Improving Health Literacy for At-Risk Youth: Educating in the Age of the Internet

Health literacy has been gaining broader attention as a viable method for improving health outcomes. Most of the information on health literacy has addressed its function among adult populations in healthcare settings. This presentation will describe the basics of health literacy, such as how it is defined, how it can be operationalized in adolescent populations, how it must be part of the prevention vocabulary for adolescent service providers. It will also provide practical strategies to improve health literacy in the age of technology for those who work directly with youth. The ultimate goal is to reduce health risk behaviors in this population

A Qualitative Study of Stressors, Stress Symptoms, and Coping Mechanisms Among College Students Using Nominal Group Process

Background: Stress is part of the college experience; however, how students deal with stress can greatly impact their behaviors and health status. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to qualitatively assess sources of stress, types of stressors, and coping mechanisms employed among undergraduate students. Methods: Nominal group process was utilized to obtain information related to study variables and help prioritize the accounts provided by study participants (n = 173). Results: Participants gave insight into the unique stress faced by this generation (grades, GPA, multitasking, parental expectations), stress symptoms (more psychological in nature), and coping strategies (prayer, talking to mom, surfing the net, and social networking). The top stressors included: schoolwork, money, time management, parents, and friends. Moodiness/irritability, anxiety, and sleep problems were the highest-ranked symptoms of stress cited by study participants. The three most-reported coping mechanisms were: working out, prayer, and talking to mom. Conclusions: Although the themes of stressors, symptoms, and coping mechanisms for college students might not have changed through the years, the sources that underlie these themes have changed as compared to past generations

The Relationship of Gender and Self-Efficacy on Social Physique Anxiety among College Students

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(3): 234-242, 2015. The anxiety or fear associated with physique evaluation is defined as Social Physique Anxiety (SPA). Numerous studies have examined this construct, yet a gap exists exploring this phenomenon among current college students with SPA, self-efficacy, and gender concurrently. Therefore, the purposes of this study included quantitatively analyzing the association between SPA, gender, and self-efficacy. Participants included 237 students at a Southeastern university participating in jogging, body conditioning, or weight training courses. Analysis of Variance yielded a significant main effect for self-efficacy as well, as those with lower self-efficacy displayed higher levels of SPA (p\u3c 0.001). Stepwise regression analysis indicated self-efficacy and gender were both significant predictors of SPA. This information could aid in creating interventions designed to decrease the prevalence of SPA and increase levels of self-efficacy among the current college student population

Campus Recreation and Fitness Center Utilization During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has far reaching effects for college students\u27 health and physical activity behaviors. This analysis focuses on university student fitness center usage pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers hypothesized a reduction in fitness center utilization when comparing Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 utilization rates. Methods Patterns of the recreation center and fitness center utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic are compared to pre-pandemic patterns of a matched time period in the previous academic year in an observational study. Overall utilization was evaluated using secondary data from the university’s recreation center data system. Six weeks of utilization data were pulled for investigation across the two years of interest. Time periods evaluated included Fall semester 2019 (August 19, 2019 - September 29, 2019) and Fall semester 2020 (August 17, 2020 - September 27, 2020). Poisson regression analysis was used where statistical significance levels were set to 0.05. Results There was a statistically significant reduction in recreation center participation from 2019 to 2020 (Mean±SD: 1683.1 ± 888.6 to 726.4 ±339.9). Furthermore, student participation decreased in all areas of the fitness center usage from 2019 to 2020 (cardio deck, machine weights, and free weights Mean±SD: 12.5±8.9 to 5.4±4.2, 17.6±9.5 to 8.9±5.4, 27.7±13.1 to 17.9±8.4). While the overall participation decreased, the proportion of utilization increased in the free weights area (B = 0.2446; 95% CI 0.1604 – 0.3289; p Conclusions This study is one of the first to evaluate the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has on participation in a university recreation center. This study will help generate questions and guide future research analyzing trends of physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic

Campus Recreation and Fitness Center Utilization During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has far reaching effects for college students\u27 health and physical activity behaviors. This analysis focuses on university student fitness center usage pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers hypothesized a reduction in fitness center utilization when comparing Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 utilization rates. Methods Patterns of the recreation center and fitness center utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic are compared to pre-pandemic patterns of a matched time period in the previous academic year in an observational study. Overall utilization was evaluated using secondary data from the university’s recreation center data system. Six weeks of utilization data were pulled for investigation across the two years of interest. Time periods evaluated included Fall semester 2019 (August 19, 2019 - September 29, 2019) and Fall semester 2020 (August 17, 2020 - September 27, 2020). Poisson regression analysis was used where statistical significance levels were set to 0.05. Results There was a statistically significant reduction in recreation center participation from 2019 to 2020 (Mean±SD: 1683.1 ± 888.6 to 726.4 ±339.9). Furthermore, student participation decreased in all areas of the fitness center usage from 2019 to 2020 (cardio deck, machine weights, and free weights Mean±SD: 12.5±8.9 to 5.4±4.2, 17.6±9.5 to 8.9±5.4, 27.7±13.1 to 17.9±8.4). While the overall participation decreased, the proportion of utilization increased in the free weights area (B = 0.2446; 95% CI 0.1604 – 0.3289; p Conclusions This study is one of the first to evaluate the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has on participation in a university recreation center. This study will help generate questions and guide future research analyzing trends of physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Effects of Postural Education or Corrective Exercise on the Craniovertebral Angle in Young Adults with Forward Head Posture: A Randomized Controlled Trial

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(1): 954-973, 2023. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of three different intervention strategies, postural education (PE) and two corrective exercise programs (CEPs), on the craniovertebral angle (CVA) in young adults with forward head posture (FHP). A prospective four-arm parallel randomized controlled trial with repeated measures was performed. Seventy-nine healthy young adults (55 women, 24 men; mean age: 20.08 ± 2.19 years) with FHP were randomized into four groups: PE group, self-myofascial release + stretching group (SMRS), self-myofascial release + stretching + strengthening group (SMRSS), and a control group (CG). Participant CVA (°) was assessed before and after a 4-week intervention. Seventy-two participants completed the trial. Mean difference comparisons of within-group change in mean CVA revealed an increase in the PE (MD = 3.1, p \u3c .01), SMRS (MD = 3.8, p \u3c .01), and SMRSS (MD = 4.4, p \u3c .01) groups. Mean difference comparison of between-group change in mean CVA supported greater CVA change in the SMRS and SMRSS groups compared to the CG (F(3, 68) = 5.26, p \u3c .01, ƞ2 = .188). All three interventions appear to be effective techniques for improving FHP in young adults, however CEPs may provide superior outcomes than PE alone. A 4-week CEP consisting of self-myofascial release + stretching may yield similar CVA enhancements as a CEP consisting of self-myofascial release + stretching + strengthening. Study findings can assist fitness professionals in designing evidence-based FHP intervention programs for young adults

The Influence of Education on the Nutritional Knowledge of Certified Fitness Professionals

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(4): 239-249, 2021. The American Fitness Industry has seen progressive success with recent increases in facility memberships and annual revenues of fitness centers. The number of fitness trainers and instructors in the United States has persisted this growth and is projected to grow over the next decade. However, only a few known studies have investigated the nutritional education of fitness professionals. This preliminary study explores the education and knowledge among certified fitness professions (CFPs) in the United States. A cross-sectional, descriptive survey design was utilized with a convenience sample of 120 female participants from the United States who were associated with a major fitness newsletter. The average age of the participants was 48.51 years (SD 12), and they had 14.85 years of experience (SD 10.16) and worked an average of 22.04 hours per week (SD 16.78). Most of the participants had some kind of college degree (96.2%) and held a group fitness certification (76.6%) or personal training certification (47.5%). Those with a nutrition certification were found to have significantly higher nutrition knowledge test scores on the 21 question test (18.2 ± 2.0 correct to 17.1 ± 1.9, p=0.04). Additionally, it is revealed that CFPs use the internet as a primary source for nutritional information and was the most frequently used source of nutrition information accessed. This pilot study suggests a more in-depth study would be beneficial to solidify the current results and could allow for more investigation into whether or not completion of nutrition coursework within formal earned degrees by CFPs positively influences their nutritional knowledge

Evaluation of the Craniovertebral Angle in Standing versus Sitting Positions in Young Adults with and without Severe Forward Head Posture

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(1): 73-85, 2024. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of standing versus sitting body position on the craniovertebral angle (CVA) in young adults without pathology; and to investigate whether mean differences between positional CVA measures in subjects with severe forward head posture (FHP) are distinct from age-matched controls with normal head posture. Ninety-eight young adults (68 women, 30 men) without pathology (OVERALL; n = 98) volunteered for the study; those with CVA \u3e 53° were also included in a normal posture group (NORM; n = 14); those with CVA \u3c 45° were also included in a severe FHP group (SEV; n = 15). CVA assessments were conducted in standing and sitting. Mean difference comparison of change in mean CVA between conditions revealed significantly (p \u3c 0.05) higher CVA values in standing condition (OVERALL: 50.0 ± 5.2°; NORM: 56.6 ± 2.7°; SEV: 41.2 ± 3.2°) compared to sitting condition (OVERALL: 47.8 ± 5.7°; NORM: 55.9 ± 2.8°; SEV: 39.0 ± 4.0°). Mean difference comparison of between-group change in mean CVA between conditions revealed greater CVA change (p \u3c 0.05) in the SEV group (2.2 ± 2.1°) versus the NORM group (0.8 ± 1.2°). Sitting CVA values may be lower (indicating greater FHP) than standing CVA values in young adults. Differences between standing and sitting CVA measures may be greater in young adults with severe FHP compared to peers with normal head posture. Study findings support standing as a standardized body position for CVA assessment in young adults without pathology

Appropriate Practices in College/University Physical Activity Instructional Programs

This session will introduce the audience to a new NASPE document that supports basic instructional programming at the college and university level. Based on NASPE’s former K-12 Appropriate Practice documents, this document will serve as an advocacy document for the importance of quality programming at the college/university level. Come and preview this new document

The relationship between physical mobility and firefighter occupational task performance.

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(3): 1216-1227, 2023. Firefighters work in a dangerous profession with high injury rates. Mobility dysfunction in firefighters may impact performance and contribute to injury. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is commonly used to evaluate individuals for mobility dysfunction and compensatory movements. The purpose of this study was to identify if mobility is related to firefighters\u27 occupational task performance. This was a retrospective study assessing 29 career firefighters using FMS and occupational performance task scores. Statistical analyses consisted of a multiple linear regression assessing predictors on occupational task performance, and 21 point-biserial correlations ran to assess the relationship between each individual predictor and occupational task performance. Of the 21 point-biserial correlations, four were found to be significant, indicating a relationship between the FMS and occupational task performance. Inline Lunge L had a negative correlation with occupational task time and was statistically significant (rpb = -0.46, p = 0.012); Inline Lunge R had a negative correlation of moderate strength (rpb = -0.583, p = 0.001), Inline Lunge Combined had a negative correlation of moderate strength (rpb = -0.523, p = 0.004), and Shoulder Mobility L had a negative correlation of moderate strength (rpb = -0.445, p = 0.016). This study determined that the Inline Lunge component of the FMS may be a key element in occupational task performance