Examining the priorities and limitations of leisure time with an emphasis on sports among education retirees in Shiraz

Dissertation for receiving a master's degree (M.A)

       Major: Sports Management

Abstract

The main purpose of this research is to investigate the priorities and limitations of leisure time with an emphasis on sports among the retired people of Shiraz. The current research is a descriptive-analytical type of research. The statistical population of the research included all education retirees of Shiraz city, for this purpose, 400 people were selected by stratified random sampling method and examined using a standard questionnaire. Data analysis was done using different descriptive statistical methods including mean, frequency and inferential statistics including t-test of independent groups, Pearson's correlation coefficient and ANOVA analysis of variance test through spss computer software. The results showed that there is a significant and direct relationship between the retirement period and the way of spending free time. In addition, the results showed that about half of the retirees, i.e. 53.5%, exercise in their free time, and one of the most important factors in engaging in sports activities is maintaining health, and one of the most important obstacles and problems in the tendency to perform sports activities after retirement is financial problems and physical and movement problems. Other results are also given in the text of the research according to the test of the hypotheses.

Keywords: leisure time, sports, retirement

Chapter One

Overview of the research

Introduction

Entering the new millennium, retirement has become a major demographic and social issue. At the beginning of the 20th century, the life expectancy in the richest countries was not more than 50 years, while today this figure has reached 75 years. According to the estimate of the World Health Organization, the population of retirees in developing countries will increase 9 times in the next 50 years, and the population of retirees will grow the highest in developed countries.

The aging of the population, especially the elderly population, is a real challenge for all countries that want to provide security and prosperity for their growing number of retired people (Nolan, 1994). It is obvious that needs assessment is a necessary precursor to determine the services needed by the community, identify priorities and use the budget optimally. This work, as a part of the planning process, can answer the question of which social or health problem should be given the attention of social institutions in the first place. Therefore, knowing the situation and examining the needs should be considered as the first stage of the process that includes service planning, implementation and evaluation (Rapp, Reynolds [1], 1999). This impact is not limited to the individual, but the existence of appropriate leisure patterns will also help the overall plan of every society (Pour Ismail, 2015).

Sociologists believe that leisure is a completely new concept that came about with the industrialization of society and urbanization, and it cannot be compared with the concept of unemployment in the past centuries (Zarei, 2015). Afrooz believes that leisure time means opportunity and time in which a responsible person is not responsible for any duty or work, the time is at his disposal to do something with personal desire and motivation (Purasmail, 2005). Proper use of free time is the cause of mental and spiritual development, and not using it correctly is one of the factors of boredom and laziness. The importance of using leisure time is so much that the spiritual leaders of the society have also ordered a lot in this regard.

Imam Musa Kazem (peace be upon him) advises Muslims to divide their time into four parts: allocating hours for communication and secrets and needs with God, allocating time for work and effort, allocating hours for communicating with others, and allocating hours for understanding halal pleasures and healthy recreations, which are interpreted here as free time (Harani, 2013).

Statistics show 85% of the country's retirees spend their free time watching TV (Khosbin, 2002). Stafford[2] writes that in countries like the United States, leisure time is considered the most important aspect of the health of American retirees and the main key to a healthy retirement. In this regard, studies have shown that the active participation of retirees in leisure activities and sports activities (exercise once a week) with the aim of preventing functional problems related to age have been effective interventions (Stafford, 2004). Also, Bailen and Natoli [3] state that leisure activities can have a significant impact on improving people's understanding of their health, independence, lifestyle, life expectancy and quality of life. (Bilen and Netoli, 2008).

The general census of 2015 showed that retirees make up 10% of the population of Iran, which will reach 20.2% in the next 20 years (taken from a collection of articles on aging [web page]). These figures show that if the country's planners and policy makers do not have a specific and codified plan already, in the next 20 years, the country will face a crisis and a fundamental problem to solve the economic, health and social problems that have arisen for this group.

Perhaps many people believe that retirement is a form of rejection from society and abandoning people who have to spend the rest of their lives in silence and isolation away from the scene of social life. With the effect that words and expressions have on inducing meanings and mental images of people, one of the causes and factors of this incorrect perception of retirement is the same word retired. The word "retirement" in Persian language is chosen instead of the Arabic word "retirement" which was used in Persian language about 50-60 years ago. The word "retirement" is related to interaction, the main root of which is the word "qaud" which means to sit and to be slow to move. Unlike the word Qiyam, which means to get up and move, move and strive. For this reason, the word "retired" evokes the meaning of a person sitting still, unemployed, incapacitated, uncharacteristic, isolated, and disabled. Perhaps this is the reason why when a person retires, he is removed from the minds of colleagues and officials, and few people think about them.   While the other defines retirement as follows: Retirement means preparing and passing from one role to another, that is, from the role of an employee who is subject to certain norms to the role of a retired person who has his own norms. These norms are different in different cultures (Shajari, 1372).

In the opinion of Elias Volk Dizji, the elderly and retired are the builders of today's society and precious reserves who have inherited many experiences for us over many years in the path of life. They are actually the architects who prepared the buildings and presented them to the young generation. Forgetting them is forgetting the identity, goals and ultimately the culture of the society. But due to the growing number of retirees in many countries, on the one hand, physical and mental limitations caused by increasing age and old age, on the other hand, create many problems for the retired person who has now become elderly, his family and the society (Shajari, 2013). Recently, in most societies, including Iran, measures have been taken to solve the problems of retirees, but since the problems and needs of retired and elderly people are different from other people, therefore it is better to examine the current situation of retirees in terms of economic, social, health and leisure time.

Problem statement style="direction: rtl;">The existence of various challenges and problems facing the elderly and the complexity of different aspects of the life of this vulnerable segment of the society, confirms the need to explore and investigate deeper into the obvious and hidden aspects of the recreation and leisure patterns of retirees. Quantitative studies are often not able to examine the content and components of themes or factors and concepts in them, so qualitative studies that explore individual and experimental answers are considered decisive for evaluating such concepts.