Using \u3ci\u3eThe Happiness Advantage\u3c/i\u3e in a College Honors Program

In the field of college success and retention, researchers have examined school facilities, grade point averages, SAT scores, high school grades, and student involvement among other variables (Aitken). One of the additional variables that has been examined is how happiness affects college success. According to Shawn Achor’s 2010 book, The Happiness Advantage, “happiness is the joy we feel in striving for our potential” (17). In the research, happiness has been examined as a trait with which the students may arrive on campus or that they develop while there (Aitken). In either case, the matter of student happiness is of primary importance to teachers and administrators in honors, who work closely with gifted students who may be at high risk for stress and depression

The Impact of High Intensity Training on the Fitness of Middle School Students

Obesity and lack of physical activity (PA) pose a risk to an individual’s physical health through both short-term and long-term effects. A decline in PA occurs between 5th and 8th grades, with the greatest decreases in activity being seen between the ages of 13-19. Further, many students in that grade range are unable to reach the healthy fitness zones (HFZ) on the Fitnessgram, the assessment used in physical education classes to gauge health status. Many interventions have been tried in schools to increase fitness but few have been successful. High intensity training (HIT) has been shown to be an effective, quick, and an enjoyable fitness intervention that has not yet been used in a physical education setting to improve Fitnessgram scores. This will allow for more repetitions and time on task for the traditional physical education class while improving fitness for each student as they are pulled out to do the HIT intervention. In order to examine the effects of HIT on fitness scores, Coastal Carolina University students implemented 4-minute HIT sessions at least 2 days per week at a local middle school reaching approximately 5-8 groups of students each day. Results will be discussed

The impact of high intensity training on fitness of middle school students

Fitness of youth is on the decline in the United States. Students entering middle school see a steady decline from fifth grade through the end of high school. The decline in fitness is contributing to declining health. The problem is so widespread, it is difficult to address on an individual basis. One logical way to address the lack of physical fitness in students is through activities at school since most students attend school for 6-8 hours a day and most school districts have a physical activity requirement. Creating a physical activity that is fun, quick, effective, and uses little equipment could start at the middle school and instill values that would continue for the students’ lifetimes. This research investigated if an eight-week intervention of high intensity exercise would improve the fitness and motivation to exercise of middle school students in a southeastern county. A college student research fellow led an intervention with three sections of middle school PE classes (n=147) in a middle school in the south. Three other sections acted as a control group for the study (n=140). Twice per week, 6-8 students rotated through stations, doing a high intensity training session consisting of two 4-minute Tabata style workouts. In each four-minute activity, there was one cardiovascular activity and one muscular strength and endurance activity. Prior to and after the intervention, all students completed the state mandated Fitnessgram assessment. In addition, they completed the intrinsic motivation inventory and those exposed to the intervention completed the physical activity enjoyment questionnaire. Teachers provided feedback through interviews, the college student research fellow kept a daily journal of her experience, and the primary investigator observed the program four times during the semester. As expected, being enrolled in and participating in physical education led to strong, statistically significant improvements on all four measures in both the intervention and control groups from the beginning to the end of the intervention. For example, overall Pacer scores improved significantly, F (1, 286) = 319.93, p&lt;.001, ?p 2 = .529, from pre (M=21.61 ± 8.93) to post (29.48 ± 11.18). The group x time interaction was significant for the push up test, F (1, 285) = 29.67, p&lt; .001, ?p 2=.094 and flexibility, F (1, 285) =22.45, p &lt; .001, ?p 2=.073. In both, the intervention group improved more than the control group. In the open-ended responses of the PACES survey, they reported they enjoyed the high intensity training more than some other types of activities they have done. Interviews with physical education teachers indicated that the intervention appeared beneficial and enjoyable to the students. The college student instructor also indicated that students participated in and appeared to enjoy the intervention. The research results suggest that a two day per week, 8-week high intensity training intervention may show promise for improving fitness and feeling competent doing activity in middle school students. More research is needed to determine the best protocol to improve fitness and to improve overall enjoyment of the activity. [This abstract has been edited to remove characters that will not display in this system. Please see the PDF for the full abstract.]]]> 2020 Physical education and training $x Study and teaching (Middle school) Physical fitness for youth$x Psychological aspects Motivation (Psychology) in adolescence Exercise $x Psychological aspects English http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/Rockey_uncg_0154D_13054.pdf oai:libres.uncg.edu/33279 2020-09-24T15:31:30Z UNCG Can we play outside? Social and emotional learning and preschooler physical activity during outdoor play NC DOCKS at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Rosiek, Marcia A. <![CDATA[Preschool age (3-5 years) children are known for their spontaneity, high levels of physical activity (PA), and inquisitive nature. The preschool years are associated with rapid social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Active play is considered a form of PA for the preschooler and is also widely considered best practice for high-quality learning. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a process of learning to manage emotions, feel and show empathy for others, establish positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. It is integral for early childhood development and provides the groundwork for future academic success. The purpose of this project was to use a mixed methods case study to identify and describe SEL and PA behavior in preschoolers (3-5 years) during outdoor play at a local early childhood education center (ECEC). Participants included 26 children, two teachers, and the director at the ECEC. PA accelerometry data, daily observations, and formal interview data were collected over four weeks. Inductive analysis and constant comparison were used to analyze the observational and interview data. The findings indicate that preschoolers are engaged in sedentary behavior (SB) 44.1%, moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) 34.4%, and light activity 21.2% of the time during outdoor play. On average, the preschoolers were active for 27.4 (+/-) minutes during an outdoor session at this ECEC. Three themes were uncovered through analysis of observational and interview data including: 1) the outdoor environment provides opportunities to practice SEL, 2) social interaction during outdoor play promotes SEL, and 3) teachers support SEL during outdoor play. The findings from this study may inform policy for outdoor play that promotes PA and SEL at the ECEC

The Osteopontin Level in Liver, Adipose Tissue and Serum Is Correlated with Fibrosis in Patients with Alcoholic Liver Disease

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Osteopontin (OPN) plays an important role in the progression of chronic liver diseases. We aimed to quantify the liver, adipose tissue and serum levels of OPN in heavy alcohol drinkers and to compare them with the histological severity of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis.</p> <h3>Methodology/Principal Findings</h3><p>OPN was evaluated in the serum of a retrospective and prospective group of 109 and 95 heavy alcohol drinkers, respectively, in the liver of 34 patients from the retrospective group, and in the liver and adipose tissue from an additional group of 38 heavy alcohol drinkers. Serum levels of OPN increased slightly with hepatic inflammation and progressively with the severity of hepatic fibrosis. Hepatic OPN expression correlated with hepatic inflammation, fibrosis, TGFβ expression, neutrophils accumulation and with the serum OPN level. Interestingly, adipose tissue OPN expression also correlated with hepatic fibrosis even after 7 days of alcohol abstinence. The elevated serum OPN level was an independent risk factor in estimating significant (F≥2) fibrosis in a model combining alkaline phosphatase, albumin, hemoglobin, OPN and FibroMeter® levels. OPN had an area under the receiving operator curve that estimated significant fibrosis of 0.89 and 0.88 in the retrospective and prospective groups, respectively. OPN, Hyaluronate (AUROC: 0.88), total Cytokeratin 18 (AUROC: 0.83) and FibroMeter® (AUROC: 0.90) estimated significance to the same extent in the retrospective group. Finally, the serum OPN levels also correlated with hepatic fibrosis and estimated significant (F≥2) fibrosis in 86 patients with chronic hepatitis C, which suggested that its elevated level could be a general response to chronic liver injury.</p> <h3>Conclusion/Significance</h3><p>OPN increased in the liver, adipose tissue and serum with liver fibrosis in alcoholic patients. Further, OPN is a new relevant biomarker for significant liver fibrosis. OPN could thus be an important actor in the pathogenesis of this chronic liver disease.</p> </div