The Importance of Health Literacy: A Student-Led Workshop on Lay Communication

The purpose of this experiential senior project workshop was to advance the knowledge and practice of health communication by (a) delivering a training workshop to Cal Poly undergraduate students and (b) by exploring the relationship between health literacy and effective communication through completion of a rapid review of the literature. The reviewed literature served the purpose of helping the student further design the workshop to elicit a foundational understanding of the elements of effective communication of health information as well as the history and evolution of health literacy as a concept. The workshop revised and delivered by the student was first developed by Dr. Jafrā Thomas (2020) with the stated goal to provide undergraduate students with an awareness of health literacy, the role of plain language in promoting health literacy, and to equip students with practical skills for effectively communicating health information to a lay adult audience. This submission presents the student reflection on their experiential project, the rapid review of literature produced by the student, the elements identified for a successful workshop on the topic, evaluation and analysis of participant pre-and post-workshop surveys, and finally, suggestions for ways to improve the workshop which was guided by the student’s review of literature and experiential reflection. After the conclusion of the workshop, student participants were successfully able to define health literacy and identify at least two tips for effective communication of health information. Some proposed improvements for future workshop revisions include the addition of personal anecdotes and health-related case studies

Research Project Poster Presentation: Cultural Normalization of Risk?: Exploring Brain Injury in the National Football League Using Sociocultural Analysis

Background. This presentation began as an undergraduate end-of-term course project focused on sport, media, and American popular culture (April to June 2023). The poster presentation was originally presented at the 2023 annual conference of the Southwest Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (SWACSM), following peer-review acceptance of the project summary statement (i.e. abstract) for conference presentation. Purpose. The presentation is published here to Cal Poly Digital Commons as a resource to future students and professionals studying topics covered in the presentation (e.g. sociological theories, cultural values and risks, sports ethic). Resources. This webpage has several resources described below. It consists of a copy of the abstract, a copy of the poster presented at the conference (see below), and a document listing full references used for the abstract and poster presentation (see below). Acknowledgements. This presentation is a follow-up project to one group project from the undergraduate course, KINE 324 (Sport, Media & American Popular Culture) at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (2023 Spring Quarter). The first author of this presentation was a member of the class project group, and the authors thank the four other student members of the group project that laid the foundation to the present presentation (E. Martinez; S. Robles; L. Rumon; & A. Whitey). This presentation was supported by a 2023 SWACSM Student Travel Grant Award (to AVW). The authors thank Dr. Jessica Kaczorowski (Department of Psychology and Child Development at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo) for granting the first author permission to use the follow-up project to partially fill requirements for her research internship course (PSY 445 - Research Internship I). The second author (JDT) served as the project supervisor for PSY 448, and was the KINE 324 course instructor. He serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Public Health, at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Towards equitable communication: An exploratory study to guide knowledge translation in kinesiology

Resources at or below the 8th grade reading level is key if behavioral resources are to support end-user health literacy, a strong predictor of prevention-oriented health behaviors and health risk. To understand how readability issues effect physical activity resources, we performed a systematic review of the kinesiology literature. A sample of 18 original studies was obtained (M publication date=2010, SD=7.45), which on average reported public resources exceeded the 8th grade reading level by at least two grades. Thematic analysis resulted in 14 general ways material readability could be easily improved. Project findings will be discussed and next steps presented

Cultural Normalization of Risk?: Exploring Brain Injury in the National Football League using Sociocultural Analysis

The NFL\u27s history includes the organization\u27s fight against numerous lawsuits alleging excessive risk of brain injury to current and former players. A billion-dollar legal settlement by the NFL in 2022 illustrates the issue\u27s gravity. PURPOSE: We aimed to understand why, culturally, the NFL has \u27failed\u27 to avert serious harm alleged by the lawsuits, given the lawsuits\u27 magnitude and the known brain-injury risks of playing tackle football. METHODS: The NFL\u27s rhetoric towards safety concerns and recommendations for injury prevention were examined vis-a-vis qualitative analysis of its organizational and media practices. This study was through one undergraduate end-of-term project focused on sport, media, and American popular culture (April to June 2023). Media and cultural artifacts from the NFL and from investigations of players\u27 experiences were examined: ie, (1) documentaries (eg, the 2017 film, League of Denial); (2) news reports; and (3) NFL press conferences and press release material. Results were described and analyzed using sociological theories to study the interrelationships between macro and micro social life (eg, hegemony theory, conflict theory). RESULTS: NFL personnel and putative experts promoted misinformation about brain injury risk (eg, pamphlets claiming players are not at serious risk of brain injury). Simultaneously, recurrent media practices, via glorified rhetoric, normalized over-conformity to a predominant sport ethic (eg, sacrifice physically, always strive to be better or risk being replaced). These combined factors made it easy for athletes to downplay (or superficially consider) personal risks to their well-being. These trends corresponded with several sociological concepts (eg, false consciousness, hegemonic power). CONCLUSION: Organizational and media practices by, or endorsed by, the NFL culturally downplay or obscure the risk of brain deterioration from playing popularized forms of tackle football. Organizational and media practices by the NFL and others are a way to monetize conformity to a risky sport ethic. These efforts overshadow actual brain injury risk, raising numerous ethical issues that impact the work of sport and exercise science professionals involved in tackle football. Future research into different vantage points and roles in sport is warranted

Building Up Cal Poly Global Brigades Student Group: Reflections on Designing and Implementing One Undergraduate-Led Community Info Session

Intro: Global Brigades, an international non-profit organization, trains college students and other pre-professionals in community-based health promotion by mobilizing community service trips around the world, which are taught and led by local community groups. Cal Poly’s Global Brigades student group was founded in 2018, and thus far, they have carried out three annual, medically-focused brigades to Honduras (two in-person, one virtual). Purpose: The aim of this report is to present the findings of one experiential senior project to promote Cal Poly’s Global Brigades student group[1] (conducted January to March 2023). Methods: The student designed material for an interactive info session on the student group, promoted the event, and appraised the info session’s efficacy to (a) teach what Global Brigades is, (b) educate on the public health state of Honduras, and (c) spur interest to join the next Cal Poly brigade to Honduras (Summer 2023). Recruitment efforts occurred in partnership with campus groups and advising services that brigade members were involved with. Results: The student delivered two 50-minute info sessions to a total of 16 people, 10 of whom were not previously involved with Global Brigades. A review of open-ended, pre-post info session questionnaire responses showed that the sessions were successful in meeting the project aims. Additionally, this year’s brigade (June 2023) will be the largest in-person brigade that the student group has had to date, with 15 students registered. The project outcomes are discussed and interpreted to support future work that may build upon the present research. Conclusion: Through this experiential senior project, the student achieved university and department senior project learning objectives, as well as achieved program learning objectives for the Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health. [1] Cal Poly Global Brigade’s student group is not a formally registered club, but a student-led initiative recognized by Global Brigades’ international organization as an affiliate program

Kinesiology’s Knowledge Production, Mass Translation, and Utilization Problem: Critical Appraisal and Theoretical Analysis of Physical Activity Websites

Through this dissertation, the quality of freely available physical activity promotion web articles that lay adults would likely locate online was critically appraised and theoretically analyzed. Three broad categories were considered. They were 1) message consistency with national health guidelines for physical activity; 2) suitability for health-related communication; and 3) use of evidence-based concepts from theories of health behavior. The results of this dissertation indicate that physical activity promotion web articles that communicate primarily through text have multiple qualities that enhance their message appeal and potential to be effective, largely irrespective of production source but not always the case. The results also suggest that the educational value of such web articles is undermined in two ways: 1) correctable suitability issues and 2) the use of messages inconsistent with national physical activity health guidelines. These issues which mitigated web article quality were general to web articles irrespective of production source. Though slow, knowledge translation of kinesiology is happening and the rate may vary depending on the quality indicator. Collaborations between scholars and organizations that produce freely available physical activity resources are needed. From them, safety nets can emerge that works towards two key aims. First, sensitize producers and developers to basic knowledge in kinesiology for achieving health and physical fitness through physical activity. Second, sensitize producers and developers to issues that detract from the educational quality of physical activity resources—then build capacity to address them. Towards these two aims, advice for helping to ensure the quality dissemination of physical activity resources were advanced within the Discussion section, as well as direction for future research aimed at closing the “science gap” in knowledge translation

Course Design for Quality Online Education: Effective Strategies from the Viewpoint of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced colleges and universities to suddenly transition to a mostly-to-fully online teaching format. Given the nature of the transition and general reservations about online instruction, many were concerned educational quality and achievement would be compromised by large margins. We sought to determine what course design features, if any, helped support undergraduate educational achievement during a sudden transition to 100% online instruction. We addressed our research aim using adapted principles for reflexive thematic analysis, the discernment of ways to interpret data using diverse perspectives and the critique of assumptions (RWJ Foundation, 2008). Following instructor request (JDT), two undergraduate teaching assistants (CEH, JDS) independently discerned design feature quality, instructor assumptions, and student response to features (i.e., anonymous feedback,participation patterns). Analysis was applied to one asynchronous upper-division, general education, writing-intensive kinesiology course (38 enrolled students, 2020 Spring Term). A reiterative process was used, with undergraduate teaching assistants making comparisons to their experience completing the course in-person the previous term (Winter 2020). Five design features evidently helped to support educational achievement during the sudden transition to 100% online instruction: discussion boards, summary slides, reminder emails/slides, video lectures, and posted lecture slides. Students valued the “constant stream” of communication and opportunity to self-pace. Discussion boards incentivized content application and promoted appreciation of peers’ viewpoints, both of which helped with learning and writing-to-learn.The five design features, in combination, provided high fidelity with in-person instruction. We will discuss our findings, limitations of our study, and potential ways to improve the design of online courses based on our results

Video Summary of How Credible is Online Physical Activity Advice? The Accuracy of Free Adult Educational Materials

The uploaded work is a video summary of original research. The video is less than seven minutes long. The original research summarized in the video examined the credibility of physical activity advice presented in online educational materials for lay adults. The video highlights main points of the research, leads the viewer through steps to judge the credibility of lay material, and provides links to resources for further education and guidance. The video has several supplemental files. They are as follows: (a) the full transcript text to the video narration, which includes the links to the resource material that are listed at the end of the video, (b) a copy of the video summary for free download, and (c) a copy of the closed-captioning file with English subtitles. In conclusion, the uploaded video summary and its supplemental files are for use in a variety of educational settings, serving students and professionals

Advancing Accessibility Research in Kinesiology: A Mixed-Methods Case Study of One Survey Website

While some studies in kinesiology have investigated the accessibility of educational material and electronic applications used to promote physical activity (eg, ease to perceive/navigate content resources), few studies report on the accessibility of survey tools before their use in research. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure the accessibility of one survey website to a study directly investigating comprehension of mock physical activity promotion material created by Thomas et al. (2023). METHODS: The website was for study participants to complete an online version of a cloze form (for a visual, see Nielsen, 2011; eg, see Cardinal et al., 1995). The accessibility check, done before the research website launched, had two phases: (1) a valid and reliable quantitative accessibility rating form was administered by the research team (Jul - Aug 2022, Wu et al. 2022a & 2022b) and (2) after edits were made based on the rating form findings, a pilot test of the website survey instruments was done with mock end users (Feb - Mar 2023). Mock end users (n = 12) were volunteers from the first author’s research lab and were invited to give qualitative feedback on the site’s usability before leaving the website (eg, on webpage/site navigation, on instruction clarity). Ten gave website feedback. The analytic plan was to (1) identify descriptive trends in the mock end user feedback (2) relate feedback trends to rating form criteria scores with unanimous consensus, as a measure of similarity between the two study findings (ie, Phase 1 vs 2). RESULTS: Phase 1 data analysis suggested each webpage fully met accessibility standards in 7 subareas (eg, plain language use, clear navigation). Phase 2 analysis supported most conclusions derived from rating form results (eg, clear instructions & layout), but challenged others (eg, cloze form was somewhat accessible because website platform, Canvas, required scrolling once finished, not due to missing frequently asked questions page). Pilot test showed text at a lower reading level (before edits) had lower comprehension, but text at a higher level had good validity. CONCLUSION: Our results evidenced the rating form could ensure websites have adequate accessibility. Findings also underscored significance of pilot testing research instruments with mock end users outside the research team

LGBTQI+ inclusion in sport and exercise psychology teaching

Youtube video. No abstract available