Views on Their Use of Time and Space; Carmel Cefai.- Chapter 7. Leisure Participation and Child Well-Being: The Role of Family Togetherness; Leena Haanpää and Piia af Ursin.- Chapter 8. Occupations and Well-being in Children and Youth. What is Occupation?; Diana R. Feldhacker; Shana Cerny; Barbara L. Brockevelt and Michael J. Lawler.- Chapter 9. Free time, Friends and Future: A Quality of Life Study with 8 Years Old Children in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Graciela Tonon, Claudia Mikkelsen , Lía Rodríguez de la Vega  and  Walter Toscano.- Chapter 10. Recreation, Free Time and Well-Being According to Children and Adolescents in Chile: Mediator Meanings of Satisfaction; Lorena Ramírez , Jaime Alfaro , Pauline Heine , Patricia Easton , Gabriel Urzúa, Blanca Amo, Francisca Valdebenito , Pablo Rojas,  Verónica Monreal and Andrea Jaramillo.- Chapter 11. Perception of Leisure and Quality of Life of Rural Youths at the Colombian High Andean Mountain; Antonio José López López.- Chapter 12. The Program of Health Volunteer Promoters for OlderAdults: The Well-Being of the Volunteers at Leisure Time; María Laura Capiello and María Juliana Laurito.- Chapter 13. Leisure Space and Quality of Life. An Approach to Their Relationship: The Case of Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Matías Adrián Gordziejczuk  and Claudia Andrea Mikkelsen.- Chapter 14 Active Ageing in Spain: Leisure, Community Participation and Quality of Life; Vicente Rodríguez-Rodríguez,  Fermina Rojo-Pérez and Gloria Fernández-Mayoralas.- Chapter 15. Visions of Good Life and Leisure in Ancient India: Evidence from Valmiki's Ramayana; Óscar Figueroa.- Part II. Physical Activity and Sports.- Chapter 16.  Physical Activity and Subjective Well-Being; Robert A. Cummins.- Chapter 17. Relationship between Physical Activity, Health and Quality of Life from the perspective of the Hippocratic Theory; Walter N. Toscano.- Chapter 18. The Live Well Index and the Motivation for Physical Activity Profile: Two Cross-National Studies on the Correlates and Drives for a Life with Quality; Helena Águeda Marujo, Sónia P. Gonçalves, Luís Miguel Neto, Patrícia Palma and Miguel Pereira Lopes.- Chapter 19. "Before the Early Darkness, but Not Alone Please": Patterns of Physical Activity in Public and Private Spaces and Quality of Life in Post-Apartheid South Africa; Anand Singh.- Chapter 20. Disability, Life Satisfaction and Participation in Sports; Ricardo Pagan.- Chapter 21. Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, Sleep Duration  and Well-Being among Estonian Schoolchildren: A Thematic Review; Eva-Maria Riso and Jaak Jürimäe.- Chapter 22. Moving Physical Activity Research: From Quality of Life to Positive Psychological Functioning in individuals living with Osteoporosis; Diane E. Mack,   Philip M. Wilson and Katie E. Gunnell.- Chapter 23. Predictors of Physical Activity and Sports and Their Influence on the Well-Being of Adolescents; Sheila Gonçalves Câmara, Gehysa Guimarães Alves and Guilherme Anziliero Arossi.- Chapter 24. Latinx and African American Youth Participation in Sports and Leisure: The Impact on Social Identity, Educational Outcomes, and Quality of Life;Leticia Villarreal Sosa.- Chapter 25. Conclusions; Lía Rodriguez de la Vega and Walter Toscano.