Examination of free time motivations, social appearance concerns and health beliefs of individuals participating in recreative activities

This study aimed to examine the leisure motivation, social appearance anxiety, and health beliefs of individuals participating in recreational activities. A relational survey model was employed in this research. The study group consisted of individuals residing in Aydın province who participate in recreational activities. A convenience sampling method was used to select the participants. Data were collected through a personal information form designed to determine demographic characteristics, the Leisure Motivation Scale, the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale, and the Health Belief Scale. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 software within a 95% confidence interval. Skewness and kurtosis coefficients were examined, and since the values were within the ±2 range, the data were considered to be normally distributed (Leech et al., 2005). Descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, Independent Samples t-Test, One-Way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analysis were utilized in the analysis. The results revealed statistically significant differences in leisure motivation based on gender, marital status, educational background, occupation, weekly leisure time, and reasons for participation in recreational activities. Significant differences were also found in health beliefs related to recreational activities according to age, gender, educational background, weekly leisure time, and reasons for participation. Additionally, significant differences in social appearance anxiety were identified based on age, occupation, and income level. The findings indicate that there are significant and positive relationships between participants' social appearance anxiety, leisure motivation, and health beliefs related to recreational activities. Moreover, participants demonstrated high levels of leisure motivation and health beliefs, while their social appearance anxiety levels were found to be moderate.