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Positive Deviance As A Framework For Understanding Motivations And Barriers To Exercise For University Students At Campus Recreation, René Dario Herrera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to use qualitative research methodologies to better understand motivations and barriers to exercise for university students at campus recreation. The secondary purpose was to identify any correlations between physical activity habits and academic success. Ethnographic data obtained from a positive deviance sample and critically analyzed with feminist and postmodern theory could provide additional validation for campus recreation's value in positively contributing to the academic success of university students.

Participant observation, questionnaire, cultural domain analysis, interview, and focus group provided qualitative data.

Results indicate university students who frequent campus recreation to exercise are highly motivated …

Does A Step Back Approach To The Implementation Of Project Spraoi Affect The Health And Fundamental Movement Skill Proficiency Of Irish Children?, Conor Hemmersley

Masters

Title: Does a step back approach to the implementation of Project Spraoi affect the health and fundamental movement skill proficiency of Irish children? Background: Project Spraoi is an intervention which attempts to positively influence the overall health of Irish primary school children. Previous iterations of Project Spraoi have been labour intensive with an Energiser working with a maximum of two schools to deliver the intervention. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on fundamental movement skills (FMS), and markers of health of Irish primary school children using a step back approach. The step back …

The Effect Of Dance And Team Sports On Mental Health, Kayla Hulburt

Honors Senior Capstone Projects

This study uses the World Health Organization model of physical, social, and mental health to examine the effect of participating in dance and team sports during childhood on mental health in adulthood. Prior research has suggested that physical activity is strongly integrated with mental and social health and therefore is a protective factor among mental illness. However, there is not sufficient research comparing the differences among dance and team sports on mental health. This study hypothesized that dancers would experience more positive mental health in adulthood than team sports due to the basis of physical activity in dance, but the …

Acute Exercise-Induced Response Of Platelet-Monocyte Complexes In Obese, Postmenopausal Women, Michael M. Levitt, Maria A. Cardenas, Bryan Richie, Carmen A. Cook, Shaohan Lu, Kara L. Steck, Jay Haynes, Andreas Kreutzer, Joel B. Mitchell, Melody D. Phillips

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Inactivity-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) are linked to chronic low-grade, systemic inflammation. Platelet-monocyte complexes (PMCs) are markers of in vivo platelet activation and atherosclerosis, and may be early indicators of subclinical inflammation. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of an exercise bout on PMCs in those at risk for CVD. METHODS: Twenty-five overweight-obese (BMI 32.7 ± 5.2 kg×m^-2, 55-75 yr) women were randomly assigned to either the exercise (EX, n=13) or non-exercise control (CON, n=12) group. EX performed 2 sets of 8 resistance exercises and a 25-min treadmill walk at 70-80% HRR. Blood was obtained pre-exercise (PR), …

A Preschool Obesity Prevention Program Is Associated With Improvements On Physical Activity Quality, Fernando Juarez Jr., Azeem A. Hussain, Shiyu Li, Vanessa Estrada, Jill Johnstone, Zenong Yin, Erica Sosa

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

The Míranos! Look at Us We Are Healthy (Míranos!) is an eight-week pilot intervention to promote healthy weight gain in low-income preschool Latino children aged 3-5 years. A major focus is to increase time spent in physical activity level, especially moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during play time and improve class instruction quality. According to one published study, preschool children spent only 14% of play session time in MVPA and 73% in sedentary activity (Tandon, 2015). PURPOSE: To assess the effectiveness of the Míranos! pilot intervention on the quality (lesson context, and health promotion interactions) and level of …

Effects Of A Head Start Obesity Prevention Pilot On Preschoolers’ Physical Activity, Shiyu Li, Azeem A. Hussain, Fernando Juarez, Vanessa Estrada, Erica Sosa, Derek P. Hales, Zenong Yin

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Regular participation in physical activity (PA) is important for the healthy growth and development of preschoolers. The Míranos! Look at Us We Are Healthy (Míranos!) is an obesity prevention intervention with age-appropriate structured and unstructured outdoor/indoor play and classroom activities led by teacher. As an objective instrument to provide information on human movements, accelerometer can accurately identify the levels of physical activity and assess the effects of physical activity intervention. PURPOSE: to evaluate the effects of an 8-week Míranos! pilot intervention on increasing physical activity levels during school time in preschoolers. METHODS: Study participants were children aged 3-5 years enrolled …

Child Care Teachers’ Knowledge Of Fun Physical Activities And Healthy Food Choices For Pre-School Children, Elizabeth Gwyn

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The focus of this project was to explore child-care teachers’ knowledge of fun physical activities and healthy food choice activities for preschool children. A four-week educational session was implemented in a rural child-care center. The intervention provided education in relationship to the implementation of fun physical activities and healthy food choice activities for child-care teachers during preschoolers structured playtime. The Child Care Teachers’ Knowledge Evaluation (CCTKE) tool developed by the doctoral student was used to collect responses from participants before and after the intervention. The participants’ data was analyzed using a t-test. There were no statistically significant differences between the …

The Effectiveness Of School-Based Interventions On The Fundamental Movement Skill Proficiency Among A Cohort Of Irish Primary School Children, Lisa Bolger

PhDs

Background: Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are basic observable patterns of movement such as running and jumping. FMS facilitate participation in physical activity and sport. The ability to perform FMS correctly (i.e. FMS proficiency) is associated with numerous health benefits and is important for the holistic development of children. FMS proficiency among primary school children worldwide is low. Thus, interventions aimed at improving FMS levels among children are warranted. Therefore, this thesis aimed to assess the FMS proficiency among a cohort of Irish primary school children and examine the effectiveness of a physical activity (PA) (Year 1) and a multicomponent FMS …

An Investigation Into Te Relationship Between Fundamental Movement Skill Proficiency And Markers Of Health Among A Cohort Of Irish Primary School Children, Linda Bolger

PhDs

Background: Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are basic observable patterns of movement. Although FMS are positively associated with health, FMS levels among children worldwide are low. Interventions to improve FMS and markers of health among children are warranted. Thus, the purpose of this research was to firstly evaluate the FMS proficiency and markers of health of Irish primary school children, and to design and implement a programme of interventions to improve both.

Methods: Two interventions (1 Physical Activity [PA] and 1 FMS) were implemented and evaluated using children from 3 primary schools in Cork. Children (N=217, mean age: 7.98±2.00 years) …