Perceived leisure satisfaction of participants in the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program

Abstract

Arthritis is the second most commonly reported chronic condition and the leading cause of disability among older adults in the United States. Previous studies of aquatic-based interventions for arthritis have focused on physical benefits. In this study, some psychosocial benefits as well as physiological benefits are examined. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived leisure satisfaction of participants who were involved in the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program in order to determine some factors that might be associated with persistence of participation in this program. Forty-nine subjects participated in the six-week program and completed the Leisure Satisfaction Measure (LSM) both at the beginning and at the end of the six weeks. There was no significant difference found for the overall scores of the LSM. However, there were significant mean differences at the 0.05 level found for three of the subscales on the LSM (ie, psychological, relaxation, and physiological), indicating that participating in the six-week aquatic exercise program increased the participants’ perceived leisure satisfaction levels in those three areas.