Children’s Summer Camp-Based Physical Activity

Childhood physical inactivity and obesity is a major concern because the current generation of children is one of the most inactive and unhealthy in history (Ogden, et al., 2006). A national study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 62 percent of children aged nine to thirteen years old did not participate in any physical activity during nonschool hours and 23 percent engaged in no daily physical activity (Duke, Huhman, & Heitzler, 2003). To promote physical development and prepare children for a healthy future, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) recommends sixty or more minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily (2008)

Assessing the relationship between community engagement and perceived ownership of an urban park in Philadelphia

Urban parks provide many benefits, though evidence of environmental injustice associated with certain park investments is growing. Some cities fail to engage communities in park planning, which can reduce residents’ sense of ownership of new and renovated parks and disconnect them from the neighborhood social fabric. Thus, this study assessed the outcomes of resident engagement with an urban park nonprofit located in a low-income community of color in Philadelphia. We developed new metrics measuring perceived engagement with park planning and programming and its association with perceived community ownership and perceptions of the park as part of the neighborhood social fabric. We analyzed these variables following a renovation using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Results showed significant relationships between perceived community engagement and perceptions of the park as a community asset. These findings underscore the importance of engaging communities in park planning to enhance ownership and avoid feeling excluded

Social Referencing Gaze Behavior During a Videogame Task: Eye Tracking Evidence from Children With and Without ASD

The purpose of this study was to understand the social referencing behaviors of children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while visually attending to a videogame stimulus depicting both the face of the videogame player and the videogame play action. Videogames appear to offer a uniquely well-suited environment for the emergence of friendships, but it is not known if children with and without ASD attend to and play videogames similarly. Eyetracking technology was used to investigate visual attention of participants matched based on chronological age. Parametric and nonparametric statistical analyses were used and results indicated the groups did not differ on percentage of time spent visually attending to any of the areas of interest, with one possible exception

The Role of Functional and Wellness Values in Visitors' Evaluation of Spa Experiences

By responding to the current emphasis on health and wellness in modern society, the spa industry has experienced a rapid growth in the last two decades. To understand the determinants of revisitation and long-term attitudinal loyalty, this study investigated how visitors perceive the potential value of spa experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of two distinct dimensions of perceived value (functional and wellness values) in spa visitors' decision-making process for future behavior. Based on the framework of “quality-perceived value-satisfaction-behavioral intention”, a field survey was conducted to test the mediating role of functional and wellness values in the case of Jinan Red Ginseng Spa located in South Korea. The findings provide further information to explain the underlying mechanisms for increasing spa visitors' behavioral intention to revisit and recommend

Boys and Girls Club Fundraiser

This project is designed to fulfill my senior project graduation requirement for the Esther G. Maynor Honors College at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. This community service project consisted of me implementing and completing a three-on-three basketball tournament to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Pembroke, NC. The event took weeks of organizing and planning. The first step was to figure out who the fundraiser would be for, and, after that, a plan had to be developed to raise the most amount of money possible. It was tough to procure many teams for the tournament, but enough managed to join to make the tournament a success. The tournament made it possible for me to raise money and supplies for the Boys and Girls Club. I hope they enjoy the provisions that I was able give them. It was a pleasure doing something positive for the community

Repositioning undergraduate education in recreation and leisure studies

This article applies the repositioning framework developed for recreation and leisure service providers (Crompton, 2000, 2009) to recreation and leisure studies as an academic field. To ensure the viability of recreation and leisure studies, internal stakeholders must raise the standing of the field among several key external stakeholder groups: prospective undergraduate students and their parents, university administration, professionals, and the general public. The repositioning framework functions by identifying socially and politically relevant issues, working to address those issues through the medium of recreation and leisure studies, and effectively communicating these potential contributions to a variety of audiences. This article outlines real, associative, and psychological repositioning strategies that academic departments may implement individually, and as a collective whole, to raise the standing of recreation and leisure studies as a field of study

Measuring physical activity in youth settings: Considerations for instrument selection

Increasing physical activity participation has become one of the primary strategies for prevention of early-onset health conditions including obesity and Type II diabetes. Youth programs including summer camps and after-school programs are premium providers of physical activity opportunities, but researchers and administrators of these programs must be able to effectively collect and interpret physical activity data to make program adjustments and communicate results. This article reviews existing methods for physical activity measurement including self-reports and objective instruments and makes suggestions for their applicability. Pedometers are covered in-depth as they may be the method of choice in many youth settings. These devices are unobtrusive, have a relatively low cost, and provide excellent data quality. Proper physical activity measurement in youth settings can provide information about effective intervention strategies and may also encourage on-site participants to increase their physical activity frequency

Constructing a Trade Show Exhibitor Satisfaction Scale from a Stakeholder Perspective

The purpose of this study was to construct and validate an Exhibitor Satisfaction Scale that accounts for the significant roles of three key stakeholders (i.e., trade show visitors, exhibitors, and organizers) in a trade show context through a pilot test, scale purification and validation. The final instrument consisted of 46-items representing 3 dimensions and 12 sub-dimensions of exhibitors’ satisfaction. Reliability, unidimensionality, content validity, construct validity, discriminant validity, and predictive validity of the scale were tested and established using 930 responses from 4 trade shows in China. The resulting instrument was found to be superior to existing instruments in that it comprehensively measures exhibitors’ performance at a trade show and explains a large portion of exhibitors’ overall satisfaction. A major contribution of this study is that it introduces stakeholder theory as a guiding framework for measuring satisfaction in the trade show industry

Behavioral and psychological involvement of online video gamers: Building blocks or building walls to socialization?

Video gaming has often been associated with negative outcomes such as aggression and social isolation, particularly for those who spend significant amounts of time playing. However, advances in video game technology have enabled online, multi-player experiences which may facilitate social relationships. Recent literature suggests that meanings ascribed to video gaming may be more important in determining social outcomes than gaming behaviors alone. This study examined the relationship of both behavioral and psychological involvement in video gaming to perceived friend-based social support among a sample of multi-player, first-person shooter gamers. Results indicated that behavioral involvement (e.g., time spent playing, dollars spent) was unrelated to perceived social support. Enduring (i.e., psychological) involvement with video games had varied relationships with the measure of social support. Gamers who perceived video gaming to be a forum for social bonding were more likely to perceive higher levels of social support, while gamers who appeared to centralize their lifestyle around gaming were less likely to report positive social support levels

Opportunities for youth physical activity promotion: An examination of youth summer camps

Background:Youth summer camp programs have the potential to provide opportunities for physical activity, but little to no research has been conducted to determine activity levels of campers. This study aimed to examine physical activity occurring in day and resident summer camps and how activity levels differed in these camps based upon demographic characteristics.Methods:Pedometer data were collected during hours of camp operation from 150 day campers and 114 resident campers between the ages of 8 and 12 years old. Independent t tests were used to compare physical activity by sex, race, and Body Mass Index.Results:Campers at day camps averaged 11,916 steps per camp day, while resident campers averaged 19,699 steps per camp day. Day campers averaged 1586 steps per hour over 7.5 hour days and resident campers averaged 1515 steps per hour over 13 hour days. Male sex, Caucasian race, and normal Body Mass Index were significant correlates of more physical activity.Conclusions:Youth summer camps demonstrate the potential to provide ample opportunities for physical activity during the summer months. Traditional demographic disparities persisted in camps, but the structure of camp programs should allow for changes to increase physical activity for all participants