The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to determine whether wellness management students would have higher levels of wellness than students who are not studying wellness, and (b) to determine if the results of the Stages of Change measurement questionnaire would correlate positively with the results of a standardized wellness measurement questionnaire. The first issue was examined by comparing total wellness levels of wellness management graduate students with total wellness levels of nonwellness management graduate students, as measured by the Testwell Wellness Inventory. There was no statistical difference between the two groups. This suggests that wellness students may not be effective models in their chosen field. The second issue was examined by testing whether the Stages of Change measurement questionnaire would correlate positively with the Testwell total wellness score. Study results showed that if students scored high in wellness, they would score in a high Stages of Change category. This suggests that the Stages of Change questionnaire may be used to measure readiness for general lifestyle behavior change. / Fisher Institute for Wellness

The problem of the study was to measure the association between physical self-efficacy, using the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale, and frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise among mid-west college students who participated in regular physical activity.The role of physical self-efficacy on preventative health behaviors has been well established in the literature and is of interest to health educators. This study was designed to measure the strength of association between physical self-efficacy and the specific components of exercise.The sample consisted of Ball State students (n= 412) who completed an Exercise Behavior and Physical Self-Efficacy questionnaire. Multiple regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to measure associations.Levels of physical self-efficacy were most closely correlated with intensity of exercise participation (r2 = 0.15). Duration of exercise sessions was only slightly related (r2 = 0.01) and frequency was not found to be significant. Students who participated in the types of exercises which required the greatest amount of intensity also had the highest self-efficacy scores. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

This study examined the relationship between former collegiate athletes and former college students who did not participate in intercollegiate athletics to determine if there is any correlation between athletic participation and future health. Two groups of Ball State University faculty (42 former athletes and 32 non-athletes) were selected for this research, and the variables of quality of life and well-being were investigated through the Quality of Life Index and TestWell wellness inventory. Former athletes were found to have a higher level of wellness. Similarly, as a group, athletes were found to have a higher quality of life than former non-athletes. These findings do not support the quality of life findings by Morgan and Montoye (1984). / Fisher Institute for Wellness

During a period from May, 1993 to July of 1993, 309 employees of a large telecommunication's company selfselected to participate in an eight-week health promotion program designed to assist them in changing health behaviors. The program participants were then surveyed at the end of one-year to determine if they had maintained the health behavior changes practiced during the eight-week program and the impact of family, friends and coworkers on the level the participant was practicing the health behavior changes at the end of one-year.A growing body of evidence suggests ongoing research in the area of health behavior change because health related medical claims, absenteeism and decreased productivity continue to have serious financial consequences for American business. In Corporate America, health education programs have been organized to give employees the opportunity to change negative health habits and replace them with positive health habits. The assumption being, that healthier employees': (1) use less medical benefits (2) report fewer absent sick days and (3) are more productive employees.In addition, prior research indicates that being part of a social network or having access to social group support can help individuals decrease the level they practice negative health habits and increase the level they practice positive health habits. Thus, an understanding of social group support on the behavior change process is important to education professionals evaluating the effectiveness of health education programs within the corporate setting.This research study was designed to examine a health promotion program offered to employees of a large telecommunication company and the impact social groups andcontent had on the level participants changed their health related behaviors. The research assumed that examining encouragement and discouragement provided by: (1) family, (2) friends, and (3) coworkers would lead to a greater understanding of the impact social groups had on the level a participant practiced health behavior changes at the end of one year.This research indicated that social group participation played a significant role in the level a program participant was practicing health behavior changes at the end of one year. The analysis further indicated that support from family and friends were significant factors in the behavioral change process.In addition, organizational support prior to and during the "Health Habits Challenge" program had no significant impact on the level participants were practicing health behavior changes at the end of one year. However, participants receiving organizational support prior to and during the "Health Habits Challenge" program perceived their health as having improved during the one-year maintenance phase, while participants who did not receive organizational support reported their health status had declined.Relationships reported by this research study are sufficiently strong enough to warrant further research both qualitative and quantitative, to provide health educators with a better understanding of how social groups and organizational content influence health behavior changes. The factors are potentially important, not only for theoretical and research purposes but also for making practice and policy decisions appropriate to health promotion and health education. / Department of Educational Leadership

This project looked for differences in behavioral risk factors between Traditional and Non-Traditional students. The study was based on data collected from the 1993 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey administered to a sample of 290 Ball State University students by the Ball State University Institute for Wellness. Using the chi-square goodness-of-fit method, significant differences were found between the two groups on several risk factors. Using alpha=0.05, there were significant differences found for the following risk factors: hypertension, overweight, smoking, acute drinking, and no physical activity. No significant differences were found for the following: seatbelt use, chronic drinking, drinking and driving, sedentary lifestyle, and checking of cholesterol level. / Fisher Institute for Wellness

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disorder that requires daily adherence to complex regimens for glucose control. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the capability for self-management of diabetes and the practices of health-promoting behaviors. Instruments used were the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile to measure health-promoting behaviors, the Insulin Management Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale to measure self-efficacy in diabetes management, and a demographic questionnaire.Fifty participants from the outpatients of a midwestern veterans hospital responded to the questionnaires. Results showed a moderately positive significant correlation between self-efficacy in diabetes management and health-promoting behaviors (r=.52, p<001).The findings of this study point the importance of higher levels of self-efficacy and participation in health-promoting behaviors for more effective management of diabetes and improved health and well-being. / School of Nursing

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references. / Microfiche. / xii, 297 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Typescript. / Bibliography: leaves 271-297. / Photocopy. / xiii, 297 leaves, bound 29 cm

Thesis (D. P. H.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-156). / Microfiche. / xv, 156 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.