Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Optimization Of The Hockey Fans In Training (Hockey Fit) Weight Loss And Healthy Lifestyle Program For Male Hockey Fans, Wendy Blunt, Dawn P. Gill, Shannon Sibbald, Brendan Riggin, Roseanne Pulford, Ryan Scott, Karen Danylchuk, Cindy M. Gray, Sally Wyke, Christopher Bunn, Robert Petrella

Lifestyle Research Team

BACKGROUND:

The health outcomes of men continue to be poorer than women globally. Challenges in addressing this problem include difficulties engaging men in weight loss programs as they tend to view these programs as contrary to the masculine narrative of independence and self-reliance. Researchers have been turning towards sports fans to engage men in health promotion programs as sports fans are typically male, and tend to have poor health habits.

METHODS:

Developed from the highly successful gender-sensitized Football Fans in Training program, Hockey Fans in Training (Hockey FIT) recruited 80 male hockey fans of the London Knights and Sarnia Sting …

Investigating The Health Meanings Of Young Saudi Women, Tagreed Alnajjar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Women’s structural position within society and their family roles significantly influence their health. Previous studies have shown women hold lower health and socioeconomic status because of their gender within the Saudi culture. This study aimed to provide an understanding of how Saudi women value health and define being healthy within their social contexts. Adopting an ethnographic perspective, three focus groups (31 participants in total) were conducted with volunteer undergraduate Saudi female students on campus during a nine-week field trip to the participants’ university, King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Three themes were generated from this study that characterize the …

Storied Bodies In Motion And Stillness: Shifting Meanings Of Physical Activity In Women's Life History Narratives, Shellie Mcparland

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Gender is a rarely studied social determinant of health. Qualitative methodologies, while underutilized in health promotion, may facilitate understanding of the gender and health relationship. The purpose of this work is to determine if narrative inquiry is a meaningful approach to study the relationship between femininity and physical activity and to examine this relationship within women’s life histories. Five women between 30 and 40 participated in two semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed holistically, structurally, and categorically.

This dissertation is comprised of five integrated articles, in which I locate myself epistemologically as researcher through a discussion on the feminist underpinnings of …

The Development And Evaluation Of A Smartphone Nutrition Intervention For Adolescents, Sarah A. Cappuccitti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A diet high in fruit and vegetables is associated with the prevention of many chronic diseases; however, only one in ten Canadian students in grades 6 to 12 consume the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Using smartphones to deliver nutrition interventions is an emerging area of research, although to-date these interventions typically limit their focus to weight loss. The overarching purpose of this research is to redevelop and evaluate an existing smartphone application for an adolescent population. This thesis used a mixed-methods approach to gain adolescent perspectives on how to redevelop the app and to evaluate its use …

Exploring Physical Activity And Screen-Viewing Policies In Canadian Childcare Centres, Emily C. Ott

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study aimed to explore the presence and characteristics of physical activity and screen-viewing regulations in Canadian childcare centres. Using a modified version of the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation Self-Report tool (EPAO-SR), an online survey was distributed to childcare directors/administrators. A total of 1,290 childcare representatives accessed the survey, 514 provided complete data. Of these, 295 (44%) centres indicated having a written physical activity policy (with the majority regulated at the provincial-level). Characteristics of these policies included amount of time: spent outdoors (395; 63%); in teacher-led active play (101; 16%); and physical activity education for children (91; 16%). …

Promoting Benefits Of Physical Activity Through Persuasive Communication, Priynka Patil

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Inactivity early in life can lead to inactively later in life, which can result in negative outcomes. The primary purpose was to determine if gain- or loss-framed messages about physical activity would change the attitudes, intentions, and behaviours of students in the contemplation or preparation stage of the Transtheoretical model. The secondary purpose was to determine if framing the message in terms of the physical health benefits, appearance/social benefits, or mental health benefits (benefit condition) would change attitude, intention and behaviour. Undergraduate female students (N=60) between the ages of 18 and 36 were recruited from the university. The results found …

Understanding The Processes That Shape Cross Sector Service Provision In The Towards Flourishing Mental Health Promotion Strategy: A Secondary Analysis Utilizing Constructivist Grounded Theory Methodology, Shannon E. Winters

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In Canada, many national, provincial, and regional policies indicate that working together within and across sectors in health and social care is necessary and expected but evidence to support this call is lacking. This dissertation study explored the concept of cross sector service provision (CSSP), defined as: independent, yet interconnected sectors working together to better meet the needs of service users and improve the quality and effectiveness of service provision. The intent was to advance our understanding of processes involved in shaping service provision offered by two or more sectors. The thesis contains three studies. A Scoping Review that explored …