The Relationship between Recreation Awareness and Happiness Levels of Children in Turkey

Background. It is known that recreational awareness and physical activities are essential in increasing society's happiness. Objectives: This study aims to determine the relationship between the recreational awareness levels and happiness levels of children between the ages of 14-20, determine whether demographic variables affect recreational awareness levels, and examine the relationship between them. Methods. The study sample consists of 448 children (16.04 +/- 2.79), 272 males and 176 females, residing in two regions in Turkey. As a data collection tool in the research, "The recreation Awareness Scale (RFS)" and "Oxford Happiness Scale" were used. Pearson correlation, independent sample t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. Quantitative research methods it is a research conducted with a relational screening model. Results. It was determined that the recreational awareness levels of the participants and social success, self-development, and pleasure-entertainment sub-dimensions were high, and their happiness levels were moderate. There was no significant difference between the recreation awareness sub-dimensions of the children participating in the study and the gender variable. There were statistically significant differences in pleasure-fun (P=0.001), social success (P=0.000), and self-development (P=0.000) in all sub-dimensions according to the living area variable. While there was no difference in the self-improvement (P=0.188) sub-dimension of the recreational awareness scale according to the monthly income variable, significant differences were found in the social-achievement (P=0.017) and pleasure-entertainment (P=0.015) sub-dimensions. As a result of the Pearson correlation analysis, it was determined that there was a weak positive correlation between the recreational awareness levels of the participants and their happiness levels (r= .610, P> 0.24). Conclusion. As a result of the analysis made between the recreation awareness levels of the children participating in the research, the recreation awareness levels of children in the age group participating in the research can be increased, and their happiness levels can be directly affected.