Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Advancing Knowledge Of Exercise As A Therapeutic Management Strategy For Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Pamela J. Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy among premenopausal women with a prevalence that ranges 15-21%. The estimated financial burden in the United States for evaluating and treating premenopausal women with PCOS was over $8 billion in 2020. PCOS etiology is complex and poorly understood, as is the optimal treatment and management. Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend exercise as first-line treatment. Yet, the optimal exercise type and “dosing” are not defined. As last reported for women with PCOS, less than 60% are regularly physically active and more than 25% are sedentary. Additionally, little to no published data …

Understanding Wellness In A University Setting: Insight Through The Experiences Of Frequently, Physically Active Students Engaged In Resistance Training, Alia T. Sadek, Payal Shah, Michael Lagomarsine

Senior Theses

The health and wellness of undergraduate students at the local and national level is a growing public health concern, especially as college enrollment rates increase. Although wellness-based approaches are utilized to improve undergraduate health, current methods and adopted frameworks vary and lack conformity across universities making it difficult to identify effective means to improving this issue. One aim of this study was to explore a novel method of understanding wellness at the undergraduate level using both a traditional wellness questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Using these methods, the wellness of undergraduate students attending a large, south-eastern university was evaluated across two …

Be Your Best S.E.L.F., Rachel Wood, Casey Hasenbein

Senior Theses

The goal of our thesis was to use our knowledge as Exercise Science students and personal trainers to improve the health of an underserved population in South Carolina. We created a voluntary exercise and self-defense program for the girls residing at Epworth Children’s Home. The program began on October 1, 2018 and concluded on April 29, 2019 with data collecting taking place between October 8th and March 18th. Every other week SASS Defense taught their self-defense program, and on the alternating weeks we facilitated an exercise class. The program also included a mentorship aspect to create a supportive social environment …

Working It Out: An Examination Of Modern Exercise Culture As Displayed On A College Campus, Mary Bolgan

Senior Theses

When asked to describe, as simplistically as possible, what one believes to be the most basic needs for human survival, it is likely that a few concepts will come up repeatedly: food, shelter, and procreation. In modern times, barriers to these needs tend to be financial resource. However, this has not always been the case. In primitive times, a third necessity would be needed to survive, that being a certain degree of physical fitness. To obtain food and build shelter, our ancestors had to have a great deal of physical competency to be able to hunt, gather, build, and keep …

Disc Golf As A Public Health Option: Utilizing America's Natural Resources To Offer Low Cost Outdoor Exercise, Victor Martins

Senior Theses

This paper explores the appeal and growth potential of disc golf as a way to offer a fun and immersive exercise experience. In a time when the United States is a world leader in obesity, understanding issues like appeal, exercise motivation and accessibility are important as the country looks to redirect itself towards a healthier future. In order to understand what brings disc golfers in, a survey of player motivations across demographic groups was completed using a rated average system. In doing so, researchers gained insight and verification of the game’s appeal under the framework of previous public health and …

Mcp-1 In Colorectal Cancer: Benefits Of Exercise, Jamie Lee Mcclellan

Theses and Dissertations

The etiology of colon cancer is a complex phenomenon that involves both genetic and environmental factors. However, only about 20% have a familial basis with the largest fraction being attributed to environmental causes that can lead to chronic inflammation. Tumors associated macrophages drive the pro-inflammatory response in the tumor micro-environment and are associated with poor prognosis in certain cancers. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) is thought to be the most important chemokine for recruitment of macrophages to the tumor microenvironment. In chapter 1, we examined the timing and magnitude of the intestinal inflammatory cytokine response in relation to tumorigenesis in …

Bodypump And The Rep Effect: An Instructor's Evaluation Of The Low-Weight, High-Repetition Group Exercise Program, Meredith Pritchett

Senior Theses

My senior thesis project was to become a certified Les Mills BODYPUMP instructor. In order to obtain my certification I had to go through training, which was paid for by the University of South Carolina. Training was a mentally and physically demanding weekend full of lifting weights and learning everything there is to know about BODYPUMP techniques, choreography, and coaching. Afterwards, I had sixty days to send in a video of myself teaching the class to a group of participants in order for my teaching skills to be evaluated by Les Mills. I passed my evaluation and am now a …

Inactive To Active: A Positive Life Change, William Mclachlan

Senior Theses

Not only has research unanimously supported the claim that physical activity is good for you, it is an idea that many people see as wide-spread enough to be considered banal. However, at a time when the United States is facing rising rates of obesity (Haskell et al., 2007), it is important to appreciate the importance of that information. In order to gain a personal understanding of the importance of physical activity, I engaged in resistance training five days per week and an additional four hours and 40 minutes, on average, of other physical activities, including yoga, stretching, and tennis, for …

Food Insecurity And Physical Activity Among U.S. Populations, Quyen G. To

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Examine the association between food insecurity (FI) and physical activity (PA) in the U.S. population.

Methods: Accelerometry (PAM) and self-report PA (PAQ) data from NHANES 2003-2006 were used. Those aged less than six years or were older than 65 years, pregnant, with physical limitations, or with family income above 350% of the poverty line were excluded. FI was measured by the USDA Household Food Security Survey Module. Crude and adjusted odd ratios were calculated from logistic regression to identify the association between FI and adherence to the PA recommendation. Crude and adjusted coefficients were calculated from linear regression to …

The Effect Of Cancer Cachexia Severity And Eccentric Muscle Contractions On Selected Myofiber Metabolic Properties In Mouse Skeletal Muscle, Joshua Earl Mangum

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cachexia is a complex syndrome that induces skeletal muscle wasting and dysregulation of skeletal muscle metabolism. Alterations in area of myofibers and myofiber metabolic properties can significantly impact the function of skeletal muscle. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of cachexia severity and resistance exercise training on frequency and area of selected myofiber metabolic characteristics during cachexia-induced myofiber atrophy. Male ApcMin/+ (Min) mice were studied during the progression of cachexia (16-20 weeks of age) and stratified into groups based on the severity of cachexia. For the second study, male Min mice performed resistance exercise (RE) …