Why should I help?  

If you are between the ages of 12-16, we are seeking your involvement in an important study that will help us to understand more about how young people spend their free time. This will help us to identify which activities affect young people’s health and wellbeing. Participation in this project is completely voluntary. If you decide to take part you can withdraw at any time without having to give us a reason. Participation will last for 1 week.  

You want me to fill in a questionnaire every day for a week? 

Yes please! This is because the way that we spend our free time changes every day. This is especially true at weekends for instance when we have more time and don't have to go to school. Also, some people may spend Friday very differently to how they spend Monday. It’s important that we have a complete picture of the way that you spend your free time throughout the week. We will ask you how much time you spent doing things like listening to music, spending time with friends, engaging in sports, reading books, or watching films. You will also have the opportunity to tell us if we missed an activity that wasn't included on the questionnaire that you participated in that day. On the final day we will ask you some more questions about some more general things such as your friendships, worries, mood, aggressive behaviours and bullying.  

Wait, there is more than one questionnaire, why do we need this information?  

Yes there is more than one questionnaire but only once before you start with the leisure questionnaire. In this study we will be measuring lots of other things too, such as mood and worries. By combining these measurements we can understand more about the relationship between certain activities young people participate in and their mood, for instance. This will help us to understand which activities for instance make you feel happy.

Will my answers to these questionnaires be kept private?  

All data will be kept confidential. No personal information (name or identification number) will be recorded in this research and no information about individuals will be given to the schools that participate. All data will be processed anonymously (without names). The results of this study might be presented online (in a scientific journal), but the data is not traceable to an individual. Besides one of the investigators, no one will know that you participated, or what you answered to the questions. Off course you are free to tell anyone about the project if you want to.

How can I help?

If your school has been invited to participate in the research, a letter with a consent form will have been given to you by your teacher, or you can download it here from the website. Your parents may also be required to consent to your participation depending on your age. Please refer to the consent form for more information. You will also need access to a device which can access the internet since we will ask you to fill in these questionnaires online.  

What if I have more questions?

If you need more information about the study, please send an email to this address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

Project lead: Prof. Carolien Rieffe This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.