The problem of the study was to create a valid and reliable instrument which would measure the diabetes knowledge of college students.To reach this goal, a pool of questions containing 49 items was developed after an extensive review of the literature which addressed diabetes risk factors, diabetes knowledge, college students and health knowledge, instrument development and knowledge measurement. A nine member jury of experts composed of health education professors, those knowledgeable in instrument development, and diabetes health care providers determined content validity for the pilot test instrument which reduced the pool to 34 items. The instrument was then pilot tested on 46 Ball State University undergraduates in a personal health course. The results were analyzed and had a whole test reliability, using the Kuder-Richardson 20, of .76.General education students (n = 522) at Central Michigan and Ball State Universities were the subjects for the administration of the revised instrument. The revised instrument included 27 items. The final instrument contained 26 items and had a whole test reliability coefficient, using the Kuder-Richardson 20, of .78. In addition, it discriminated between the upper and lower 27% groups in terms of total test score, had item-test reliability coefficients of .11 or greater, and the item difficulty ranged from .17 to .87. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

The Purpose of this study was to compare the demographic characteristics, health behaviors, health beliefs, and motivation to exercise of participants and people intending to participate in a corporate fitness program with those of non-participants and people not intending to participate. Six hundred employees of Lands' End, Inc. were randomly selected and mailed a questionnaire. A total of 307 employees returned the questionnaires for analysis. Raw scores were calculated and graphed for all data of this study. The Hypotheses were then tested with a Chi-square analysis. Significant differences were found between participants and non-participants as well as between those intending to participate and those not intending to participate. Demographic characteristics proved to be of little importance as only job classification showed any difference. However, participants appeared to be slightly healthier as they had fewer sick days and visited the physician less often. Participants believed that physical activity led to good health and always used that as motivation to exercise more regularly than non-participants. Participants also used fun, self-discipline, and body attractiveness as motivation to exercise. However, even though the participants appeared to be healthier than non-participants, the development of the Activity Center led to an increase in their exercise level. Employees who indicated that they intended to participate in the next six months were most likely to be salaried and believed that eating nutritious was important for their health. Those intending to participate also listed health and fitness and fun as motivation to exercise more than those people not intending to participate. Further study is suggested. / Fisher Institute for Wellness

The purpose of this study was to explore the association among risk behaviors, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and cognitive variables in high-risk adolescents. Subjects were 82 youth (50 males and 32 females) residing in a Midwest residential treatment facility for abused, neglected, or delinquent children and adolescents. The mean age of the adolescents was 14.6 years. Self-report measures of AIDS knowledge, invulnerability, self-efficacy, locus of control, sensation seeking, and risk involvement were administered in counterbalanced order. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression analysis to examine the relation between risk behaviors and scores on invulnerability, locus of control, self-efficacy, and sensation seeking measures once age and AIDS knowledge were controlled in the initial steps. Although age and knowledge of AIDS were related positively to the likelihood of behavioral risk taking, the combination of cognitive variables explained an additional 23% of the variance in risk behaviors and accounted for the largest proportion of shared variability. Therefore, adolescents' risk behaviors appeared to be determined by their cognitive beliefs to a greater degree than by their knowledge of the consequences of such behavior. The importance of cognitive factors in the apparent behavior choices that adolescents make suggests that educational prevention programs need to consider more than just the sharing of knowledge in addressing issues of risky behavior. Instead, the perceptions of adolescents toward sensation seeking and other cognitive characteristics also must be considered. / Department of Educational Psychology

Social ideologies appeared to influence dietary behaviour, physical activity and BMI. These influences varied through different pathways in younger and older baby boomers. Studies provide insight into the segmentation of baby boomer population in relation to concrete social ideologies that could be used for policy development and effective health promotion.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-137).

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-53). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1938.

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1936.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1982.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.