Questions and Considerations for Kinesiology to Thrive (Or Survive)

Quest · 2025-05-08 · 2 citations

Preventing Type II Diabetes Through Physical Activity and Healthy Eating in Adolescents: Examining the Preliminary Effectiveness of a Health Education Curriculum

Journal of Physical Activity and Health · 2025-08-19

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the preliminary effectiveness of a health education curriculum to improve anthropometric and behavioral outcomes in adolescents. METHODS: A matched controlled quasiexperimental research design was utilized. Participants were students (N = 888; 52% female) recruited from 6 high schools. Three schools were assigned to an intervention group (n = 535) and 3 assigned to a matched control group (n = 353). The intervention's health education curriculum, Team Thrive, was delivered over 3 weeks and focused on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity. Outcomes were collected at baseline (T1), at posttest 1 day after curriculum delivery (T2), and at a 1-month follow-up (T3). Linear mixed effects models carried out a difference-in-difference analysis while controlling for covariates. RESULTS: Improvements in the intervention group compared with the control group were observed at T2 for skin carotenoids (b = 1132; 95% CI, 545-1719; P < .001), carrot consumption (b = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.41-1.42; P < .001), cups of fruit (b = 0.49; 95% CI, 0.25-0.74; P < .001), cups of vegetables (b = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.06-0.55, P = .015), step counts (b = 1123; 95% CI, 560-1688; P < .001), and strength training frequency (b = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.19-0.81; P < .01). Improvements maintained at T3 were observed for body mass index percentile (b = -1.13; 95% CI, -2.01 to -0.26; P = .01), skin carotenoids (b = 1868; 95% CI, 1286-2450; P < .001), carrot consumption (b = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.12-1.26; P = .01), and step counts (b = 1296; 95% CI, 676-1917; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: This study supported the preliminary effectiveness of the Team Thrive health education program to improve health behaviors in adolescents. Randomized trials are needed to further establish effectiveness and provide evidence for scaling up the program for population implementation.

Indoor climbing and well-being of young adults: Perspectives among indoor climbers

PLoS ONE · 2025-04-29 · 1 citations

The ongoing mental health crisis among college students raises the necessity of further research on physical, mental, and social well-being; and the role that indoor climbing can play in fostering social connection and improving mental health while also increasing physical fitness. Indoor climbing has many health benefits. Increasing numbers of young adults are involved in indoor climbing; however, research on health and indoor climbing for young adults is lacking. The objective of this qualitative study was to describe indoor climbing and its relationship with the physical, mental, and social well-being of young adults based on perceptions among indoor climbers. Thirty indoor climbers age 18-25 were interviewed from October 2023 to December 2023. The interviews were transcribed and coded using thematic methods. Most participants agreed that indoor climbing positively affected all three areas of their well-being. Themes emerged showing that climbing facilitates a sense of connection, acts as a form of mindfulness, boosts overall mental health, and encourages healthier lifestyles. The results of this study suggest indoor climbing may be effective to promote health among college students and young adults.

Effectiveness and feasibility of family and peer challenge intervention with wearable technology on physical activity among middle schoolers in Utah: A pilot trial

Preventive Medicine Reports · 2025-05-02 · 1 citations

To examine the preliminary effectiveness and feasibility of physical activity (PA) intervention in middle schoolers. This 6-week, multi-component PA intervention was conducted in Salt Lake City, Utah, between November 2021 and January 2022. The intervention included tracking daily PA using a wearable activity monitor, education on PA and health, weekly motivational videos, and group challenges within family or peer groups. Three classes from one public middle school ( N = 75; 51 % girls, aged 12–13 years) were randomly allocated into the intervention (i.e., family or peer challenges) or control groups. Changes in daily activity time between pre- and post-intervention were assessed using ActiGraph accelerometers. The feasibility of the intervention was evaluated through measures of adherence, retention, and acceptability. After the intervention, 51 (girls: 51 %; age: 13.0 ± 0.7) of all participants completed the entire study protocol. Linear mixed models showed no statistically significant differences between interventions and control in daily sedentary behavior and PA times. Adherence to the intervention was moderately high (> 60 %), with a retention of 68 %. We also observed high satisfaction with wearable technology (≥ 78 %) in middle school students. However, only 39 % of participants frequently used the mobile app for their group challenge. Wearable technology in PA intervention may be of interest to young adolescents but not effectively change youth PA behavior during a 6-week intervention. Further research with larger samples, longer intervention durations, and refined engagement strategies is required to more accurately evaluate the impact and feasibility of this intervention. • A six-week wearable tech intervention targeted middle schoolers' physical activity. • The intervention used goal setting, self-monitoring, and social support. • No significant physical activity difference was found between study groups. • High satisfaction with wearables, but Fitbit app and group challenge use were low.

Associations of an Online Health Coaching Intervention with Movement Behaviors and Perceived Health: A Mediation Analysis.

PubMed · 2024-01-01

<0.001). In conclusion, movement behaviors correlated with GH and EW, but no positive mediating associations were observed. After the health coaching session, EW mediated the association with GH and vice-versa, suggesting a bidirectional association between the two health perceptions.

Addressing Social Justice and Equity Imperatives: Exemplars of Inclusive Excellence

Kinesiology Review · 2024-10-08

Exploring The Preliminary Effect Of Physical Activity Intervention Through Family And Peer Challenge In Young Adolescents: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Trial

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2024-09-16

PURPOSE: Social support is a key component influencing physical activity (PA) in young adolescents. Given that parents and peers are major supporters of PA during adolescence, social support from parents or peers can be an effective mediator for increasing adolescents' PA levels. This study examined the preliminary effect of a family and peer challenge intervention using wearable technology on sedentary behavior (SED) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in young adolescents. METHODS: The study design was a three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial to assess a 6-week PA intervention targeted young adolescents. Three classes (51 students; 51% girls, 13.0 ± 0.7 years) within a middle school were randomly selected and then randomly allocated into one of the three groups: (a) Control, (b) Family challenge (FC), or (c) Peer challenge (PC). All participants received a Fitbit activity monitor (Inspire 2) and educational resources about the benefits of PA and self-monitoring skills. Participants in the intervention groups (FC and PC) were additionally given access to a group challenge feature within the Fitbit app that is designed to enable them to share their PA progress and provide encouragement to one another within their group. Primary outcomes were daily SED and MVPA time measured by hip-worn accelerometers. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate the intervention effects on daily SED and MVPA over time, adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: No significant intervention effect on daily SED was observed post-intervention (FC: b = - 20.7 min, 95% CI = - 54.5-14.0; PC: b = - 7.1 min, 95% CI = - 39.4-24.6). Participants in the FC and PC groups engaged in more MVPA by 11.4 min/day (95% CI = - 2.5-25.5) and 1.1 min/day (95% CI = - 12.0-14.2) than those in the control group, respectively; however, these differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Family and peer challenge strategies via the wearable device and its accompanying mobile app did not effectively improve young adolescents' PA. However, the intervention effects are still inconclusive due to the small sample size. Further investigations with appropriate statistical power are needed to determine if these changes lead to the statistical significance that can support intervention effectiveness.

Convergent Validity of Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 and Fitbit Ace 3 for Monitoring Daily Physical Activity of Children

Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science · 2024-10-23

This study aimed to assess the agreement in physical activity (PA) estimates from Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 (VFJ 3) and Fitbit Ace 3 (Ace 3) with a research-grade accelerometer (wGT3X-BT) in children under free-living conditions. Twenty-five children (Girls: 56%, Age: 10.1 ± 2.5 years, BMI: 17.1 ± 2.4 kg/m²) performed daily activities for 7 consecutive days while wearing VFJ 3, Ace 3, and wGT3X-BT. Pearson correlations, Bland–Altman plots, mean percent error (MPE), mean absolute percent error (MAPE), and equivalence tests were conducted to evaluate the agreement of VFJ 3 and Ace 3 with wGT3X-BT. VFJ 3 and Ace 3 had strong positive correlations (range: <em>r</em> = 0.71 to 0.95) with wGT3X-BT in estimating steps and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and provided relatively valid estimates for daily steps. Although Ace 3 had no systematic bias and a low group measurement error (MPE: −10.1%) in estimating MVPA, VFJ 3 consistently overestimated daily MVPA. Collectively, VFJ 3 and Ace 3 can be valid devices to monitor children’s PA levels with daily step counts.<br>

Goal Setting Moderates Behavior Change Outcomes in College Students After an Online Health Coaching Intervention

American Journal of Health Education · 2024-05-02 · 1 citations

Background Health coaching sessions that incorporate goal setting may help improve college students' health behaviors.

Leveraging Resources Through Interdisciplinary Partnerships

Kinesiology Review · 2024-12-31 · 1 citations

In 2014, the College of Health at the University of Utah hired a new dean, who was charged with increasing research productivity (e.g., extramural funding). This paper highlights several ways that the Department of Health and Kinesiology (more broadly the College of Health) leveraged resources through interdisciplinary partnerships to meet this challenge. More specifically, the paper highlights efforts to develop new research space, explore partnerships with other units and initiatives on campus to recruit and retain faculty, and use existing programming on campus to strengthen the research infrastructure. It also illustrates changes in policies that enabled this research expansion.