Effects of a sport nutrition education intervention on nutritional knowledge, dietary behaviors, and self-efficacy in NCAA Division I softball players

Optimal nutrition is vital in sport. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a sport nutrition education intervention (SNEI) on nutritional knowledge, dietary behaviors, nutritional self-efficacy, body composition, and performance in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I female softball players, and to measure retention and effects of this knowledge after the SNEI period. Seven participants were assessed using a Dietary Behaviors and Nutritional Knowledge questionnaire, Self-Efficacy questionnaire, BodPod measurement, exit velocity, and weekly intention surveys. Two-way mixed repeated ANOVAs were used to determine the impact of a five-week SNEI on an intervention group as compared to a control. One-way repeated measures ANOVAs were used to assess changes from pretest to posttest to retention. The results support existing literature that collegiate athletes score relatively low on nutritional knowledge assessments, and nutrition education can increase nutritional knowledge and self-efficacy scores. However, increases in nutritional knowledge and self-efficacy scores, in combination with high intentions to eat proper diets for sport performance, are not sufficient to see significant changes in dietary behaviors over a nine-week period. Consequently, body composition and exit velocity were also unchanged. Additionally, nutritional knowledge and self-efficacy were retained at three weeks post intervention, suggesting that a short-term SNEI may be sufficient to see prolonged improvement in these measures. Further research is needed to understand best practices in SNEI structure that will successfully improve and sustain favorable dietary behaviors in athletes, leading to improved body composition and performance in sport

Addiction or Disorder? Using the BIAS Map Model to Explain the Stigmatizing Effects of News Media Labels for Opioid Use Disorder

The stigma surrounding opioid use disorder is often reinforced by the language that the general public and institutions use to talk about people with the disorder. Consistent with labeling theory, contending that labels are vehicles for social categorization and stereotypes, triggering bias, (e.g., Ashford, Brown, Ashford, & Curtis, 2019; Corrigan, Kuwabara, & O’Shaughnessy, 2009; Goodyear, Haass-Koffler, & Chavanne, 2018; Link & Phelan, 1999) but the ingroup based cognitive and emotional process through which these affect public stigma has not been explored in detail. This dissertation employs the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) and the Behaviors from Intergroup Affect Stereotypes (BIAS) Map to explain how two different labels for opioid use disorder used in a news article can differentially impact people’s stereotypes (warmth and competence), emotions, and behavioral tendencies toward people with opioid use disorder. For this study, an online experiment compared MTurk users’ (N = 348) perceptions of opioid users, after reading either a news article about a proposed community treatment center for “people who are addicted to opioids” or “people with opioid use disorder.” Contrary to predictions, the label “addict” elicited slightly less contempt compared to “disorder.” This was the only difference between the two experimental conditions. Notably, however, compared to a comparison condition, the “addict” label also increased perceptions of competence, decreased feelings of contempt, and increased a desire to engage in passive facilitation. These results suggest that “addict” might not be as harmful as expected, it could be a colloquial term used to categorize individuals who use opioids

The Effectiveness of Using a Podcast to Teach Person-First Language

The use of person first language when working with people with disabilities is important for building successful relationships, particularly for educators. Thus, the purposes of this investigation were to determine: (1) how a podcast intervention impacts undergraduate students’ use of person-first language when discussing people with disabilities, and (2) undergraduate students’ perceptions about podcasts as a tool for learning. Forty-three undergraduate education majors participated in this study. To participate in this study, they had to first complete a demographics survey and a pretest on person-first language. Next, they listened to a validated podcast on person-first language. Participants completed a posttest to determine the impact of the podcast, as well as a perceptions survey regarding the podcast. Following the posttest, guided group discussions were conducted to allow for a deeper understanding of students’ perceptions on both person first language and using podcasts for knowledge acquisition. Pairwise t-tests were used to determine that the posttest scores were significantly higher than the pretest scores. In addition, a qualitative thematic analysis, including coding and identifying key themes, was conducted.The themes identified included empathy, job application, personal identity, effectiveness of podcasts, and critiques of podcasts. The results from this investigation suggest that podcasts are a beneficial tool for undergraduate education students to attain knowledge on person-first language

External Peer Review of Assessment: A Guide to Supporting the External Referencing of Academic Standards

This resource is intended to provide support to academic staff engaging in the external peer review of assessment. It is aimed at experienced reviewers and for people preparing to review for the first time. Funding for this project was provided by the Council of Australasian University Leaders in Learning and Teaching (CAULLT)

Reducing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression for NICU Parents

This project aims to appraise evidence of the effectiveness of various practices on reducing stress, anxiety, and depression among parents of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The project contains six research articles from both national and international journals. Study designs include one meta-analysis, one randomized controlled trial, one small scale randomized controlled trial, one prospective phase lag cohort study, on pretest-posttest study, and one mixed-methods pretest-posttest study. Recommendations for effective interventions were based on best evidence discovered through quality appraisal and study outcomes. All interventions, except for educational programs and Kangaroo Care, resulted in a statistically significant reduction of either stress, anxiety, and/ or depression. Family centered care and mindfulness-based intervention reduced all barriers of interest. There is strong and high-quality evidence for the effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on depression, moderate evidence for the effect of activity-based group therapy on anxiety, and promising evidence for the effect of HUG Your Baby on stress

Indigenous Australian drinking risk : Comparing risk categorisations based on recall of recent drinking occasions to AUDIT-C screening in a representative sample

Introduction Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians have identified alcohol consumption as an area of concern. Accurate screening tools are required to help detect and assist at-risk drinkers, and to provide accurate data to policy makers. The Finnish method (determining drinking patterns based on the last two to four drinking occasions), has been proposed as a culturally appropriate and effective screening tool for detecting Indigenous Australians at risk from alcohol consumption. While it has been found to be valid and acceptable for use with Indigenous Australians, the Finnish method has not been compared to the three-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—Consumption (AUDIT-C) which is currently recommended by the Australian government for use in Aboriginal community-controlled health services. Methods We compared the performance of the AUDIT-C and Finnish method as screening tools for detecting harms experienced from alcohol in a representative, cross-sectional, sample of Indigenous Australians. Results AUDIT-C was substantially faster for participants to complete than the Finnish method. Metrics derived from both the AUDIT-C and Finnish method were similarly linked to the frequency of self-reported International Classification of Diseases, 11th revision dependence symptoms and harms. Discussion and Conclusions The AUDIT-C is likely most appropriate for use in clinical settings due to its speed and ease of use. The Finnish method provides relatively detailed information about drinking and is better suited to population surveys

Syllabi Analysis of Undergraduate Introduction to Adapted Physical Education Courses

With more children with disabilities being educated in public schools, it is imperative that physical education teacher education programs prepare future physical educators to teach students with disabilities. Despite this important role, little research has examined the profile of introductory adapted physical education (APE) courses. The purpose of this study was to assess the status of introductory APE courses across the nation. A content analysis of 32 syllabi from introductory APE college courses was used to identify four area of emphasis: characteristics of the disability, effective teaching practices, advocating for individuals with disabilities, and legislation. Descriptive information was also analyzed

How to get a nation walking: reach, retention, participant characteristics and program implications of Heart Foundation Walking, a nationwide Australian community-based walking program

BACKGROUND: Community-based walking programs represent a low-cost, accessible approach to increasing physical activity among inactive adults. However, recruiting participants from vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups remains a challenge. This study examined the reach, retention, sociodemographic and health characteristics, physical activity levels and motivators of participants in Heart Foundation Walking, a nationwide Australian community-based walking program. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional analyses were undertaken with data from 22,416 participants aged 15+ years in the Heart Foundation Walking registration database in December 2015, and from four surveys of participants in 2010 (n = 2400), 2011 (n = 3274), 2012 (n = 4158) and 2015 (n = 1890). RESULTS: Heart Foundation Walking reached participants in every geographic region of Australia, including remote and sparsely populated regions, and engaged sizeable proportions of the following at-risk participants: older than 60 years (>70%); with very low incomes (17-25%); who were overweight or obese (around 60%); and with one or more chronic disease or disease risk factors (57-81%). For all demographic groups, one-year retention rates were at least 75%. Seventy percent of participants met physical activity recommendations. Over 75% reported joining the program for health and fitness reasons while the most cited motivator for continuing was the social aspect (57-73%). CONCLUSIONS: Volunteer-run, group-based walking programs can have substantial reach and retention, in particular among those at risk for physical inactivity. The provision of opportunities for social interaction appears to be a key program element in promoting long-term participation, including among high-risk groups