Consumer Economic Determinants of Leisure Behaviour: Empirical Evidence from Non-Career Women in Obio-Akpor LGA in Rivers State, Nigeria

Work-related stress and poor leisure culture have been identified as one of the causes of death among men and women in Africa. However, existing data provide little insight into the leisure-time physical activities of non-career women in Nigeria. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between consumer economic status (income and occupation) and leisure behaviour (participation in leisure-time physical activities) of non-career women in Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt. The study adopted the survey research design whereby primary data were obtained from a sample size of 138, comprising non-career women drawn from 5 locations in the Rumuodomaya community, Obio-Akopr, LGA, Port Harcourt through the questionnaire method. Simple percentage, ranking technique, mean score and standard deviation were deployed for descriptive, univariate analysis while the Pearson Product Moment Correlation method was adopted for the bivariate analysis (hypotheses testing). The findings of this study established that the level of participation in leisure-time physical activities was low among non-career women in Rumuodomaya, Port Harcourt compared to in-door leisure-time activities. Household income level and occupation were significant economic determinants of leisure behaviour of non-career women in the area. Based on the findings and conclusion of the study, it was recommended that more non-career women should participate in out-door physical work-outs for their physical, emotional, creative and mental well-being since work-outs are less expensive than fun-oriented leisure activities.