Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Physical Activity On Multiuse Trails And In A Novel Bike Park Within An Urban Wilderness, Douglas Gregory

Doctoral Dissertations

Research has shown that the presence of, access to, and use of parks and trails is associated with increased levels of PA. However, little research exists on nature-based, recreational multiuse trails and bike-specific amenities within parks and their impact on PA. Therefore, to explore the effect trails and bike parks have on PA, this dissertation conducted three investigations to: 1) determine the impact of trail/greenway interventions on PA, 2) investigate how seasonality and weather influence nature-based recreational trail use, and 3) develop a demographic and PA profile of bike park users.

Investigation 1 (Chapter 4) systematically reviewed the literature specific …

Examining The Physical Activity Levels Of Youth With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities During Physical Education And Recess, Vincenzo Nocera

Doctoral Dissertations

Introduction: It is currently believed that children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) are less physically active than their peers. The school setting may offer a promising solution to allow children with and without IDD to engage in physical activity (PA). However, the current school-based PA levels of this population remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the PA levels and related context of youth with and without IDD during the total school day, physical education, and recess. Methods: A total of 13 children (n = 3 with IDD) enrolled in first- and second grade participated …

A Profile Of Physical Activity In The City Of Knoxville's Lonsdale Park, Carly Scot Eakin

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

A Profile Of Physical Activity In Knoxville Parks, Margaret R. Bailey

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Effects Of A Raised Surface On Lower Extremity Kinematics, Kinetics, And Muscle Activation During A Sidecut In Recreational Female Softball Players, Lauren Elizabeth Schroeder

Masters Theses

Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a common sports-related injury. “High-risk” dynamic movements, such as a sidecut, have been associated with increasing the risk of noncontact ACL injury. Certain biomechanical abnormalities, specifically at the hip and knee, and neuromuscular abnormalities, such as unbalanced quadriceps-to-hamstrings activation ratios and certain activation patterns prior to initial contact and after initial contact, have also been associated with an increased likelihood of noncontact ACL injuries occurring. Approximately 78% of all NCAA Division I softball game-day injuries are classified as noncontact where there is no direct contact to a player. Internal derangement of the knee …

Physical Activity In Individuals With Down Syndrome, Chelsea B. Spurgeon

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Associations Of Total Activity Counts And Physical Activity Intensity Levels With The Metabolic Syndrome: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Dana Lizbeth Wolff

Doctoral Dissertations

To clarify the protective benefits of physical activity (PA), epidemiologists and public health researchers continue to seek improved methods of assessing PA. In particular, accelerometers have gained acceptance with researchers as they provide reliable estimates of PA and can record both the amount and intensity of ambulatory movement. However, there is concern that accelerometer data reduction techniques may not provide quantitatively accurate measurements of time spent in various PA intensity categories. One way to circumvent these inaccuracies is to use the accelerometer-derived total activity counts (TAC), which is a more direct expression of what the monitor records.

In order to …

Soccer Participation And Youth Obesity In The United States, Lee Schober

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Physical Activity And Its Effect On Reducing Disease: A Literature Review Of The National Runner's Health Study, Graham William Edson

Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies Publications and Other Works

In 1996, Dr. Paul Williams began The National Runner’s Health Study. The study had over one hundred thousand respondents who were questioned about their physical activity habits (walking or running), diet, weight, height, and use or previous use of tobacco and alcohol. Some of the participants were involved in case studies of several years. Primarily, the study tested the effects of vigorous physical activity and its ability to reduce disease. For close to twenty years, Dr. Williams has continued an impressive amount of research on various topics in the health and exercise field. The study is one of the most …

A Description Of The Movement Of The Canine Pelvic Limb In Three Dimensions Using An Inverse Dynamics Method, And A Comparison Of Two Techniques To Surgically Repair A Cranial Cruciate Ligament Deficient Stifle, Jason Headrick

Doctoral Dissertations

The purposes of the dissertation were: 1) to describe three-dimensional (3D) motion of the canine pelvic limb using an inverse dynamics method, and 2) to compare these motion patterns between normal, healthy dogs and those that have had their stifles stabilized by one of two surgical methods approximately five years earlier.

Twenty-five dogs were allocated to three groups; healthy control dogs, dogs that had received the tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO), and dogs that had received the lateral fabellar suture (LFS) stabilization technique. Both surgical techniques were performed approximately five years prior on stifles with surgically induced cranial cruciate ligament …

Effects Of Increased Step Width On Knee Joint Biomechanics In Healthy And Knee Osteoarthritis Older Adults During Stair Descent, Maxime Robert Paquette

Doctoral Dissertations

Stair negotiation is one of the most challenging tasks for older adults especially for those suffering from knee osteoarthritis (OA). To date, no studies have investigated the effects of increased step width (SW) on knee joint biomechanics. The purpose of Study One was to investigate the effects of increased SW on peak internal knee abduction moment and other lower extremity variables during stair descent in healthy older adults. The purpose of Study Two was to investigate the effects of increased SW on peak internal knee abduction moment, knee pain and other lower extremity variables during stair descent in medial compartment …

“It Was Fight Or Flight...And Flight Was Not An Option”: An Existential Phenomenological Investigation Of Military Service Members’ Experience Of Hand-To-Hand Combat, Peter Richard Jensen

Doctoral Dissertations

Hand-to-hand combat is one of the more psychologically challenging performance environments for those in the military (Grossman, 1995). Even with the technological advances of modern warfare military leaders still believe hand-to-hand combat is an important and relevant challenge for service members (Blanton, 2007; Clark, 2009; Collins, 2007; Wojdakowski, 2007; Wood & Micaelson, 2000). Despite its importance, the hand-to-hand combat experience has, to date, attracted very little research attention. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore military service members’ experiences of hand-to-hand combat. To accomplish this objective, phenomenological interviews were conducted with 17 male military service members. Each participant …

Why Is There Still So Much Confusion About Vo2 Plateau? A Re-Examination Of The Work Of A.V. Hill, Richard Vincent Castle

Masters Theses

Maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max) is regarded as the gold standard for assessing aerobic fitness. In 1923, Hill et al. proposed that VO_2max represents the maximal ability of the body to take in and consume O₂ during strenuous exercise. Recently, however, controversy has arisen over the issue of whether a leveling off, or "plateau" in VO₂ is necessary to verify attainment of VO_2max. Purpose: To compare two different VO_2max protocols and determine if both protocols show direct evidence of an upper limit on VO₂. Methods: Nine runners (18-35 years old) completed …

The Effect Of Body Mass Index On Pedometer Accuracy In A Free-Living Environment, Brian Matthew Tyo

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine if the New Lifestyles NL-2000 (NL) and the Digi-Walker SW-200 (DW), waist-mounted devices, yield similar daily step counts as compared to the StepWatch 3 (SW), an ankle-mounted device, worn by adults and children in the free-living environment.

For the first study, fifty-six adults (32.7 + 14.5 y) wore the devices for seven consecutive days. There were 20 normal weight, 18 overweight, and 18 obese participants. The NL and DW undercounted (pedometer error) similarly in the normal weight and overweight groups (-15.4% to -18.2%, respectively). However, the DW undercounted more than the NL …

The Effects Of Augmented Attentional Focus On The Performance With Practice Of A Closed Perceptual-Motor Task For Individuals Who Differ In Task Mastery, John Allen Richards

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of augmented attentional focus on the performance with practice, of a closed perceptual-motor task for individuals who differ in task mastery. Sixty-four male volunteers were assigned to either the beginning or advanced task mastery group (n = 32) based on bowling averages (≤ 130, ≥ 150 respectively). Each subject in the task mastery groups was randomly assigned to one of four augmented focus of attention conditions, i.e., focus on: (a) environmental results of the movement that was performed (KR); (b) the movement that was performed (KP); (c) self via presence …