Do Age and Gender Matter in the Constraint Negotiation of Physically Active Leisure?

Our purpose in this study was to examine the relationships between age, gender, leisure constraint, leisure constraint negotiation, motivation, and physically active leisure for 271 older (50+) volunteers and visitors of a Midwestern metropolitan park agency. The primary objectives were: 1) to assess the relationship of age and gender to leisure constraint; 2) to examine the relative importance of all factors to active leisure participation; 3) to test negotiation as a mediator of the relationships of constraint and motivation to participation; and 4) to determine whether these relationships differed by frequency and duration. The inclusion of age, gender and multiple measures of physically active leisure revealed distinct relationships. The implications of these findings for park-based programs and settings for active leisure in mid to late life are discussed.