Older Volunteers and Outdoor Recreation: A Nationwide Study

This study reports data from the 1982-1983 Nationwide Recreation Survey related to the number of older individuals able to teach outdoor recreation activities, the specific activities they felt capable of teaching, and constraints preventing them from teaching those activities. The data indicated that approximately 15% of the national sample believed themselves capable of teaching at least one outdoor recreation skill, but over  three quarters of them were not doing so. The primary reason given for not teaching outdoor recreation activities was not knowing the right people or organization to contact. This was followed by a lack of time, no interest in teaching, poor health, and not being asked to teach. Implications of these findings are discussed.?