ERIC Number: EJ1402748
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1043-4046
EISSN: EISSN-1522-1229
Fostering Weight Status Understanding among Exercise Science and Health Students by Simulating Common Physical Activities with Additional Body Mass
Advances in Physiology Education, v47 n3 p399-408 2023
Overweight and obesity rates continue to rise and appear unlikely to abate. While physical activity (PA) is an important contributor to health and successful weight maintenance, exercise science and health students (ESHS) often endorse negative weight status biases that could undermine PA promotion. This experiential learning activity was intended to help foster weight status understanding among ESHS. Nine ESHS completed the learning activity across two 75-minute class periods. During the initial didactic lesson, the instructor presented on psychophysiological responses to PA among normal and overweight individuals. During the second simulation lesson, the students first responded with their predictions of how the experience of four common physical activities, including shoe tying, brisk walking, running, and climbing and descending stairs, could differ with additional body mass. Next, students twice completed each of the four physical activities while first wearing a weighted vest that simulated 16 lb followed by 32 lb of additional mass. At the beginning, middle, and end of the stair climb and descent, the students provided ratings of affective valence (i.e., pleasure-displeasure). Following the PA simulations, the students wrote about their experiences and how their PA promotion strategies could be modified for overweight clients. The changes in student qualitative responses, particularly following the 32-lb simulations, suggested an increased understanding of the psychophysiological experience of PA while carrying additional mass. Learning activities like this one may be meaningful additions to ESHS curricula aiming to mitigate weight status bias and improve PA promotion among overweight clients.
Descriptors: Body Weight, Obesity, Majors (Students), Exercise, Health, Physical Activity Level, Body Composition, Knowledge Level, Physical Activities, Program Effectiveness, Student Attitudes, Undergraduate Students, Simulation
American Physiological Society. 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3991. Tel: 301-634-7164; Fax: 301-634-7241; e-mail: webmaster@the-aps.org; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2487/journal/advances
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A