The Role of Lifestyle Activities (Mountain Trips and Hiking) in Extracurricular and Leisure Options - Part 1/Attractiveness Component Analysis

Background and Study Purpose. The majority of the population prefers nature activities, trips, and hiking in mountain areas due to the attractiveness of the trails and the beneficial effects. Material and Methods. The investigated group included 647 students from secondary school/336 cases and high school/311 cases. A questionnaire consisting of 23 closed-ended items (Likert scale in 5 levels) was applied between March and May 2024 to study the opinions about trips and hiking in mountain areas. Parametric ANOVA procedures (defining gender-independent variables, area variables, and training level) were applied to identify differences between the resulting groups. Results. Factor analysis with PCA identified a distribution of items on three distinct components: Attractiveness, Usefulness, and Effects/Financial Accessibility. The F values for the three independent variables and the interaction between them correspond to statistically significant thresholds (P < 0.05), so there are differences between the opinions of the surveyed students for the items of the applied questionnaire. Conclusions. The spirit of adventure and escape from everyday life show the highest mean score of all the component items, followed by the attraction to trips and hiking. Females are more interested in trips and hiking than males. High school students are more attracted to these activities than secondary school students. We noted the statistically significant superiority of rural vs. urban students for all items of the Attractiveness component. Recommendation. These differences require identifying different ways to motivate the groups analysed in the future to be more involved in this kind of activity.