Alone in the wilderness-Cultural perspectives to the participants' motives and values from participating in a danish reality TV-show.

This paper focus on the participants in the Danish version of the reality TV-show Alone, named Alone in the wilderness (AIW), and seeks to explore What motives and values are important to the participants in the TV-show (AIW) and how can the show be understood as a cultural phenomenon? The study is qualitative with a design based on a triangulation of different methods: single interviews, transcripts of programs and autoethnographic notes. The analysis is inspired by a hermeneutic approach applying a 6-phased thematic analysis. The participants motives and values from their participation in the TV-show reflect ideas that may be related to the solo experience. On one hand the participants are motivated by the challenges of being alone in the wilderness and they value the possibility of personal development. On the other hand, they value nature and simple life in the outdoors, an experience that seems to grow more important to the participants as time goes. AIW is a competition and some of the participants are highly competitive aiming at winning the show, which however becomes less important during their stay in the wilderness. AIW as a cultural phenomenon reflects ideas and values related to an understanding of adventure and the Nordic tradition of friluftsliv (simple life in the outdoors) and can be related to theories on late modernity focusing on reflectivity and self-identity. The study presents new empirically based knowledge on the motives, values and experiences of people participating in AIW and it presents new theoretically based knowledge on how these motives, values and experiences can be understood as part of outdoor education and recreation and as a cultural phenomenon in late modern society.

Being and doing in the outdoors brings something extra! Evaluating the Danish Healthy in Nature Project.

PURPOSE: Little is known of the potential of using nature and outdoor activities in relation to community-based health promotion programmes. This study seeks a better understanding of how people with mental or chronic physical health problems experience a local outdoor health promotion or rehabilitation programmes and a better understanding of how these programs contribute to the participant's health and well-being. METHODS: The study is based on data from the Healthy in Nature project targeting adults with chronic physical health problems and adults with mental health problems. Data was collected using a qualitative multiple case study design involving five selected cases with both qualitative interviews and observation. Data was analysed using Braun et al.'s 6-phase guide to qualitative reflexive thematic analysis, employing Self-Determination Theory as a theoretical framework. Results: Overall, the participants in the two groups experienced increased competence, autonomy, and relatedness, and the participants expressed the importance of both being in a natural environment and doing outdoor activities (friluftsliv). CONCLUSIONS: The study makes a valuable contribution to the field of health promotion and rehabilitation pointing to nature and friluftsliv as important elements that offer great potential to community-based health promotion.