). However, substantial numbers of college students do not participate in moderate (25%) or vigorous (40.6%) physical activity or incorporate strength training (55.7%; American College Health Association [ACHA], 2012a ). Thus, to address weight gain, universities have begun to implement interventions
Search Results
The Application of Optimal Defaults to Physical Education Courses in College Students: A Simulation Study
Julie DiMatteo, Cynthia Radnitz, Katharine L. Loeb, and Jingwen Ni
An Interdisciplinary Approach to a Well-Rounded Campus Healthcare Delivery System
Shari D. Bartz-Smith and Amy Campbell
An injury care clinic (ICC) as part of a comprehensive campus-wide healthcare system is a cost-effective way to optimize the flow of patient care utilizing a collaborative model of healthcare in a time of physician shortage. Services include: basic first aid, injury evaluation, acute injury care, basic rehabilitation, preventative techniques including taping and stretching, and professional referrals. The ICC provides care to previously underserved campus community members, focusing on: club sport and intramural athletes, recreation center users, and the general student body, in addition to faculty and staff, going beyond the varsity athlete. The ICC functions through the efforts of athletic trainers, physicians, fitness specialists, administrators, faculty, and students across disciplines. After 3 years, the clinic has serviced more than 2,500 unique patients exceeding 4,800 patient encounters, demonstrating outcomes that access to affordable healthcare options with a licensed healthcare provider are warranted and needed.
Relationships Among Meeting Physical-Activity Guidelines and Health Risk Behaviors
Ashley Walker, Jody Langdon, and Krystina Johnson
Background:
Young adults have the highest participation in physical activity but also have the highest incidence rates of binge drinking, cigarette smoking, and smokeless tobacco use. We examined these factors to determine whether there are relationships among physical activity and health risk behaviors.
Methods:
We conducted correlation and χ2 analyses using the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment fall 2009 data set (N = 34,208) to examine the relationship among meeting physical-activity guidelines, binge drinking, and tobacco use among survey participants.
Results:
The data suggest a positive relationship between meeting physical-activity guidelines and binge drinking, with the strongest relationship between those reporting binge drinking 4 times in a 2-week period. Meeting physical-activity guidelines was negatively associated with cigarette use but positively associated with all other types of tobacco use.
Conclusion:
Associations between physical activity and binge-drinking episodes indicate a need to address the relationship between heavy drinking and alcohol dependence and physical-activity behavior patterns. Further studies should examine relationships between physical activity and binge drinking in other age groups. Results also suggest the need to examine differing associations between physical activity and types of tobacco use.
An Evaluation of a College Exercise Leader Program: Using Exercise Science Students as Advocates for Behavior Modification
Shelley Nicole Armstrong, Daniel R. Henderson, Brian M. Williams, and Michelle M. Burcin
Background:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate a college’s exercise leadership program, which was developed to help students, faculty and staff implement behavior changes necessary to begin and maintain a comprehensive exercise program.
Methods:
From 2006–2011, a total 66 subjects were recruited and each was assigned to a student exercise leader. Based on comprehensive baseline assessments, each student designed an individualized exercise program for his/her subject. At program completion, the subjects were reassessed.
Results:
Paired t tests were used to find significant statistical changes (P < .05) among the fitness components. Significant changes as a function of the 6-week exercise program were observed in body weight, body fat percentage, waist circumference, 1-mile walk time, sit-ups, push-ups, and trunk flexion.
Conclusions:
Getting started is the most difficult step, but beginning an exercise program has immediate benefits. Institutions of higher education are addressing issues of wellness as a means for increasing graduation, retention, and productivity rates among their campus constituents. These efforts are part of a collaborative effort initiated by the American College Health Association known as Healthy Campus 2020. The findings from this study have a direct impact on programmatic efforts.
Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity and Weight Status in Rural University Students
Joey C. Eisenmann, R. Todd Bartee, and Krystal D. Damori
Purpose:
The purposes of this study were (a) to describe the prevalence of participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and overweight and obesity, and (b) to examine the associations between physical activity and weight status in a sample of university students from a rural university.
Methods:
Data from a representative sample of 773 (361 women, 412 men) students participating in the National College Health Assessment Survey were examined. MVPA and height and body mass were self-reported. The body-mass index (BMI) was derived and used to classify subjects as normal, overweight, or obese.
Results:
Approximately 20% of students were inactive (0 d/wk), and 23% met the recommended amount of MVPA (≥5 d/wk). Prevalence of overweight and obesity was, respectively, 35.7% and 8.5% in men and, respectively, 15.6% and 8.2% in women. Analysis of variance revealed the mean BMI was not significantly different across levels of MVPA. Odds ratios showed higher levels of MVPA were significantly associated with lower risk of obesity in men but not women.
Conclusion:
A large percentage of subjects are inactive or insufficiently active, and self-reported moderate to vigorous physical activity is significantly related to risk of obesity in men. Future studies should measure habitual physical activity or energy expenditure and body composition. Additional factors affecting obesity, such as television viewing and other sedentary behaviors, dietary intake, and heritability, should also be considered.
The Kids Are Alright—Right? Physical Activity and Mental Health in College Students
Steven J. Petruzzello and Allyson G. Box
activity courses offered by departments, is through the building of relatively lavish recreation centers for students, with the hope that students will use them for their physical activity needs. Data compiled from American College Health Association from Fall 2008 to Spring 2019, using the National
Collegiate Student-Athlete Psychological Distress and Counseling Utilization During COVID-19
Lindsey E. Slavin, Tess M. Palmateer, Trent A. Petrie, and E. Whitney G. Moore
collected within the American College Health Association survey between Fall 2015 and Fall 2017 ( ACHA, 2018 ), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) identified 14,134 student-athletes who provided information about their mental health. They found that 12% of male student-athletes and 18% of
The Temporal Association Between Physical Activity and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: A Longitudinal Within- and Between-Person Investigation
Oliver W.A. Wilson, Scott Graupensperger, M. Blair Evans, and Melissa Bopp
Fruit and vegetable consumption were assessed using the items from the National College Health Assessment, 43 which have demonstrated reliability and validity, 44 that asked (separately) how many servings of fruits and vegetables participants consume per day on a 7-point scale ranging from 0 to 6 or
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US College Students’ Physical Activity and Mental Health
Oliver W.A. Wilson, Kelsey E. Holland, Lucas D. Elliott, Michele Duffey, and Melissa Bopp
, programs, and practices to facilitate the promotion of college students’ PA and mental health. References 1. American College Health Association . American College Health Association—National College Health Assessment II: Reference Group Data Report Fall 2019 . Silver Spring, MD: American College Health
National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletic Departments’ Mental Health Screening Practices: Who, What, When, and How
Megan Drew, Trent A. Petrie, and Tess Palmateer
(ages 18–25 years; SAMHSA, 2019 ). According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 26.3% of young adults endorsed experiencing a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder during that year ( SAMHSA, 2019 ). Among college students, as assessed through The American College Health Association
