{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,23]],"date-time":"2026-08-23T15:45:52Z","timestamp":1787499952883,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785369600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000155","name":"SSHRC","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["892-2022-0036"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["892-2022-0036"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000155","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health","IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Immigrant working women\u2019s well-being is shaped not only by formal health and settlement services but also by everyday opportunities for rest, social connection, cultural expression, and participation in community life. This study examined how three community-based leisure activities were experienced by Farsi-speaking Iranian immigrant women aged 30 to 55 living in Ottawa, Canada. Methods: Organized in partnership with PAND Settlement Services, the activities included a group walk along the Rideau Canal, a Classical Persian dance workshop, and a group visit to the National Gallery of Canada. Data were drawn from 32 post-activity evaluation surveys, researcher field notes, and two follow-up semi-structured feedback sessions. Structured items were analyzed descriptively; open-ended responses and feedback sessions notes were analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke\u2019s six-phase approach. Results: Participants rated all three activities positively across enjoyment, accessibility, and social contact. Leisure was experienced as a meaningful break from routine, a source of emotional relief, an opportunity to meet other women, and a setting in which shared language and migration experience made participation easier and more comfortable. Sustained participation remained shaped by time pressure, caregiving demands, weather, transportation, cost, and access to clear and trusted information. Conclusions: Leisure activities contributed to the well-being and sense of belonging for the women who participated in the study.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23080999","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T09:32:13Z","timestamp":1785403933000},"page":"999","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Leisure as Catalyst for Well-Being and Sense of Belonging Among Iranian Immigrant Women Aged 30\u201355 in Ottawa, Canada"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-4093-7279","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mahsa","family":"Hadidi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-6699-8733","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eileen","family":"O\u2019Connor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nadia","family":"Abu-Zahra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of International Development and Global Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-3172-5933","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura","family":"Ambrosio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1777-7732","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emily","family":"Regan Wills","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Political Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100057","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wss.2021.100057","article-title":"Understanding immigrant settlement services literacy in the context of settlement service utilisation, settlement outcomes and wellbeing among new migrants: A mixed methods systematic review","volume":"2","author":"Abood","year":"2021","journal-title":"Wellbeing Space Soc."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8889358","DOI":"10.1155\/2023\/8889358","article-title":"A critical review of social exclusion and inclusion among immigrant and refugee women","volume":"2023","author":"Crawford","year":"2023","journal-title":"Adv. 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Culture, 2.","DOI":"10.3390\/culture2020014"}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/8\/999\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]],"date-time":"2026-08-01T04:24:33Z","timestamp":1785558273000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/8\/999"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]]},"references-count":39,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph23080999"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph23080999","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]]}}}