The purpose of the study was to determine if perceived severity of the consequences of physical inactivity is an important component for exercise motivation in college students. The participants of the study were 581 college students who had enrolled in HSC 160, Fundamentals of Human Health, at Ball State University during the spring semester of 2001. Using a cross-sectional data collection process, participants completed a survey instrument consisting of the stages of change for exercise scale, the perceived severity of the consequences of physical inactivity scale, and demographic questions.The data were analyzed using both univariate and bivariate analyses. Specific descriptive and inferential statistic analyses were used to: 1) determine the degree of association between the participants' perceived severity and their identified stages of change for exercise, 2) examine the relationship between the stages of change for exercise and the participants' demographic characteristics, and 3) determine the difference between perceived severity of consequences of physical inactivity and the Participants' demographic characteristics. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

The investigation of youths' exercise attitudes and behaviors has been heavily researched. This study's focus was unique in that exercise attitudes and behaviors of academically accelerated and non-accelerated high school students were examined. Academic ability and sex were considered as possible influences toward physical activity attitudes and as potential predictor variables of exercise behaviors. The Revised CATPA inventory and the Attitudes Toward Exercise scale assessed subjects' exercise attitudes. A modified 7-Day Recall of Physical Activity measured the amount of time subjects spent exercising in the previous week. Results showed higher mean Revised CATPA scores for the academically accelerated and male subjects, while the ATE scores were higher among academically non-accelerated and female students. Results on the activity recall suggested that males were more physically active. A multiple regression analysis showed predictor variables of exercise. Future research ideas are discussed on differing academic groups. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

There is a need to look at the determinants of exercise behavior in adolescents, as there is a large deficit of research concerning this population. The purpose of this study was to examine Social Physique Anxiety (SPA) and the body shape of adolescents participating in a semester of physical education class. A secondary purpose was to create general profiles by combining the SPA information and the Transtheoretical Model (TM) of behavior change. Middle school students (N= 374) participated by completing a regularly scheduled physical education class and completing the Exercise Behavior Change Survey (which assessed Body Shape, SPA and TM) pre and post semester. The study revealed participation in class had no effect on SPA levels or Body Shape scores, nor did the study reveal any gender differences with these two concepts. Concerning the TM, SPA may not be a factor for progressing through the stages of change, although it may effect which processes were utilized and how one identifies the pros and cons of exercising. The Social Physique Anxiety Scale only reached an alpha of .50, possibly contributing to the lack of relationship between SPA and TM. / School of Physical Education

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of vitamin E supplementation on lipid peroxidation, muscle damage, muscle soreness and physical performance following repeated bouts of whole body resistance exercise. Eighteen active males were randomly assigned to receive either vitamin E (1200 IU per day) or placebo for 31 days. Following 21 days of supplementation, subjects engaged in 3 resistance exercise sessions, separated by 3 days rest (EX-1, EX-2 and EX-3 on days 22, 25 and 28, respectively). Plasma malondialdehyde concentrations did not peak until the morning prior to EX-3 in the vitamin E (VE) group (10.0 ± 0.6 µmol/L) and the day following EX3 in the placebo (P) group (9.6 ± 0.9 µmol/L), with no significant differences between groups. Creatine kinase activity was significantly elevated the day following EX-1 in both groups. The VE group had a near 2-fold greater CK peak as compared to the P group the day following EX-1 (404 ± 49 and 214 ± 60 U/L, respectively), but the two groups had similar CK values by day 31 (113 ± 35 and 107 ± 36 U/L, respectively). Muscle soreness was significantly increased for each group the day after EX-1 with no significant differences between groups.Furthermore, there were no significant differences between groups in muscle strength, power or endurance. The results of the present study do not indicate any positive effect of vitamin E supplementation against lipid peroxidation, muscle damage or muscle soreness as a result of repeated days of resistance exercise. In addition, vitamin E did not have an effect on muscular performance. / Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology