Exercise Science Commons^™

The Real-Time Classification Of Competency Swimming Activity Through Machine Learning, Larry Powell, Seth Polsley, Drew Casey, Tracy Hammond

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Every year, an average of 3,536 people die from drowning in America. The significant factors that cause unintentional drowning are people’s lack of water safety awareness and swimming proficiency. Current industry and research trends regarding swimming activity recognition and commercial motion sensors focus more on lap swimming utilized by expert swimmers and do not account for freeform activities. Enhancing swimming education through wearable technology can aid people in learning efficient and effective swimming techniques and water safety. We developed a novel wearable system capable of storing and processing sensor data to categorize competitive and survival swimming activities on a mobile …

Employment With The Northwest Territories Aquatics Program: A Significant Life Event?, Sebastien Denize, Audrey R. Giles

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

For over 60 years, the Northwest Territories Aquatics Program (NWTAP) has employed university students from southern Canada with little to no exposure to northern Canada to run seasonal swimming pools and waterfronts in isolated northern communities. In this article, we examine the impact that working for this program had on nine former employees’ lives and whether or not working for the NWTAP could be categorized as a significant life experience. We used thematic analysis of the data from retrospective semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires and identified four themes: (1) employment by the NWTAP enhanced the employees’ self-confidence, independence, and self-efficacy; …

An Interactive Game With Virtual Reality Immersion To Improve Cultural Sensitivity In Health Care, Paul J. Hershberger, Yong Pei, Timothy N. Crawford, Sabrina M. Neeley, Thomas Wischgoll, Dixit B. Patel, Miteshkumar M. Vasoya, Angie Castle, Sankalp Mishra, Lahari Surapaneni, Aman A. Pogaku, Aishwarya Bositty, Todd Pavlack

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

Purpose: Biased perceptions of individuals who are not part of one's in-groups tend to be negative and habitual. Because health care professionals are no less susceptible to biases than are others, the adverse impact of biases on marginalized populations in health care warrants continued attention and amelioration.Method: Two characters, a Syrian refugee with limited English proficiency and a black pregnant woman with a history of opioid use disorder, were developed for an online training simulation that includes an interactive life course experience focused on social determinants of health, and a clinical encounter in a community health center utilizing virtual reality …

Effects Of A Demand-Valve Scuba Regulator On Cardiorespiratory Response During Submaximal Exercise Under Normobaric Conditions: A Preliminary Investigation, Christopher R. Kovacs Ph.D., Camille Dhom B.S.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

SCUBA diving fatalities are often related to cardiac events triggered by stress linked to equipment. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of a SCUBA regulator on cardiorespiratory exercise at a submaximal workload. Ten participants (mean = 21.5 yrs; s.d. = 1.16) completed two submaximal exercise tests at 1 ATA; one while breathing normally and a second while breathing directly from a demand valve SCUBA regulator. Total time to test completion (TOT), heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and arterial oxygen levels were all assessed. No significant differences between conditions were found …

Eyes Save Lives Water Safety Program For Parents And Caregivers: Program Design And Pilot Evaluation From Southern California, Rachel Love-Smith, William A. Koon, Lauren Tabios, Scott M. Bartell

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Despite expert consensus and evidence-based preventative strategies against drowning, limited formal study exists on translating recommendations into practical and effective interventions. This paper describes the design of an education-based drowning prevention intervention and reports results from a pilot evaluation of the program’s effect on self-reported water-safe behaviors, attitudes, self-efficacy, and knowledge. Parents and caregivers attending children’s swim lessons in July and August 2018 participated in a brief water-safety education program. A pre-post-test design evaluated "Theory of Planned Behavior" indicators to assess for changes. We found significant increases in scores related to water safety knowledge, attitudes on maintaining arms reach distance …

Efficacy Of Flotation Aids Attached To The Pelvis And Thighs Of Beginning Swimmers, Yasunori Watanabe, Shin-Ichiro Moriyama, Kohji Wakayoshi

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The study aimed to experimentally verify the efficacy of wearing flotation aids to add buoyancy from the pelvis to the side of the thigh on the swimming performance of beginning swimmers who were capable of swimming around 25 meters at a time. The study recruited seven male university students who were members of the Physical Education Department and who lacked experience in specialized swimming instruction. The study found statistical difference in prone flotation between the use of flotation aids (7.27±1.92 sec) and without flotation aids (3.50±0.72 sec). During swimming for distance in a 5 min. swim test, we found statistical …

Do Water Safety Lessons Improve Water Safety Knowledge?, Michael J. Tipton, Joseph Muller, Cristian Abelairas Gomez, Jo Corbett

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

A person, usually a child or young adult, dies by drowning every 90 seconds around the planet. Most drowning prevention initiatives do not assess the efficacy of the intervention. In this study, thirteen- to fourteen-year-olds had their level of water safety knowledge (covering cold shock, rips and tides) assessed before, just after, and 3-6 months after one, 25-minute water safety lesson on these topics. We evaluated the knowledge gained and retained on water safety “awareness” (i.e., knowledge of risks) and “confidence” in terms of knowing what to do in an emergency. The results demonstrated that the lesson significantly increased water …

The Ripple Effect: ‘Training The Trainer’ On The Impact Of Body Image Through A Dance/Movement Therapy Technique, Marina Gearhart

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis describes the capstone project which was a psychoeducation and experiential workshop for fitness trainers. The workshop investigated the impact trainers’ work may have on the body image of their clients through a dance/movement therapy (DMT) technique. The aim was to enhance the trainers’ sensitivity around body image issues of their clients and to create a space for vulnerable movement conversation that may in turn lead to better mental health advocacy for their clients within the scope of ethical practice. The participants of the workshop were six white female identifying trainers ranging from 24 to 35 years of age. …

From Professor To Patient X, Anne R. Crecelius

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

I walked into the classroom feeling nervous. It wasn't my first time teaching undergraduate students about human endocrine physiology. I knew the material well. But today's lecture was different. I pulled up slides depicting a hypothetical cancer patient and told them, “Patient X had a biopsy that detected invasive carcinoma in her breast.” I described the many months of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation treatments she went through before going into remission. Then I taught the students about the hormonal therapy she was prescribed—drugs her doctor hoped would limit the growth of any remaining cancer cells and prevent a recurrence. On …

Impact Of A Summer Nutrition And Physical Activity Intervention To Attenuate Obesity In Urban African-American Youth, Jermaine B. Mitchell, Antonio J. Gardner, Zachary Wahl-Alexander, Ben Schwamberger, Douglas Craddock Jr., Carol N. Agomo, Myia C. Lang

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Improved eating behaviors and daily participation in physical activity such as swimming might abate the likelihood of African American youth becoming obese. Yet many African American youth neither consume the recommended daily servings of nutritious foods nor know how to swim. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a culturally tailored multicomponent summer intervention to reduce obesity and unintentional drownings among underserved African American youth. Children (n = 145) participated in a three-hour, community-based intervention for four weeks. Measures of children’s attitudes perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms toward swimming, nutrition, and physical fitness were …

Characteristics Of Physiology And Physiology-Related Pre-Health Degree Programs In The Physiology Majors Interest Group, Yvonne Ogrodzinski, Erica A. Wehrwein, Kevin Kelly, James M. Poteracki, Valerie Vanryn, Anne R. Crecelius

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

The Physiology Majors Interest Group (P-MIG), a grassroots organization of educators, has collected data on the history and characteristics of Physiology and highly related undergraduate programs (ex: Human Biology, Pre-Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, etc.) that serve a common population of prehealth students. Data was obtained as part of an online survey sent out to P-MIG conference attendees at the 2017-2019 annual meetings (n=30). Participating institutions indicate that 25.9% have degrees called Physiology aligned with 28% being housed in a department of physiology, 75.9% are a Bachelor of Science program, 34.9% are affiliated with a College of Arts and Sciences, and 80% …

Getting In: Safe Water Entry Competencies, Kevin Moran Dr, Jennifer Blitvich, Lauren Petrass, Keith Mcelroy

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

In high income countries, jumping and diving into water are a small but persistent cause of death and serious injury especially among male youth and young adults. Although water entries maintain a high media profile, little is known about what entry competencies and underlying water safety knowledge youth bring to this practice. Undergraduates enrolled in aquatics (N= 76) completed a survey before attempting 7 entry jumping and diving tasks. While safety attitudes and self-reported behaviours were generally good, considerable variation in practical entry competence was evident. Most completed a deep-water compact jump (87%) and PFD jump (88%) with …

Perceptions Of Water Competencies, Drowning Risk And Aquatic Participation Among Older Adults, Teresa Stanley, Kevin Moran

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

New Zealand has an aging population and, despite falling drowning tolls in all other age groups (WSNZ, 2019c), older adults have continued to drown in both increasing numbers and proportion. The reasons for this are not well understood since very little drowning research has focused on older people. A water safety survey (N = 389) seeking information on older adults’ aquatic recreational practices and perceptions of safety was conducted at the end of the summer season, 2019. Most adults (86%, n = 335) reported some aquatic activity in the previous year, but those aged 65+ years (66%) were significantly …

The Lifeguard Rescue Reporting System: Survey Results From A Collaborative Data Collection Method, William D. Ramos, Roy Fielding, Kristina R. Anderson, Peter G. Wernicki Md

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Several water safety organizations have attempted to improve reporting regarding lifeguard actions in order to better understand the characteristics of successful, non-fatal rescues. In 2003, a collective effort initiated the Lifeguard Rescue Reporting System, an online survey distributed to lifeguards and facility managers across the United States and Canada to better understand rescue actions performed in pools/spas, water parks, and open water areas. After seven years of data collection, the online survey accumulated data reflecting 1,676 rescue actions, collecting information including location, victim characteristics and outcome, rescuer characteristics and strategies, and other general circumstances. Descriptive results indicated that at least …

In This Issue (13:2), Stephen J. Langendorfer Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

front matter to Volume 13, Issue 2

The 2019 P-Mig Student Survey Report And Capturing The Undergraduate Perspective Of Physiology Programming, Jennifer Rogers, Jenny L. Mcfarland, Claudia I. Stanescu, Patrick L. Crosswhite, Anne R. Crecelius

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

The aim of the 2019 Student Survey was to inform the Physiology Majors Interest Group (PMIG) of characteristics of undergraduates enrolled in physiology courses or degree programs from across the United States, to be used as one input source for development of program-level guidelines. 1389 participants from seven universities completed the 2019 P-MIG Student Survey. 37% reported enrollment in a physiology/human physiology major; allied health related programs were the second most common (24%). 61% of respondents reported attending a community college, the majority of whom enrolled in one or more courses at a community college while in high school (44%). …

Changes In Lifeguards’ Hazard Detection And Eye Movements With Experience: Is One Season Enough?, Jennifer Smith, Geoff Long, Peter Dawes, Oliver Runswick, Michael J. Tipton

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Surveillance is key to the lifesaving capability of lifeguards. Experienced personnel consistently display enhanced hazard detection capabilities compared to less experienced counterparts. However, the mechanisms which underpin this effect and the time it takes to develop these skills are not understood. We hypothesized that, after one season of experience, the number of hazards detected by, and eye movements of, less experienced lifeguards (LEL) would more closely approximate experienced lifeguards (EL). The LEL watched ‘beach scene’ videos at the beginning and end of their first season. The number of hazards detected and eye-movement data were collected and compared to the EL …

Advising Physiology Students: Perceptions From The Programs, Anne R. Crecelius, Patrick L. Crosswhite

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

Academic advising outcomes can be linked to both student success and retention. Yet relatively little is known specifically related to advising in physiology programs. Pro- fessional organizations dedicated to academic advising in general, and more specifically advising future health professional students exist, yet, whether current physiology programs utilize these resources remains unknown, as does a number of other demographic informa- tion about advising in physiology programs. Here we present data gathered from a sample of physiology educators to inform what current advising practices of physiology students are. Forty-five re- spondents from a variety of institutions and programs provided information on …

The Case For Coordinating Efforts To Establish Program Guidelines And Strengthen Physiology Undergraduate Degree Programs, Erica A. Wehrwein, Lisa C. Anderson, Anne R. Crecelius, Claudia I. Stanescu, James M. Poteracki, John R. Halliwill, Nancy M. Aguilar-Roca, Jennifer Rogers

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

Undergraduate degree programs named “Physiology” have existed for over 50 yr. The number of programs and enrolled students have been growing since ~2005 (5, 9). There are many thousands of students currently enrolled in physiology pro- grams across the United States and indeed across the world. Despite the long history and current popularity of the physiol- ogy major, there is no coordinated plan articulated for the design, administration, or assessment of degree programs in physiology at the undergraduate level.

Although several professional societies have invested in under- graduate physiology education in various ways, none has under- taken the task of …

The Ocean Lifeguard Intervention Continuum: A Cognitive Aid For Surf Lifeguard Education, William A. Koon, Ryan M. Gates, Shane Scoggins, Paul Andrus, Jack A. Futoran

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Ocean lifeguards are constantly engaged in beach risk analysis, required to efficiently evaluate a variety of environmental and other factors quickly in order to triage and prioritize who needs help. Teaching these skills is a challenge for introductory training programs. We sought to improve new lifeguards’ understanding of the interaction of various risk components in the beach environment and aid decision-making related to when a lifeguard should intervene in a situation. We developed a two-part cognitive aid for introductory ocean lifeguard education depicting individual and interacting elements of a beach goer’s risk of drowning or injury and the process by …

Promising Practices For Boating Safety Initiatives That Target Indigenous Peoples In New Zealand, Australia, The United States Of America, And Canada, Mitchell Crozier, Audrey R. Giles

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Boating-related incidents are responsible for a significant number of the drowning fatalities that occur within Indigenous communities in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, and Canada. The aim of this paper was to identify promising practices for boating safety initiatives that target Indigenous peoples within these countries and evaluate past and ongoing boating safety initiatives delivered to/with Indigenous peoples within these countries to suggest the ways in which they – or programs that follow them - may be more effective. Based upon evidence from previous research, boating safety initiatives that target Indigenous peoples in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, and Canada …

Swimming Pool Environment And Respiratory Health Issues Experienced By Masters Swimmers: Results From A Literature Review And Survey Of United States Masters Swimming Clubs, Jody C. Gan, Julia Snegg, William Harder

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

After three members of a Masters adult swim club died of lung cancer, both a literature review and survey were conducted with representatives from 746 United States Masters Swimming clubs to explore a possible relationship between swimming and cancers of the respiratory tract. Six other clubs reported known cancers of the respiratory tract among club members, but none of the other 740 clubs reported a similar cluster of lung cancer. More clubs reported cases of chronic respiratory infections and widespread complaints about air quality. While no studies exploring a relationship between swimming and lung cancer could be found in the …

Staff Training In Aquatics For Individuals With Disabilities: The Quest, Susan J. Grosse

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Trained instructors in general programs have the ability and resources to initiate and follow through with developing water safe individuals who are capable swimmers. Specific staff training to prepare individuals to facilitate aquatic participation for individuals with disabilities is currently extremely limited. The purpose of this article is to examine the barriers to specialized staff training in aquatics for individuals with disabilities, to suggest necessary staff training content, and to propose topics for further research in the area of staff training. Seeking development of quality staff training programs for those working in aquatics for individuals with disabilities is the quest.

Wai Puna: An Indigenous Model Of Māori Water Safety And Health In Aotearoa, New Zealand, Chanel Phillips Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Māori (the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, New Zealand) are intimately connected to wai (i.e., water) yet are overrepresented in New Zealand’s drowning statistics each year. On average Māori account for 20-24% of all preventable and non-preventable drowning fatalities, despite comprising only 15 percent of New Zealand’s population. Drowning remains a significant issue posing a threat to whānau (i.e., families) through premature death being imminent and whakapapa (i.e., genealogy) being interrupted. There is limited research that has examined Māori and indigenous understandings of water safety within the literature and limited studies that have investigated the issue of Māori drowning from a …

Training Evaluation For Introductory Ocean Lifeguard Instruction: A Practical Example From California, William A. Koon, Ryan M. Gates, Jack Futoran

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Ocean lifeguards have several responsibilities that require precise training. California State Parks is one of the largest providers of open water lifeguard services in the United States, and trains approximately 200 new lifeguards per year. As part of our lifeguard training section’s quality improvement efforts, we conducted a training needs assessment to help determine how well our introductory ocean lifeguard training curriculum prepared lifeguards to perform job related tasks upon successful completion of the training program. We surveyed both first year and seasoned lead lifeguards on operational needs, training gaps, and specific subject areas. We identified several areas where our …

Socio-Ecological Nature Of Drowning In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Review To Inform Health Promotion Approaches, Muthia Cenderadewi, Richard Charles Franklin, Susan Devine

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Most deaths by drowning (91%) have occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Southeast Asia (35%) and Africa (20%), in proportion to total drowning deaths worldwide. Poor data collection in LMICs hinders the planning, implementation, and evaluation of prevention strategies. The objective of this study was to review the rates and risk factors of unintentional drowning in LMICs and to identify drowning prevention strategies within a socio-ecological health promotion framework. A systematic search, guided by PRISMA, was conducted on Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Informit health, PsycINFO (ProQuest), Scopus, SafetyLit, Google Scholar, and BioMed Central databases for all relevant studies …

Evaluation Of A Drowning Prevention Campaign In A Vietnamese American Community, Linda Quan Md, Elena Shephard Md, Elizabeth Bennett Ches, Mph

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

To address Washington State’s high pediatric fatal drowning rates in Asian children, especially Vietnamese, we conducted and evaluated a community water safety campaign for Vietnamese American families. Working with community groups, parks departments and public health, we disseminated three messages (learn to swim, swim with a lifeguard, and wear a life jacket) in Vietnamese media and at events, increased access to free/low cost swim lessons and availability of lifeguarded settings and life jackets in the community. Parents completed 168 pre- and 230 post-intervention self-administered, bilingual surveys. Significantly more post-intervention compared to pre-intervention respondents had heard water safety advice …

Aquatic Therapy Interventions And Disability: A Recreational Therapy Perspective, Jason Scott, Angela Wozencroft, Vincenzo Nocera, Kelsey Webb, Jodi Anderson, Avery Blankenburg, Darrien Watson, Sophie Lowe

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Aquatic therapy interventions are critical for individuals with disabilities and the role of the therapist is just as critical for successful and effective interventions. The field of therapeutic recreation trains students to develop and implement evidence-based facilitation techniques including the use of aquatic therapy to assist in helping clients achieve a change in functional status. This review of the literature examined the impact of aquatic therapy interventions on a variety of disabilities including osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis, Cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, and mental health from a recreational therapy (RT) perspective. This review provides a variety of information on the positive …

Association Of Drowning Mortality With Preventive Interventions: A Quarter Of A Million Deaths Evaluation In Brazil, David Szpilman, Danielli B. Mello, Ana Catarina Queiroga, Rogerio Ferreira Emygdio Rfe

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

In 2015, drowning in Brazil was responsible for 6,043 deaths and was the second leading cause of death in children. Although several prevention strategies have been promoted to reduce drowning, most are still based on low levels of evidence. This study evaluated the effectiveness of prevention and water safety interventions in reducing drowning mortality. Data obtained from the National Mortality System for 36 years were split in two time periods to allow the comparison of drowning mortality numbers before and after implementation of SOBRASA’s drowning prevention and water safety programs and to check for any positive effects attributable to such …

Where Do We Go From Here? A Forward-Thinking Vision For Physiology Undergraduate Education, Nancy M. Aguilar-Roca, Lisa C. Anderson, Anne R. Crecelius, Michelle B. French, Katie Johnson, Jenny L. Mcfarland, Jennifer Rogers, Claudia I. Stanescu, Erica A. Wehrwein

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

This paper is a summary of the special collection of papers in Advances in Physiology Education dedicated to the Physiology Majors Interest Group (P-MIG). P-MIG is a new and vibrant community (1, 2) of educators and administrators who are united by the common goal of creating physiology courses, curricula and programs that will prepare our students for the future. It is an independent consortium that welcomes anyone interested in physiology education at the level of the undergraduate degree in physiology and physiology-related fields. As demonstrated by this special collection of papers of Advances in Physiology Education, P-MIG has already made …