Defining contemporary outdoor physical activity: a critical interpretive synthesis

Outdoor physical activities (OPAs) are known to provide economic and social benefits across a number of sectors and industries (Buckley, 2007; Carpenter, 2013; Clough et al., 2016). However, the loosely constructed meanings attached to its various typologies create an ambiguity impacting our understanding of OPA as a holistic term. This study aimed to construct a new, unified definition of OPA, as experienced by adult participants, and develop a conceptual model of shared characteristics that provides clarity and informs practice. Through conducting a Critical Interpretive Synthesis (Dixon-Woods et al., 2006) of existing definitions within academic literature (N = 133), three arguments were established. These suggest that all OPAs share characteristics relating to sensation seeking, emphasise the importance of the settings in which they take place, as well as the wellbeing outcomes they offer. A model detailing these arguments is presented and each argument is critically discussed.