Bibliometric Analysis of Published Original Research Articles on Leisure Constraints between 1991 and 2019

Elif  Köse; Tennur  Yerlisu-Lapa; Hüseyin  Gökçe; Kostas  Alexandris; Ali Serdar  Yücel

doi:10.18502/ijph.v52i12.14318

Elif Köse Department of Recreation, Sport Sciences Faculty, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
Tennur Yerlisu-Lapa Department of Recreation, Sport Sciences Faculty, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
Hüseyin Gökçe Department of Recreation, Sport Sciences Faculty, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey
Kostas Alexandris Greece School of PE and Sport Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Ali Serdar Yücel Department of Sport Management, Sport Sciences Faculty, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkey

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v52i12.14318

Keywords: Bibliometric analysis; Leisure constraints; Mental health; Physical activity; Public health

Abstract

Background: The decrease in the frequency and duration of participation in leisure activities has negative effects on the physical, cognitive and psychological health of individuals. In this context, identifying the obstacles, which prevent individuals from participating in leisure activities, may offer important clues to institutions and organizations in taking measures to increase participation.

Methods: The bibliometric analysis method was used in this study. The research was carried out with 306 articles scanned from the Web of Science (WoS) core database between 1991 and 2019.

Results: Studies conducted in leisure area increased systematically according to 5-year periods and mostly authors from USA, Australia and Canada produced them. The mainstream subjects, which attracted the attention of researchers during recent years, are detected to be self-efficacy, segmentation, mental health and fear related to intrapersonal constraint topics.

Conclusion: In order to cope with physical and mental health problems resulting from aging of the world population, and technological developments, and negative effects generated by inactive modern life style, priority should be given to studies on leisure constraints to be conducted on a more comprehensive basis. Another suggestion is to encourage health policies and applications which can increase participation in leisure activities.