Utility of the Living (Well Through) Intergenerational Fitness and Exercise Program as a County-Delivered Extension Program

Rural-residing older adults are not participating in regular physical activity. Extension is in an excellent position to fill this programming void through transdisciplinary programming such as the Living (well through) Intergenerational Fitness and Exercise (LIFE) program. Qualitative evaluation was conducted to assess the LIFE program\u27s utility as an Extension-delivered program. Nearly all LIFE program managers were satisfied with the program and were likely to recommend it to others. Best liked program features and attributes were the ready-to-use curriculum, corresponding training, and intergenerational and rural focuses. These results suggest that the LIFE program is viewed as appropriate for delivery by Extension

Are Your Students Flipping Prepared?

The flipped classroom design is becoming a popular trend among college courses. In order for this design to be successful, students must come to class prepared. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a class prepared assignment (CPA) in a senior undergraduate Kinesiology laboratory with a flipped design. All participants were required to watch weekly videos prior to coming to a 2-hour lab, once a week. Participants were either in a laboratory section where no CPAs were assigned (control, n = 49) or in a laboratory section where CPAs were assigned (experimental, n = 49). Laboratory quiz scores, percentage of weekly videos watched, multiple video views, and reported student preparedness were compared between groups. The results showed statistically significant differences in laboratory quizzes, percentage of weekly videos watched, and multiple video views. No statistically significant difference was found between reported student preparedness. Class prepared assignments appear to increase participation in pre-class assignments in flipped classrooms and CPAs may encourage students to interact with the content multiple times

Assessment of Recall Versus Recognition in Online Learning and the Impact on Retention

A strong body of evidence reveals that quizzing students using low stakes assessments enhances learning and retention compared to not quizzing. In regards to learning and retention, the way in which students are quizzed is also important. Recall or retrieval practice has shown to enhance learning and increase retention compared to recognition quizzing. The current study evaluated the used of low stakes recall vs. recognition assessments in a hybrid course with weekly online lectures. Participants were divided into either the recall (n = 140) or recognition (n = 111) group. Average participation in low stakes assessments, percentage scores on high stakes assessments, and final exam percentage were compared between groups. The results revealed a significant difference between average low stakes assessment participation. No other statistically significant differences were found. Our study results did not find a signification difference between recall and recognition assessments in online lecturing. However, the type of assessment used did affect the amount of participation in the low stakes quizzes

Development of a Model-Based Noninvasive Glucose Monitoring Device for Non-Insulin Dependent People

Continuous-time glucose monitoring (CGM) effectively improves glucose control, as oppose to infrequent glucose measurements (i.e. using Lancet Meters), by providing frequent blood glucose concentration (BGC) to better associate this variation with changes in behavior. Currently, the most widely used CGM devices rely on a sensor that is inserted invasively under the skin. Because of the invasive nature and also the replacement cost of sensors, the primary users of current CGM devices are insulin dependent people (type 1 and some type 2 diabetics). Most non-insulin dependent diabetics use only lancet glucose measurements. The ultimate goal of this research is the development of CGM technology that overcomes these limitations (i.e. invasive sensors and their cost) in an effort to increase CGM applications among non-insulin dependent people. To meet this objective, this preliminary work has developed a methodology to mathematically infer BGC from measurements of non-invasive input variables which can be thought of as a “virtual” or “soft” sensor approach. In this work virtual sensors are developed and evaluated on 20 subjects using four BGC measurements per day and eight input variables representing meals, activity, stress, and clock time. Up to four weeks of data are collected for each subject. One evaluation consists of 3 days of training and up to 25 days of testing data. The second one consists of one week of training, one week of validation, and 2 weeks of testing data. The third one consists two weeks of training, one week of validation and one week of testing data. Model acceptability is determined on an individual basis based on the fitted correlation to CGM testing data. For 3 day, 1 week, and 2 weeks training studies, 35%, 55% and 65% of the subjects, respectively, met the Acceptability Criteria that we established based on the concept of usefulness

Associations of Health Club Membership with Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health

Introduction This study evaluates whether a health club membership is associated with meeting the US physical activity (PA) guidelines and/or favorable cardiovascular health. Methods Using cross-sectional data of health club members (n = 204) and non-members (n = 201) from April to August 2013, this is the first study to our knowledge to examine a health club membership in relation to objectively measured cardiovascular health indicators including resting blood pressure, resting heart rate, body mass index, waist circumference, and cardio respiratory fitness based on a non-exercise test algorithm. To determine the total PA and sedentary time, this study used a comprehensive PA questionnaire about both aerobic and resistance activities at the health club, as well as lifestyle activities in other settings, which was developed based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of meeting either the aerobic, resistance, or both aerobic and resistance PA guidelines for members compared to non-members were 16.5 (9.8–27.6), 10.1 (6.2–16.3), and 13.8 (8.5–22.4), respectively. Significant associations of health club membership with more favorable cardiovascular health outcomes and sedentary behavior were observed for resting heart rate (B: -4.8 b/min, p\u3c0.001), cardiorespiratory fitness (B: 2.1 ml/kg/min, p\u3c0.001), and sedentary time (B: -1.4 hours, p\u3c0.001). Participants with a health club membership of \u3e1 year had more favorable health outcomes, with a smaller waist circumference (men, B: -4.0 cm, p = 0.04; women, B: -3.4 cm, p = 0.06), compared to non-members. Conclusions Health club membership is associated with significantly increased aerobic and resistance physical activity levels and more favorable cardiovascular health outcomes compared to non-members. However, longitudinal, randomized controlled trials would be clearly warranted as cross-sectional data prohibits causal inferences

LIFE Lessons Newsletters

LIFE Lessons is a set of eight newsletters (4 Fitness and Nutrition; 4 Social Wellness) that are part of the Living (well through) Intergenerational Fitness and Exercise (LIFE) physical activity program for older adults. They are intended for use with the LIFE Program only.https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/fshn_hs_extensionpubs/1001/thumbnail.jp

Graduated Stress Exposure of Spaceflight Hazards in a Virtual Environment

Stress experienced by astronauts during high-level hazardous situations may poses risk to personnel wellbeing and to mission success. Stress inoculation training (SIT) provides individuals with experience of minor stressors and coping skills during non-critical times to enhance their resistance to stress. This study evaluates the effect of exposure to a low level stressor on physiological response and cognitive load in high level stressor setting. Simulation of fire emergency on the International Space Station (ISS) in a full-scale, immersive, interactive, 3D virtual reality environment facilitated a process for stress inoculation. The experimental settings included two groups that have been exposed to either virtual no-smoke or to virtual light-smoke conditions. The two groups then experienced a subsequent stress exposure in a later trail to heavy-smoke conditions. Physiological responses and cognitive load measure were collected during the trials. The results indicated weak differences in physiological responses between the two groups, in the heavy smoke conditions. Overall, no significant differences have been detected on cognitive load categories according to NASA TLX

Relationships Among Stress Measures, Risk Factors, and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Law Enforcement Officers

Law enforcement officers suffer higher morbidity and mortality rates from all causes than the general population. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for a significant portion of the excess illness, with a reported prevalence as high as 1.7 times that of the general population. To determine which occupational hazards cause this increased risk and morbidity, it is imperative to study law enforcement officers before they retire. The long-range goal of our research is to reduce the incidence of CVD-related illness and death among aging law enforcement officers. The purpose of the present study was to measure pro- and anti-atherogenic inflammatory markers in blood samples from law enforcement officers (n = 71) and determine what types of occupation-related stress correlate with differences in these markers. For each outcome variable of interest, we developed separate regression models. Two groups of potential predictors were examined for inclusion in the models. Selected measures of stress were examined for inclusion in the models, in addition to general covariates, such as gender, ethnicity, years in law enforcement, and body mass index. Our results revealed statistically significant relationships between several physiologic variables and measures of stress

Intergenerational Service Learning Program Improves Aging Knowledge and Expectations and Reduces Ageism in Younger Adults

This article discusses a study which evaluated the effects of an intergenerational service-learning exergaming program for older adults on younger adults’ aging knowledge, expectations, and perceptions. Eighteen college students (ages 19-26 years) served as trainers for an 8-week exergaming physical activity program for older adults (12 contact hours). Questionnaires assessing aging knowledge, ageist attitudes and aging expectations were completed at Weeks 1, 8, and 25 (follow-up); program evaluations were completed at Weeks 8 and 25. Significant improvement from Week 1 to Week 25 was found for: Aging knowledge scores (