Education Commons^™

The Relationship Between Youth And Adult Physical Activity, Kane M. Miller

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine correlations between youth and adult physical activity (PA), and to examine the amount of variance in adult PA that can be explained by youth PA variables. Subjects were 232 male (n = 91) and female (n = 141) full- and part-time employees of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, ranging from 23 to 76 years of age. Employees were faculty and staff volunteers from a variety of departments throughout the university campus. A non-experimental recall technique was used for this study. Subjects were sampled regarding their youth and adult PA using two …

Bioenergetic Analysis Of Female Volleyball, Christine Sjoberg

Student Work

Volleyball is a demanding sport typified by repeated high intensity bouts of activity consisting of jumping, spiking, diving, and running. Practice sessions for collegiate level play generally last from two to three hours. The total energy requirement for extended practice sessions has not been directly measured and compared to dietary intake to assess whether collegiate athletes' energy intake meets the energy demand of the sport. The purpose of this study was to establish the energy balance of female collegiate volleyball athletes during typical team training days. A bioenergetic analysis was conducted by directly measuring oxygen consumption (V0 2) during actual …

Physiological Profile Of Olympic Style Tae Kwon Do Match, Georgios C. Korellis

Student Work

Olympic style Tae Kwon Do training may achieve accepted training intensity threshold for effective aerobic capacity training, energy expenditure thresholds and elevation in excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. Little work regarding the acute metabolic demands during Olympic style Tae Kwon Do competition has been done before. The purpose of this study was to examine the physiological demands of a match in Olympic style Tae Kwon Do. Physiological assessment included measurement of oxygen uptake (V 02), heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration (BL), rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and body temperature (BT).

A total of 7 subjects between the ages of 19 …

Acute Physiological Responses And Psychological Perceptions Of Various Resistance Training Regimens, William J. Vincent

Student Work

The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of four different resistance training protocols associated with periodization of resistance training on the biological signals that are associated with exercise regimens to increase muscle hypertrophy. A secondary purpose was to compare the ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) in the four weight training regimens.

A total of eight male resistance trainers within the ages of 23-35 served as subjects for this study. On the first visit all had a baseline blood assay drawn to measure human growth hormone (hGH) and testosterone (T) and their 5 repetition maximum (RM) strength …

Variables Associated With The Likelihood Of Adopting A Policy Of Hiring Nonsmokers Only Among Nonprofit Organizations In Omaha, Nebraska, Jillian M. Golden

Student Work

Tobacco use in the U.S. is the cause of approximately 440,000 deaths annually and is the leading preventable cause of death. Smoking can result in death due to cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. Smoking can also result in death due to cancers such as lung cancer, respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis, and other deaths including diseases among infants and bum deaths (American Cancer Society, 2003). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that due to smoking, the cost of medical care and lost productivity added up to approximately $157 billion each year …

Retrieving Movement Memory With And Without The Use Of Musical Cues, Lora S. Maher

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between learning and retrieving movement with and without musical cues. Twenty-three students all of whom had not had any formal dance training participated in this study. The subjects were required to make two visits for data collection purposes. Testing included performance of the "Mayim" folk dance on day one and then again on day two. Subjects in groups one and two learned the dance with music and subjects in groups two and three learned the dance to the beat of the metronome. On their second visit, groups one and three …

A Three-Dimensional Analysis Of Subtalar And Knee Joint Coupling During Running Over Obstacles, Tracy Allan Dierks

Student Work

Running has been associated with a number of lower extremity overuse injuries. Attention has been given to biomechanical factors, specifically, excessive pronation and excessive tibial rotation. It has been suggested that excessive tibial rotation is due to excessive foot pronation transferred through a coupling mechanism. The ankle and knee are mechanically linked via the tibia and excessive tibial internal rotation may delay tibial external rotation as the knee begins to extend. Increased impact forces have also been implicated as a cause of running injuries, although little is known about this possible relationship. Obstacle heights have been used previously to produce …

A Comparison Of Lower Back Pain And Injury In Competitive And Non-Competitive Gymnasts, Laura Marie Parks

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of lower back pain and the incidence o f lower back injury in non-competitive and competitive gymnasts. Secondly, the relationships of training variables with the incidence of lower back pain and lower back injury were examined. Seventy-eight female gymnasts (63 competitive and 15 non-competitive) ages 13-25 representing thirteen gymnastics clubs in the Midwest were surveyed. Each gymnast answered questions regarding years of training, weekly hours of practice, and history of low back pain and injury. Chi square analyses were done in order to compare the incidence o f lower back …

Relationship Between Reported Childhood And Adult Physical Activity, Kipp Ryan Kissinger

Student Work

It was the purpose of this research to examine the relationship between reported childhood and adult physical activity (PA), with special regards to the types of activities that correlate with habitual activity. Subjects were 249 male and female students age 19 to 30 years (M = 21.9 years) enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Subjects were surveyed from all departments on campus. Subjects were asked to complete a survey instrument that assessed past and present PA. The results o f the current study reported that there is a significant positive correlation (r = 0.284, p < 0.05) between the total score of past childhood PA and present adult PA. When past PA was divided into preteen and adolescent periods, there were also significant relationships (p < 0.05) with all of the four indices of present PA (work, sport, leisure and total). Regression analysis explained 17.6 % of the variance in exercise when predicting adult PA from the total score of past PA. The prediction equation is as follows: Y ' = 27.761 + 0.775 (Xi) + 0.276 ( X 2 ) + 0.945 ( X 3 ) + 1.787 (3Ct) - 1.254 ( X 5 ) ; where Xi = number o f varsity athletic letters received as an adolescent, X 2 = informal activities as a preteen, X 3 = level of athletic ability or coordination in favorite sport as an adolescent, X4 = P.F.. classes as an adolescent, and X5 = activity level compared to peers as a preteen. It was concluded that there was a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) between the total score of past PA and each of the four indices of present PA.

"A Comparison Of The Use Of Exercise As A Leisure Activity For Anorexic And Bulimic Teenage Girls To A Control Group", Sara Beth Mccracken

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine if the leisure activities of anorexic and bulimic teenage girls differ from those of a control group and to determine the difference between the two groups in their commitment to exercise. Two surveys, the State Technical Institute's Leisure Assessment Process (STILAP) and the Commitment to Exercise Scale, were distributed to anorexic and bulimic teenage girls in an Omaha, Nebraska, treatment facility. The surveys were also given to a control group made up of teenage girls in two Omaha area high schools. Six girls participated in the anorexic and bulimic group and 18 …

The Influence Of Exercise Self-Efficacy And Social Support On Exercise For Air Force Personnel, Jerry Wilson

Student Work

The purpose of the study was to determine how social support and self-efficacy function in each stage of change in exercise behavior and also to study to what extent social support and self-efficacy can predict what stage of change a person is in. To determine this, 179 Air Force men and women ranging in age from 19 to 54 years old at U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, were administered a questionnaire to determine their exercise stage of change, self-efficacy, and social support from family and friends. The stages of change for exercise were as follows: 0.0% precontemplation, …

The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Flexibility, Tanya Marie Schramm

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between flexibility and physical activity levels. Subjects included 128 male (n=64) and female (n=64) volunteers, 19 to 55 years of age. All subjects completed a physical activity questionnaire (which differentiated between work, sport, leisure and total physical activity) and a series of five flexibility tests. Four of the five flexibility tests were completed with the use of a goniometer which measured shoulder flexion, hip flexion, knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion. The sit and reach test was used to assess hamstring­ lumbar flexibility. After analyzing the data by using …

The Relationship Of Training Methods Between Ncaa Division I Cross-Country Runners With 10,000 Meter Performance, Max J. Kurz

Student Work

The scientific relationship between 10,000 meter performance and training methods of distance runners remains incompletely understood. Researchers such as Slovic (1977) and Pollock (1978) have attempted to study the relationship between training practices of distance runners with the use of surveys. However, these studies did not analyze the significance of various types of training regimens available. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the training methods of NCAA Division I runners and 10,000 meter performance. Fourteen Division I qualifying teams of the NCAA Division I national cross-country meet and 16 randomly chosen non-qualifying teams were recruited through the mail …

Physiological Responses To Various Durations And Intensities Of Warmup, Susan J. Hanson

Student Work

Warmup has been a general practice for most athletes to engage in prior to a practice or competitive race. However, there has been little scientific evidence, specifically for the endurance athlete concerning the appropriate duration, intensity, or a combination of duration and intensity needed to enhance performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine how different combinations of durations and intensities of warmup affect heart rate (HR), lactic acid· (LA), minute ventilation (VE), respiratory exchange ratio (R) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during a 5 minute treadmill run at 80% VO2 max. Subjects included four male and …

Students' Perception Of Teacher Expectation In A Co-Educational Physical Activity Class, Cari Robin Turner

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine if a gender difference exists between students perception of male and female teacher expectation. Student perceptions were determined by administering the Student Perception Inventory (SPI) developed by McBride (1990). Three high schools and five junior high schools which included 15 teachers participated in the study. All students who participated were enrolled in co-educational physical activity classes. All students were surveyed at the beginning of the class period. There were 363 students surveyed. Of the 363 students surveyed, 342 were considered usable. Analysis of the data included frequency and percentage of response, as …

The Historical Transformation Of Swimming Into A Modern Leisure Activity, Stephanie J. Haas

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to trace the transformation of swimming from its earliest appearance in the literature to its contemporary form as a modern leisure activity. The processes of rationalization, legitimation and democratization are examined in pre-industrial, industrial, and post-industrial societies.

An investigation of the available literature disclosed negative attitudes toward swimming during the Middle Ages which caused a decrease in expressive uses of swimming. After this period, swimming's acceptance as a legitimate leisure activity continued to increase through the industrial and post-industrial eras. The democratization of swimming seemed limited to societies on the coasts of large bodies …

The Effect Of A Weight Training Program On The Happiness Of Young Women, Natalie Dowty

Student Work

An increasing body of research indicates that exercise has some positive psychological effects. But few studies focus specifically on weight training as the treatment, or happiness as the dependent variable. Additionally, much research has focused on psychological state changes from immediately before, to immediately following a physical activity. Little has been reported on the relationship between weight training and general happiness over a longer period of time, (i.e. three to four months). The purpose of this study was: (a) to determine the effect of beginning and maintaining a regular weight training program on the happiness of previously sedentary women, (b) …

Running With Running Shoes Versus Barefoot Running: A Videographical Analysis, Nikolaos Stergiou

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to kinematically describe the movements of the lower extremities in running with running shoes and running barefoot. Another purpose of this study was to identify and compare the anatomical and mechanical adaptations that occur. Seven college age females, members of the University of Nebraska at Omaha cross-country team, and one local competitive long-distance female runner 27 yrs old, were subjects of this study. All subjects were free of any physical disability that could have caused an impaired performance.

All subjects completed one testing session consisting of three acceptable trials each with and without their …

The Effects Of An Employee Fitness Program On Absenteeism And Health Care Costs, Brian C. Bell

Student Work

Health care expenditures in the United States have continued to climb at an alarming rate. In 1982, health care expenditures accounted for nearly $322.4 billion of the gross national product (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1982). Health care expenditures are expected to consume nearly 12 percent of the nation's economic output by the year 1990, reaching nearly $756 billion in projected costs (Cullen and Towe, 1983). Although health care costs have climbed at an annual rate of less than 10 percent, these costs have continued to increase in the private sector, which currently absorbs one-fourth of the nation's …

The Effects Of An Aerobic Arm Cranking Program On Children With Myelomeningocele, Lisa L. Jacques

Student Work

The number of men and women with lower extremity disability is growing {Pollock, Miller, Linnerind, Laughridge, Coleman, and Alexander, 1974). A chief cause of this growth is an increase in the number of accidents damaging the spinal column (Pollock et al., 1974). However, many individuals are also born with these types of disabilities, and one of the causes is a disease termed spina bifida. Spina bifida occurs in about 3 per 1000 live births (Batshaw & Perret, 1981). The spine of children born with this defect is bifida and may be exposed, along with nervous tissue surrounding the area, on …

The Effect Of A Corporate Fitness Program On Worker Productivity, Joseph A. Leutzinger

Student Work

Other parts of the world, namely Europe and Asia, are out producing the United States. According to Steers & Porter (1987), the U.S. ranked sixth among seven leading industrial nations in productivity increases from 1968-1978. An unhealthy life-style is one factor causing decreased productivity in the U.S. (Cox, Shephard & Corey, 1981). Fitness level, work capacity, mental fatigue and stress are related to life-style and have an impact on productivity (Falkenberg, 1987). It is estimated that two-thirds of all businesses in the U.S. with fifty or more employees offer some type of health promotion program (McLemore & Dolzier, 1987). These …

Comparison Of Responses To Weight Training In Prepubescent And Adult Males, Margaret M. Sailors

Student Work

The effect of overload training on adults has been considered for thousands of years. Centuries before Christ, Milo of Crotona carried a calf on his back daily until the animal was full-grown, resulting in one of the earliest accounts of the overload principle (Bergan & Scoles, 1979). Results of overload training on adults have been well documented (Tanner, 1952; Hellebrandt & Houtz, 1958; Berger,1962a; 1962b; Rasch & Pierson, 1963; Berger & Hardage, 1967; Stull & Clark, 1970; Leighton, Holmes, Benson, Wooten & Schmerer, 1967; Wilmore, 1975; Gettman, Ward & Hager, 1982). However, how overload affects children and adolescents is barely …

A Comparison Of The Cardiorespiratory Responses Of Prepubescent Boys And Adult Men To Similar Exercise Programs, Mary Marlene Petratis

Student Work

The cardiorespiratory effects of exercise training in adults have been widely researched (26,39,53,56,57). Through training, the adult experiences an increase in maximum aerobic power (V 02 max), a decrease in resting and submaximum heart rate and an increase in maximum cardiac output (26,36,53,54,59,60). These physiological changes result in an increase in physical working capacity and an enhanced tolerance to all exercise workloads.

Factors contributing to the training effect in the adult include the intensity, the duration, and the frequency of exercise (1, 2). The recommended type of exercise involves activities which use large muscle groups of the body in a …

The Physiological And Physical Effects Of A Seven Week Summer Wrestling Camp On Experienced Prepubescent Wrestlers, Wade Hoyt Thomson

Student Work

Participation by children in competitive sports programs has increased considerably within the past 20 years, in part because of the increased number of competitive sports programs available for children (59). Fur­thermore, children are becoming increasingly involved at younger ages (48). Frequently, these programs are very physical, and actively compet­itive with little consideration given to how the children may respond or adapt to the strenuous exercise. It is tacitly assumed that children sports participants will experience the same physiological and physical benefits as would adult participants .

Effects Of A Selected Motor Skill Task On The Development Of Stereopsis, William M. Rentschler

Student Work

One would expect visual-perceptual abilities to be quite important in sport skills. Donna Mae Miller (1960) substantiated this idea when she examined a battery of eight tests she felt were important in responding quickly and accurately to visual cues. Highly skilled athletes scored considerably higher in areas of static balance, stereopsis, blocks response and mutilated words than did lower skilled athletes. Williams (1968) in a similar study looked at visu&l-perceptual judgments in a more dynamic approach. Subjects were asked to catch tennis balls after they had been projected into the air and bounced off of a canvas. The results found …

The Effects Of Three Stretching Techniques On Flexibility, Mark Edward Wortman

Student Work

According to deVries (11), flexibility is defined as the range of possible movement in a joint or series of joints. The assessment of flexibility is a concern for both physical education and. the medical professions·. Apparently, an adequate amount of flexibility is essential for rehabilitation from injury,.prevention of injury and superior athletic performance (2, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21, 25, 31, 37, 43, 45). Presently, three stretching techniques are available: 1) static or slow sustained; 2) ballistic or bounce; 3) pro­-prioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). However, there appears to be no uniform agreement as to the best technique for …

Effect Of Diet On Aerobic Performance, Maureen Hall Fennerty

Student Work

Aerobic performance is affected by a number of physiological, psychological, sociological and environmental factors (Astrand, 1977). Among the many physiological factors nutrition plays an important part. However, when considering what constitutes a balanced diet, nutritionists express varying opinions as to what percentage of protein, fat and carbohydrate should be included for the general populace and the athlete. Mayer and Bullen (1960) in their review of literature on nutrition and athletic performance concluded a balanced diet is adequate for the athlete.

A Comparison Of Three Training Programs In Developing Cardiovascular Fitness In Untrained Women, Carol S. Hovey

Student Work

Interval training is defined by Fox and Mathews (1974) as a series of repeated bouts of exercise alternated with periods of rest or relief. Much research has been done comparing different intensities, durations, and work-relief ratios in interval training, and how these affect the development. of the various physiological systems of the body. Little, however, has been done to compare the development of aerobic power with the duration and intensity of the work interval varied, with frequency per week held constant. Research in this area has been especially limited using untrained women as subjects. Rosentswieg and Burrhus (1975) point out …

The Relationship Between Body Fat And Physical Well-Being Of Children, Aged Six To Thirteen, As Determined By Physical Activity And Physical Fitness, Paul Sieczkowski

Student Work

Body fat has several implications for an individual's physical well-being. Aside from its functional aspects as an energy reserve and as a thermal insulator, excess body fat has been related to an increased mortality rate (Dublin, 1930). Vitale (1973) and deVries (1974) emphasized that excess fat is associated with many degenerative diseases such as diabetes, gallstones, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Mayer (1953) noted that there might be seasonal changes in the body fat level due to changes in activity level. Johnson, Burke,, and Mayer (1956) traced the onset of obesity of most "late obesity" children to the winter …

The Effect Of Two Athletic Training Programs On Aerobic Capacity, Anaerobic Capacity, Reaction Time, And Percent Body Fat, Paul W. Petersen

Student Work

It is perhaps obvious that athletic teams, such as basketball and wrestling, use different conditioning pro­grams during the regular season of competition because of the nature of their sports. Although many coaches initiate particular programs and use them year after year, rarely do they have any definite measurements concerning the effects of the program on their athletes other than a win-loss record. To better understand the conditioning that takes place in various sports, in this study, several parameters of fitness were calculated-using the basketball and wrestling teams at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The measurements will indicate the change …