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Yoga is increasingly recommended for the K-12 population as a health intervention, a Physical Education activity, and for fun. What constitutes Yoga however, what is taught, and how it is taught, is variable. The purpose of this study was to survey Youth Yoga curriculums to identify content, teaching strategies, and assessments; dimensions of wellness addressed; whether national Health and Physical Education (HPE) standards were met; strategies to manage implementation fidelity; and shared constructs between Yoga and educational psychology. Methods: A descriptive qualitative design included a preliminary survey (n = 206) and interview (n = 1), questionnaires for curriculum developers (n = 9) and teachers (n = 5), interviews of developers and teachers (n = 3), lesson observations (n= 3), and a review of curriculum manuals. Results: Yoga content was adapted from elements associated with the Yoga Sutras but mostly from modern texts, interpretations, and personal experiences. Curriculums were not consistently mapped, nor elements defined. Non-Yoga content included games, music, and storytelling, which were used to teach Yoga postures and improve concentration, balance, and meta-cognitive skills. Yoga games were noncompetitive and similar to PE games. Teaching strategies included guided inquiry and dialoguing. Assessments were underutilized and misunderstood. Lessons were created to engage students across multiple dimensions of wellness; cultivate self awareness, attention, and concentration; and teach relaxation skills. Spiritual wellness was addressed using relaxation, self-awareness, partner work, and examining emotional states. Developers adapted curriculums to meet HPE standards when needed. Yoga was considered appropriate across all developmental stages and could be adapted to meet specific needs. Developers tended not to manage fidelity; strict control was perceived as contrary to Yoga philosophy. Curriculum manuals were resources, not scripts. Continuing education included workshops, videos, and online forums. Emerging themes included attention, awareness, meta-cognition, and self-regulation as learning objectives; dialoguing as a teaching strategy; and the influence of mindfulness and positive psychology on curriculum design. These suggest additional areas of research. Curriculums need codification, defining, and mapping of elements including the alignment of teaching strategies with assessments. The benefits of Yoga, beyond the physical postures, need further study. / Kinesiology

Scholars widely accept that the well-documented benefits of biophilia–the human being's strong urge to connect with nature–are genuine to improved health. Then why, with the global acceptance and scientific validity of wellness design concepts, do architects not use this beneficial concept regularly–especially when designing isolated workspaces? This qualitative research explores architecture's current design decision process to better understand this design phenomenon, and to identify where architectural biophilic knowledge domains may be deficient. This study explores questions such as: Does the architect's lack of biophilic knowledge and/or structured wellness design decision support framework affect the decision? Would the existence of a wellness design tool better support the design decision? An explanatory case study using a purposeful study sample of architects, biophilia design experts, and associated specialists is used to develop design decision support frameworks. Level 1 establishes a propositional theory derived from the literature and professional experience, level 2 from architect interviews and observational meetings, and level 3 from a Delphi workgroup session. Framework evolutions help identify design-phase-specific knowledge gaps. This study finds that a deficiency in early exposure to a priori, explicit and tacit biophilic knowledge is creating a critical gap, thus diminishing a posteriori biophilic knowledge and research in the architecture profession. This study asserts that early exposure to biophilic theories and principles can enhance the profession and provide a knowledge bridge using an informed biophilia design support framework with a proposed biophilia project management tool. / Doctor of Philosophy / Few will dispute that the well-documented benefits of biophilia–the human being's strong urge to connect with nature–are genuine to improved health. Then why, with the global acceptance and scientific validity of wellness design concepts, do architects not use this beneficial concept regularly–especially when designing windowless workspaces? A qualitative explanatory case study using a purposeful study sample of architects, biophilia design experts, and associated specialists was used to develop a design decision support framework that evolved from level 1-3. Framework progressions helped identify specific knowledge gaps in each design phase. This study found that a deficiency in early exposure to a priori, explicit and tacit biophilic knowledge is creating a critical gap, thus diminishing a posteriori biophilic knowledge and research in the architecture profession. This study asserts that early exposure to biophilic theories and principles can enhance the profession and provide a knowledge bridge using an informed biophilia design decision support framework with a proposed biophilia project management tool.

Background: Poor beverage consumption habits pose significant health concerns. Delivering health behavior change interventions via social media is an emerging area of health research and may provide a promising way to minimize barriers such as cost, intervention delivery time, and access. However, there is limited research on online social support health behavior change delivered through Instagram. Objectives: 1) Assess the validity and reproducibility of the updated BEVQ-15, a beverage intake questionnaire; 2) Review the current literature on the availability and effectiveness of mobile phone interventions targeting sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption; and 3) Use the updated BEVQ-15 to conduct the Healthy Beverage Habits pilot study, which is an online social networking worksite intervention aimed at improving Healthy Beverage Index (HBI) scores. Methods: The Healthy Beverage Habits study was an online randomized controlled pilot trial with an 8-week intervention and a 4-week maintenance period delivered through Instagram. The materials were adapted from the in-person SIPsmartER SSB reduction intervention. Data analysis included RM-ANOVAs to test for differences in beverage intake between the Instagram intervention group and the E-mail control group. Results: For the Healthy Beverage Habits trial, no significant between group over time differences were found. However, the Instagram group demonstrated a significant reduction in total beverage kcal (mean difference±SE=-156±48; p=0.049), and increase in total HBI scores (mean difference±SE= 11.9±2.3; p=0.025) from baseline to the end of the maintenance period. No within group differences were demonstrated for the E-mail control group over the intervention or maintenance period. The study retention rate was 38%, with 39 participants initially enrolled and 15 participants completing all study visits through maintenance. Results for the validity and reproducibility of the updated BEVQ-15 and a review of the availability and effectiveness of mobile phone interventions targeting SSB consumption are presented. Conclusions: Mobile phone-delivered interventions may be a promising method for improving beverage intake quality. Technologically-based interventions targeting beverage consumption should consider utilizing multiple forms of mobile-phone contact methods. The preliminary findings from the Healthy Beverage Habits trial highlight the need for more rigorous studies that determine which technology and intervention components are most effective for mobile-delivered beverage consumption interventions. / Doctor of Philosophy / Background: Poor beverage consumption habits pose significant health concerns. Delivering health behavior change interventions via social media is an emerging area of health research and may provide a promising way to minimize barriers such as cost, intervention delivery time, and access. However, there is limited research on online social support health behavior change delivered through Instagram. Objectives: 1) Assess the validity and reproducibility of the updated BEVQ-15, a beverage intake questionnaire which estimates habitual average daily intake of 15 beverage categories as well as total sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and total beverages. 2) Review the current literature of the availability and effectiveness of mobile phone interventions targeting SSB consumption. 3) Use the updated BEVQ-15 to conduct The Healthy Beverage Habits pilot study, which is an online social networking worksite intervention aimed at improving Healthy Beverage Index (HBI) scores. Methods: The updated BEVQ-15 was assessed for agreement between the BEVQ-15 and dietary recalls. Researchers compared beverage intake between two BEVQ-15 administrations. The Healthy Beverage Habits pilot study was an 8-week intervention with a 4-week maintenance period. Data analysis included testing for differences in beverage intake between the Instagram group and the E-mail group. Results: The updated BEVQ-15 demonstrated moderate agreement between the BEVQ-15 and dietary recalls for total SSB intake and total beverage intake. All beverage variables were significantly correlated. For the systematic review, 11 of the 17 studies (65%) were successful in reducing SSB consumption through mobile phone delivery. The successful studies used multiple types of technology. There were no significant differences for any beverage variable between the Instagram and E-mail groups over time. However, for within group changes, Instagram significantly reduced total beverage kcals and improved total HBI score, while the E-mail group did not demonstrate any significant changes. Conclusions: Mobile phone-delivered interventions may be a promising method for improving beverage intake quality. Technologically-based interventions targeting beverage consumption should consider utilizing multiple forms of mobile-phone contact methods. The preliminary findings from the Healthy Beverage Habits pilot trial highlight the need for more rigorous studies that determine which technology and intervention components are most effective for mobile-delivered beverage consumption interventions.