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- All Subjects: Physical Activity
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ABSTRACT PHYSCIAL ACTIVITY AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING IN COLLEGE STUDENTS INTRODUCTION: Regular physical activity may increase neurological development, which has been shown to increase cognitive functioning in older adults and those with dementia. Studies have also shown physical activity and exercise may positively affect executive functioning in children. Little is known about the influence of physical activity on executive functioning in college students between the ages of 18-21 years, a population that is traditionally thought of as healthy. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the association between physical activity and executive functioning in college-aged students. We hypothesize that regular physical activity is positively associated with executive functioning scores and that this association is independent of adiposity. METHODS: Twenty males and 29 females (19.5 ± 0.1 yrs. old) participated in this study. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Executive function was assessed by Stroop Color and Word Association Test (Stroop) and Trail Making Test A & B. A verbal ability test (analogies, synonyms, antonyms) was given in order to control for intelligence. Body composition was determined by a Tanita TBF-300 Body Composition Analyzer. RESULTS: Partial correlations between physical activity/inactivity measures and measures of executive functioning were generally small (r-values ≤ 0.2) and not significant. However, there was a significant inverse correlation between log moderate physical activity minutes per week and Stroop interference scores (r=0.50, p=0.01). Also, a trend towards significance was noted for the correlation between sitting minutes per week and Stroop interference scores (r=0.4 p=0.08) CONCLUSION: These results suggest that in college students, moderate physical activity is inversely associated with executive functioning while sitting time may be positively associated with executive functioning. These findings are in contrast to previous studies in children and older adults, and may indicate a unique relationship between physical activity/inactivity and executive functioning in college students. Future studies to further examine this population in greater depth are warranted.
ContributorsBurks, Hillary (Author) / Shaibi, Gabriel (Thesis advisor) / Swan, Pamela (Committee member) / Limbers, Christine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Female college veterans face a host of struggles both personally and academically. Research that focuses primarily on female veterans’ wellness needs as they transition into civilian life is limited and this population is woefully understudied in comparison to male veterans. The purpose of this study was to describe and explore some of the wellness needs of female college veterans making the transition from military service to college/civilian life. Twelve hundred and thirty female veterans from a University Veterans Center were sent a recruitment email where 125 successfully completed a life satisfaction (Frisch, 1994), physical activity (Craig et al., 2003), resilience (Connor & Davidson, 2003), and a five-facet mindfulness (Baer et al., 2008) questionnaire. The means for this population were: Quality of life (M= 37.8), Resilience (M= 70.5), Physical Activity MET minutes (M= 4,605), and Five-facet mindfulness (M= Observing 3.50, Describing = 3.38, Acting with Awareness M= 3.02, Non-Judging of Inner Experience M= 2.98, Non-reactivity to Inner Experience M= 3.06). Resilience was significantly (p <0.01) and positively correlated to all five domains of mindfulness (range r = 0.332 – 0.534) and was negatively associated with Quality of Life (QOL) (r= -0.204). Vigorous Activity minutes and Total Met Minutes were both positively associated with QOL (r= 0.300 and r= 0.199 respectively). This population of female veterans self-reported to have very low/low life satisfaction, low resilience, and high physical activity levels. The behaviors and traits reported in these female college veterans provide important information for developing resources and potential interventions in the future.
ContributorsYu, Gladys Marie Tiu Lim (Author) / Swan, Pamela (Thesis advisor) / Sebren, Ann (Committee member) / Davis-Strong, Devi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Having accurate measurements of sedentary behaviors is important to understand relationships between sedentary behaviors and health outcomes and to evaluate changes in interventions and health promotion programs designed to reduce sedentary behaviors. This dissertation included three projects that examined measurement properties of wearable monitors used to measure sedentary behaviors. Project one examined the validity of three monitors: the ActiGraph GT3X+, activPAL™, and SenseWear 2. None of the monitors were equivalent with the criterion measure of oxygen uptake to estimate the energy cost of sedentary and light-intensity activities. The ActivPAL™ had the best accuracy as compared with the other monitors. In project two, the accuracy of ActiGraph GT3X+and GENEActiv cut-points used to assess sedentary behavior were compared with direct observation during free-living conditions. New vector magnitude cut-points also were developed to classify time spent in sedentary- and stationary behaviors during free-living conditions. The cut-points tested had modest overall accuracy to classify sedentary time as compared to direct observation. New ActiGraph 1-minute vector cut-points increased overall accuracy for classifying sedentary time. Project 3 examined the accuracy of the sedentary sphere by testing various arm elevation- and movement-count configurations using GENEActiv and ActiGraph GT3X+ data obtained during free-living conditions. None of the configurations were equivalent to the criterion measure of direct observation. The best configuration of the GENEActiv was: worn on the dominant wrist at 15 degrees below the horizontal plane with a cut-point <489 for each 15-second interval. The best configuration for the ActiGraph was: worn on the non-dominant wrist at 5° below the horizontal plane with a cut-point of <489 counts for each 15-second interval. Collectively, these findings indicate that the wearable monitors and methods examined in this study are limited in their ability to assess sedentary behaviors and light intensity physical activity. Additional research is needed to further understand the scope and limitations of wearable monitors and methods used to assess sedentary behaviors and light intensity physical activity.
ContributorsFlorez Pregonero, Argemiro Alberto (Author) / Ainsworth, Barbara E (Thesis advisor) / Buman, Matthew P (Committee member) / Hooker, Steven P (Committee member) / Keller, Colleen S (Committee member) / Swan, Pamela (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
The relationship between sleep and physical activity is an area of growing scientific interest, particularly in the context of older adults. The importance of examining long sleep duration and its influence on physical activity in this demographic becomes increasingly relevant given rising healthcare costs. This dissertation aims to investigate this intricate relationship via secondary analysis by examining the effects of moderate time-in-bed (TIB) restriction (60 minutes per night)) on various intensities of physical activity (sedentary, light, moderate, vigorous, moderate-vigorous physical activity) in older adults classified as long sleepers and average duration sleepers. It was hypothesized that moderate TIB restriction would result in differential changes in physical activity levels across various intensities, with long sleepers exhibiting increased physical activity and average sleepers displaying decreased activity, potentially influenced by alterations in TST (total sleep time) and SE (sleep efficiency). Utilizing a randomized controlled trial design, this study examined the effect of treatment changes in objectively measures activity (waist actigraphy) and subjects physical activity levels as measured by the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire . Eligible participants were long sleepers (sleeping > 9 hours per night) and average sleepers (sleeping 7-9 hours per night). Both types of sleepers were either randomized to TIB restriction or asked to maintain their average sleep patterns. Mean TIB restriction compared with baseline was 39.5 minutes in average sleepers and 52.9 minutes in long sleepers randomized to TIB restriction . Contrary to the original hypothesis, no significant effect of TIB restriction was observed across all physical activity levels in either long sleepers or average sleepers. However, a notable association was found between increased sleep efficiency (+0.09% [SD = ± 4.64%]) and light physical activity (±31 minutes [SD = ± 104.81, R=0.445, P < 0.007]) in long sleepers undergoing TIB restriction. While this study presents several methodological limitations, including its nature as a secondary analysis and the less-than-intended achievement of TIB restriction, it adds a valuable layer to the existing body of research on sleep and physical activity in older adults. The findings suggest that moderate TIB restriction may not be sufficiently impactful to change behavior in physical activity levels, thus highlighting the need for more nuanced, targeted research in this domain.
ContributorsPerry, Christopher (Author) / Youngstedt, Shawn D (Thesis advisor) / Petrov, Megan (Committee member) / Swan, Pamela (Committee member) / Buman, Matthew (Committee member) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023