Human papillomavirus (HPV) affects at least half of all sexually active people, especially those aged 20-24 years. Gynecological exams are instrumental in cervical cancer prevention due to the early detection of abnormal cervical cells often caused by HPV. Despite the many benefits of gynecological exams, they continue to be underused. Women are often unaware of exam guidelines, procedures, and costs. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used to predict and explain exam behaviors. A woman’s decision to seek gynecological care may be influenced by numerous factors, including: genital self-image, body image and sexual behaviors. The purpose of this study was to: 1) determine if the TPB explains and predicts exam behaviors, 2) assess if genital self-image, body image and sexual behaviors predict exam behaviors, and 3) evaluate the reliability and validity of data collected on the Female Genital Self-Image Scale (FGSIS) among a sample of female college students. The study included a convenience sample of 450 women enrolled in health-related courses at a large Southern university in the US. SEM analyses revealed gynecological exam intention was a successful predictor of exam behaviors: Χ2 (81, N = 450) = 258.49, p <> <> <> .001, RMSEA = 0.07, CFI = 0.96 and NFI = 0.95. The addition of genital self-image to the TPB model yielded similar fit indices; however, the TPB alone appears to be more predictive of exam behaviors. Predictive discriminant analysis (PDA) was used to indicate the predictor, or group of predictors, best suited to predict gynecological exam behavior. PDA results indicate the number of vaginal intercourse partners during the past 3-months was most predictive (hit rate = 68.2%). A CFA yielded a two-factor FGSIS model: Χ2 (12, N = 450) = 49.77, p <> .001, RMSEA = 0.08, CFI = 0.98 and NFI = 0.97. Reliability assessments indicated very good internal consistency for the entire scale (α = 0.89), for factor one (α = 0.86) and factor two (α = 0.82). Results have implications for the development of sexual health and women’s health programs targeting factors influencing gynecological exam behaviors. Specifically, scores on the FGSIS can establish relationships between genital self-image and exam behaviors of college women.

This study explored multiple predictors of sexual well-being in a sample of 253 single, sexually active undergraduate females at a public Mid-Atlantic university. Several factors were identified from past research that might impact sexual well-being: casual sex, sexual agency, sexual attitudes, and sexual desire. Of the four factors, only sexual agency and sexual attitudes were found as significant predictors of sexual well-being. The results suggest that -- of single, sexually active undergraduate females -- those with a greater sense of agency and choice in their sexual interactions and those who maintain more open attitudes toward casual sex have a higher level of sexual well-being. Agency and openness may be important factors in the development of sexual well-being for young women. Limitations of the study, as well as implications for future research and psychoeducational and therapeutic interventions, are addressed. / Master of Science

This study was to develop normative data of isotonic muscular strength in college females using the Spartacus model Universal Gym bench press and leg extension and to control for the influence of body weight. Two hundred and two college age females enrolled in weight training and conditioning classes used the Universal Gym for twelve weeks. Subjects were tested for maximum strength on 2 exercises and their percent body fat was calculated. Pearson-product moment correlations between lean body weight , body weight and the bench press test and the leg extension test were correlated. After statistically controlling for the effects of body weight, percentile ranks were calculated for both tests.

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Among young college-aged females, overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, and high stress levels have increased, causing overall worse health conditions than previous generations. The use of wearable fitness technology (WFT) by young adults assists in fitness and nutrition monitoring, provides feedback in health statistics, and has shown improvements in reducing health-related issues in young college females. A wide body of literature related to physical activity, nutrition, and health issues in young college females exists; however, the experiences and intent of WFT use for behavior change by young college female millennials has not been well researched. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of young college females' intent for behavior change with WFT. The health belief model was the theoretical framework used for this study. Ten college females, 18-25 years of age, attending colleges in northern West Virginia, who were collecting data from a WFT for a minimum of six months completed individual face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed using phenomenological thematic analysis. Results from the study revealed young college females use WFT to increase physical activity, identify calorie intake and energy expenditure, and monitor heart rate, sleep, and stress to decrease and prevent health issues. These results can provide evidence for other researchers to address the current health inequalities in young college adults. Positive social change implications could include the value of WFT regarding the growing evidence of the importance of physical activity and nutrition by young female college students related to positive health outcomes and reducing health issues in this specific population.

Clinical and subclinical eating pathology are common, especially among female undergraduates. Such problems are often chronic and associated with a range of negative medical and psychological outcomes. Thus, it is important to develop effective prevention programs to reduce eating disorder risk. Numerous studies suggest that dissonance-based prevention programs are the most successful in reducing eating disorder risk factors, however, such programs might not be convenient for students limited by scheduling restraints or geographic proximity. Further, some students may be reluctant to attend such groups due to lack of anonymity. One way to address these potential barriers is to adapt dissonance-based programs for online use. However, no extant studies have examined the feasibility of this mode of delivery for dissonance-based programs. The current study examined the effectiveness of an online dissonance-based program, and compared it with traditional face-to-face delivery and assessment-only control conditions. It was hypothesized that: 1) online and face-to-face dissonance programs would produce comparable results; and 2) both of these active treatments would yield improvements in eating disorder outcomes (e.g. reduced thin ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, dieting, negative affect, and eating disorder symptoms) compared with an assessment-only control condition. Results partially supported the original hypotheses. Modified intent-to-treat analyses (MITT) indicated that participants in both the face-to-face and online intervention groups showed less body dissatisfaction at post-intervention assessment compared to assessment only participants. Further, when analyses were conducted using a non-intent-to-treat (non-ITT) approach (examining only the outcomes of participants who completed the intervention), significant post-intervention differences were observed for all outcome variables. Specifically, individuals in both intervention groups showed lower thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, restraint, negative affect, and fewer eating disorder symptoms compared to assessment only participants. This study indicates that there may be some promise in adapting dissonance-based eating disorder prevention programs for online use. Future studies should continue to refine online adaptations of such programs and examine the effects of such programs with different populations.

Certain sport environments may contribute to the development of disordered eating and those that heavily emphasize weight and/or body shape can be particularly damaging to an athlete's body image, self-concept, and eating behaviors. In particular, female athletes in collegiate sports are at a greater risk for engaging in unhealthy behaviors because they face both societal pressures from Western culture to be thin, in addition to sport pressures that focus on performance and appearance. According to the American Medical Association almost half of American women are trying to lose weight, illustrating that societal pressures alone to be thin and attractive can influence the development of disordered eating. Athletes are exposed to the same sociocultural pressures as their nonathlete counterparts, and would be expected to have similar feelings about their bodies as women in general. Add subsequent pressures like team "weigh-ins," coaches' body comp preferences, judges' critiques, revealing attire, and endurance/strength demands, and the stage is set for the development of disordered eating. In the current study, participants were 414 Division-I female gymnasts, swimmers/divers, and they completed self-report measures assessing sport pressures, body satisfaction and disordered eating behavior to test Petrie & Greenleaf's etiological model. Results indicate that sport pressures do lead directly to dietary restraint, a precursor to disordered eating, and are not always mediated through internalization and body dissatisfaction. These findings suggest that decreasing and intervening with perceived sport pressures may lessen the risk of female athletes developing an eating disorder.