Winter recreational activities of male students staying at dormitory and their attitudes towards sports

INTRODUCTION

One of the ways to improve physical and mental health is sports. Sport, which appears as a social, pedagogical and biological phenomenon, develops the motoric characteristics of individuals and changes their social behaviors.¹ It is emphasized that individuals engaged in sports activities can expand their interests by socializing.² These orientations of individuals who see sports as a part of their life and take it to professional levels by giving importance to sports are indicators that their attitudes turn into behaviors.³ Sports continues to transform as a formation that affects people regardless of social differences. In addition to sports, many related fields have also affected from this change.⁴ Change can come with a change of attitude. Sport attitude, which is known as an indisputable part of life, can vary among individuals.

In addition, attitude helps to regulate the individual's relationship with objects. It develops the power of interpretation against what is happening around them. The attitude that guides the behavior of the individual internally is not innate and develops over time.⁵

People's sports habits can cause them to form and develop different attitudes as time progresses. Attitude, which includes cognitive, affective and behavioral elements, includes actions towards feelings, thoughts and behaviors about a psychological object that is acquired by the individual. For example, adolescent individuals who develop a positive attitude towards participation in sports activities may have low levels of loneliness and they can develop harmonious relationships in their environment.⁶ The individuals’ acquisition of attitude towards sports in adolescence, teenage years or student years is important in terms of social development and understanding the importance of sports.⁷ If participation in sports activities is provided, cognitive functions can increase and positive developments can occur in the education process. Furthermore, participation in sports activities can contribute positively to students psychologically.8 However, economic, demographic and sociological factors can limit the sports attitudes of students.⁹

In addition to adolescence and teenage years, the importance of sports is increasing in every period of life. In this regard, recreational activities that provide sports and physical activity appear as physical and mental activities in which individuals of different ages can be happy and enjoy by experiencing a sense of satisfaction.¹⁰ Recreational activities can be performed indoors as well as outdoors. It is of great importance to perform recreational activities in open areas like in nature in terms of meeting the mental and physical needs necessary for a healthy life. Different sports-recreational interactions involving environment and nature experiences affect people's general well-being and quality of life.¹¹ In this direction, performing recreational activities in green and open areas can make individuals more physically active. Moreover, movement-oriented activities can be useful in preventing many diseases.¹² It has been observed that the seasonal winter conditions of university students staying in dormitories in Bitlis province prevent recreational sports activities in open areas and may affect the choice of recreational activities as well as cause a change in students' sports attitudes. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to examine the winter recreational activities of male university students, their attitudes towards sports, and their physical activity states.

METHODS

Scope

The population of this cross-sectional study consists of 478 university students staying in the Bitlis male dormitory of the higher education student loans and dormitories institution. The students within the scope of the research were reached between April 12, 2022, and June 24, 2022. After the students were informed about the subject, 400 students who agreed to participate were interviewed face-to-face. A total of 398 (83.3% of the population) students were evaluated, excluding 2 students with missing data from the evaluation.

Inclusion criteria

Male university students from the relevant male dormitory who were willing to participate in the study were included in the study.

Statistical and data analysis

Independent sample t-test, X²: Chi-squared, and logistic regression analysis (Backward Stepwise Wald method) were used for statistical evaluation. The internal consistency of the scale was checked with the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient.

Data were collected with a 28-question self-evaluation form prepared in accordance with the purpose of the study and a 25-item scale of attitude towards sports.¹³ In the scale developed by Şentürk, H. E. in 2012, a minimum of 25 points and a maximum of 125 points can be obtained; the higher the score, the higher the attitude towards sports becomes. The scale has three sub-dimensions: interest in sports, living with sports, and doing sports actively. All items on the five-point Likert scale are scored directly. Items are graded from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

RESULTS

398 students were evaluated within the scope of the research. Average sports attitude of students is 82.92 (min 38-max 120). The income of the majority of the students staying in the male dormitory is less than 1000 TL. Most of them are in the range of 21-23 years. The sociodemographic characteristics of the students are presented in (Table 2).

Places of okey game, watching football matches, cafeteria and library are the places most frequently preferred by students as recreational activities in winter. There is a statistically significant difference between hobby activities of students, football activities, spending time in the cafeteria and library activities and sports attitudes (p<0.05). The comparison of the participants' winter recreational activities with their sports attitudes is presented in (Table 3). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or at least 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week for adults. There is a significant difference between spending time in the cafeteria, doing fitness, walking, and being active in student clubs in the winter and physical activity in line with WHO recommendations (p<0.05). The recreational activities of the students during the winter months are presented in (Table 4).

X^2*Chi squared; **p<0.05; ***WHO recommendation, doing at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week.

*WHO recommendation, doing at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, TL (Turkish Lira).

A logistic regression analysis was performed in order to predict the relationship between winter recreational activity variables and the desired level of physical activity for the students staying in the male dormitory. The variables in the first model and the last model explaining the students' physical activity at the desired level are presented in (Table 5).

Among the variables included in the model, regularly spending time in the cafeteria in winter, going to the fitness center, and monthly income (1000–1500 TL) are significant according to the Wald statistic result (p<0.05). The independent variables explain 13% of the students' physical activity at the desired level. Those who spend regular time in the cafeteria have 2 times more odds of doing physical activity than those who do not; those who go to fitness are 2.8 times more likely than those who do not; and those whose income is between 1000 and 1500 TL are 3.9 times more likely than those who are over 1500 TL (Table 5).

DISCUSSION

It was stated in the study conducted by Bulut that the geographically inhabited region may be effective in participating in recreational activities.¹⁴ However, the region you live in can be an obstacle to the type of recreational activity you choose. In the region where our study has been conducted, the winter season lasts long and there may be heavy snowfalls. This situation causes students to prefer closed areas for recreational activities. Students prefer coffee houses, game rooms, fitness centers, indoor football on an astroturf pitch, cafeterias, and libraries as indoor recreational activities. There are cafeterias next to or inside the gyms in our region. For this reason, cafeterias can be preferred in order to relax and have a good time after sports. In this situation, it can be argued that students who go to cafeterias may be more active than those who do not. Students who prefer cafeterias as a recreational activity in the winter may have more sports attitudes and physical activity at the desired level, which may have resulted from these situations.

It has been observed in our study that the habit of the students going to the fitness center regularly during the winter season is not related to their sports attitude. Moreover, students staying in the male dormitory can go to the fitness center with the purpose of looking attractive, losing weight, looking strong, attracting attention, etc. In light of the findings obtained in our study, it is predicted that if students are provided with sports education and leisure time education, they can help improve their attitudes.¹⁵

Opportunities and supports obtained as a result of the circumstances and conditions of individuals can affect the choice of leisure time activities.¹⁶ University students may prefer recreational activities for many purposes, such as increasing their intellectual capacity, socializing, gaining competence, and looking attractive.¹⁷ Our study can be a guide for the students staying in dormitories to prefer recreational activities. Although fitness preference is not related to sports attitude in this study, it is observed to be related to physical activity at the desired level. In addition, the monthly income of the students and the level of physical activity at the desired level were also compared. The odds of participation in physical activity at the desired level are 3.9 times higher for those with a monthly income of between 1000 and 1500 TL compared to those with a monthly income of more than 1500 TL. Being more physically active than high-income students may be due to the fact that the students work in an income-generating job. Students with low incomes can work more in workplaces that require an intense pace. Dong et al have also determined in their study that one of the most important Factors preventing participation in recreational activities is the level of welfare.¹⁸ This supports our study. Aslan et al also stated in their research that students do recreational activities with the aim of getting rid of boredom and relaxing.¹⁹ Astroturf matches are among the common recreational activities preferred by male students during the winter months. The sports attitude of the students who go to the football on astroturf match is statistically significantly higher than that of those who do not. However, there is no statistically significant difference between participating in football astroturf matches and performing weekly physical activity at the desired level. This situation has made us think that the participation of students in these activities could be done for reasons such as relaxation and getting rid of boredom. The fact that the weather is very cold in the winter in the region and that the students usually play football on an astroturf field once a week for fun can shorten the duration of moderate or vigorous physical activity. Such sportive recreational activities as football, fitness, etc. enable students to participate in physical activity and support a healthy life.²⁰

Korkutata et al have mentioned in their study that regular physical activities for the purpose of recreational participation are of great importance for people to lead a healthy life.²¹ Moreover, it has been argued in this study that individuality can be seen in the preferences of recreational activities, but the important thing is that the activities should be applied regularly and consciously. In this case, it has been emphasized that it contributes to physical development. The sports attitudes of the students going to the library regularly in the winter months are significantly higher.

However, the same is not true for participation in physical activity at the recommended level. Although students who regularly go to the library find sports meaningful, they may not be interested in participating in physical activity. The same is true for students engaged in hobby work as a recreational activity. Increasing the number of qualified businesses for recreational activities that will provide sports incentives within the university campus can increase the participation of students in physical activity.²² Furthermore, there has been a significant difference between the participation of the students staying in the male dormitory in the student clubs in the winter and the weekly recommended physical activity. Activity programs for students increase participation in sportive recreational activities.²³ In our study, the most frequently preferred recreational activity by male students during the winter months was okey. However, no significant results were obtained in this study in terms of attitudes and participation in physical activity for students who regularly go to okey halls. In the study conducted by Yerlisu et al it has been mentioned that students engage in recreational activities that require passive participation, such as cinema, theater, and reading books.²⁴ This situation is similar to our study and has revealed that students tend towards recreational activities in which they can passively participate in the winter months.

Limitations

The study was conducted on the university students living in a male dormitory in a city center where the winter season is long and hard. Also, the evaluation of students with a self-report questionnaire and scale is one of the limitations of the study. However, original data were generated that will shed light on future studies and public health in this study.

CONCLUSION

Students staying in the male dormitory have a high attitude towards sports in the winter season. Sports attitudes among those who use indoor areas such as cafes, libraries, and football as recreational activities in the winter season are higher. However, moderate or advanced physical activity status is not at the desired level for those who use the library and the astroturf pitch as recreational areas. Although the use of fitness centers is not related to sports attitudes, it is related to physical activity at a desired level. Students mostly use okey halls as a recreational activity in the winter. However, no significant results were obtained in this study in terms of sports attitudes and participation in physical activity in the use of okey halls. There is a need for health education that will increase the sports attitude of male students. In addition, students playing okey and so on. should be encouraged to engage in such activities as fitness and football instead of static recreational activities. The winter season lasts a long time in the region. In terms of healthy living, recreational areas that will increase the sports attitude and physical mobility of the students on the university campus or student dormitory should be expanded. Afterwards, incentives should be provided for students to use these areas.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Authors are thankful to Muhammed C. A. N. and Bayram T. A. N. for their contributions to the collection of research data.

Funding: No funding sources

Conflict of interest: None declared

Ethical approval: The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee

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