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Using seven waves of data, collected twice a year from the 8th through the 11th grades in a low-resource community in Cape Town, South Africa, we aimed to describe the developmental trends in three specific leisure experiences (leisure boredom, new leisure interests, and healthy leisure) and substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana) behaviors and to investigate the ways in which changes in leisure experiences predict changes in substance use behaviors over time. Results indicated that adolescents' substance use increased significantly across adolescence, but that leisure experiences remained fairly stable over time. We also found that adolescent leisure experiences predicted baseline substance use and that changes in leisure experiences predicted changes in substance use behaviors over time, with leisure boredom emerging as the most consistent and strongest predictor of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. Implications for interventions that target time use and leisure experiences are discussed. (Contains 3 notes and 5 tables.)

Introduction: Young people with physical disabilities frequently lack opportunities to develop their leadership potential. These include their ability to make decisions and be able to take charge of their leisure programmes. An argument is made that developing leadership skills for youth with physical disabilities can be facilitated by participating in leisure education programmes. Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore youth with physical disabilities' perceptions of how leisure education can be used as a tool to develop their leadership. Method: This study used a descriptive qualitative research design to collect data using the purposive sampling method from 10 youths with physical disabilities aged 18 to 34 years in the Western Cape, South Africa. One-on-one interviews with semi-structured and open-ended questions were used to collect data for this study. Results: The findings of this study include 4 main themes and 11 sub-themes. This study's findings showed that participants' perceptions and experiences were evidence of leisure education being used to build their capacity as leaders within their society. Furthermore, their understanding of how they apply leadership opportunities is an encouraging moment for their development. Conclusion: Leisure education should be considered as a means to promote leadership in youth with physical disabilities in South Africa. Contribution: Knowledge and experience about youth with physical disabilities, their leisure education experiences and skills development during activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the reliability and construct validity of a modified Children's Leisure Activities Study Survey (CLASS) questionnaire for 12-year old South African children. Testretest reliability of the questionnaire was examined in 108 (n=45 boys; n=63 girls) school children aged 12 years at 3 weeks interval. Construct validity was assessed by comparing data on the reported minutes spent in physical activities (PAs) obtained from the CLASS questionnaire responses with ten physical fitness (PF) parameters, assessed using the Eurofit test battery. Cronbach alpha's test of internal consistency, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and the paired t-test were used to determine reliability. Validity was evaluated with the Spearman correlation coefficients. Substantial internal consistency and significant Intra-class correlations estimates for all intensities of PA and sedentary time (ST) were found (Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.71 to 0.84, p < 0.05; ICC ranged from 0.73 to 0.95, p < 0.05). Non-significant differences were found in the means of test and retest measurements. BMI had moderate negative correlations with both moderate and total PA (r = -0.34, r = -0.36, respectively, p < 0.05). Aerobic fitness was significantly correlated with all intensities of PA and ST (r = 0.63, 0.57, 0.43 and-0.34, respectively; p < 0.05). ST was significantly and negatively associated with sit-ups (r = -0.38, p<0.01) and shuttle run (r = -0.29, p<0.05). Similarly, the results of the shuttle run (10x5 meter run), sit-ups, bent arm hang, and standing broad jump tests, had significant associations with vigorous PA. The CLASS questionnaire is a valid and reliable measure of PA in 12-year old South African children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]