The Role of The Physical and Social Environment for Physical Activity for College Students During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created significant disruptions for college students, impacting health and physical activity (PA). Changes to the PA environment presented many challenges for students.Purpose: To examine the influence of the physical and social environment on PA participation for college students during the onset of COVID-19 restrictions.Methods: This cross-sectional, mixed methods survey used an online questionnaire during the onset of COVID-19 restrictions with a volunteer sample of college students at a large university in the United States. Participants self-reported their demographics, PA level and environment for PA, and responded to an open-ended question about their PA participation during the pandemic. Correlations and independent samples t-tests examined relationships between PA and the environment. Qualitative data were scanned to identify overarching themes.Results: Participants (n = 395) were predominantly Non-Hispanic White and female. The neighborhood environment and access to PA equipment were associated with PA for both men and women. Major qualitative themes highlighted the role of the physical environment and PA. Participating in PA with friends and family was positively associated with PA for both men and women as well.Conclusions: This study provides insight on the importance of the social and built environment for encouraging and supporting PA among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic which may provide insight for distance education as higher education evolves.

Overcoming a Hurricane and Maintaining Wellness in College Student Physical Education

Background: With instructional time lost due to natural disasters, it is essential to examine the effect of a physical education course (PED 101) on college student well-being and motivation.Aim: This research examines the effect of physical education classes with a wellness component on wellness and motivation during a disruptive hurricane.Methods: A pre and posttest survey methodology was utilized to measure well-being and motivation, including by gender and exercise frequency, using the Wellness Inventory on college students enrolled in PED 101 who experienced Hurricane Florence.Results: All 12 dimensions of participants' wellness and their motivation to make changes in those wellness dimensions increased by the end of the hurricane semester. The results found significant changes between the pre- and post-assessment scores for all dimensions of wellness and motivation for male and female participants, as well as for all levels of exercise frequency.Conclusions: Including a well-being and motivation component in a college level physical education curriculum may enhance students' overall well-being and motivation during a disruptive hurricane.

Staying Calm and Well in the Midst of the COVID-19 Storm: One University's Longitudinal Outcomes Evaluation of a Mental Health and Well-Being Webinar Series

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic began, wellness leadership at a large Mid-west public university anticipated an increase in mental health problems among faculty and staff. A two-part weekly webinar series entitled "Staying Calm and Well in the Midst of the COVID-19 Storm" was launched to assist faculty and staff in coping with stressful issues related to the pandemic and enhancing their well-being. This series provided the university community with evidence-based knowledge, skills, and resources to enhance their ability in taking good self-care.Aim: To assess participant mental health outcomes during the two-part mental health and well-being educational webinar series over time.Methods: A longitudinal outcomes evaluation was conducted. Evaluation data was obtained from the participants via an anonymous post-webinar survey, which included questions from the Patient-Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) to assess symptoms of anxiety and depression. The first series was conducted over the course of 8 weeks and the second series took place over 7 weeks. Descriptive statistics were used to assess responses to the PHQ-4 over time to evaluate outcomes of the webinar series. An open-ended question also asked participants about the 2 to 3 biggest concerns and worries they had at that moment. Results: The average amount of survey responses received were 1,470.25 (SD = ± 240.3) for Series One and 926.4 (SD = ± 164.3) for Series Two. Ninety-five percent of participants put the skills they learned during both series into practice. When participants reported experiencing anxiety or depressive symptoms, they most frequently reported experiencing them several days a week. The number of participants reporting no depressive or anxiety symptoms increased as the webinar series progressed over time. The types of concerns and worries reported varied across time.Conclusion: The Staying Calm and Well During the COVID-19 Pandemic webinar participants had a reduction in symptoms associated with anxiety and depression after completing the series.

Board of Directors

No abstract available.

Beliefs, Mental Health, Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors and Coping Strategies Used by College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has added substantial stress to the college student experience that could escalate the already existing student mental health crisis. Institutions of higher education have been called to explore ways in which they can promote and support the whole student. Objective: To describe college students' beliefs about returning to campus, safety practices, mental health, and strategies used to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A descriptive survey was emailed to a stratified random sample of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students (N = 14,459) from a large public Mid-west university. The survey measured beliefs about returning to campus and safety practices, mental health status (anxiety, depression, and burnout), and coping strategies used to deal with the stress of the pandemic.Results: The response rate was 30.7%. Thirty percent of students were not confident about returning to campus safely. Thirty-nine percent met the cut-off for clinical anxiety, 24% for depression, and 39.9% for burnout. A substantial percentage used unhealthy lifestyle behaviors to cope with pandemic stress.Conclusion: Institutions of higher education must accelerate mental health screening and services along with evidence-based preventive interventions and wellness programming for students.

A Message from BHAC Board President: Combatting Languishing Through Joy and New BHAC Accreditation

No abstract available.

Editorial: Building Healthy Academic Communities in this Post-Pandemic Brave New World

No abstract available.

I've Got an Idea! Do IDEA Boards Facilitate Improved Completion of Wellness Focused Activities in a College of Nursing?

Background: In any given academic department there are many ideas discussed to promote wellness, yet it is often difficult to move specific wellness activity ideas from the initial conception stage to the implementation and evaluation stages. Wellness Committees are formed in departments where proposed ideas are generated. However, the same issue of lack of follow-through persists. In order to provide better follow-through and completion of wellness activities, an IDEA board was piloted by a Wellness Committee in a College of Nursing.Aim: This pilot project was implemented to determine the feasibility and utility of using an IDEA board to implement and complete wellness initiatives within a College of Nursing.Methods: An online mixed-methods survey was used to evaluate the use of an IDEA board within a Wellness Committee (n = 9) in a College of Nursing over a one-year period.Results: Results of the pilot study were positive and encouraging. Committee members found the visual representation helpful in guiding the group through the process of idea identification generation to idea implementation and evaluation.Conclusions: Using an IDEA board to guide the process of proposed wellness activities may facilitate improved completion of activities.

BHAC Journal Reviewers

No abstract available.

Using Cluster Analysis to Explore Associations between Cardiovascular Risk and Lifestyle Factors in a Workplace Wellness Program

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death in the United States with risk factors including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, age, genetics, and unhealthy diets. A university-based workplace wellness program (WWP) consisting of an annual biometric screening assessment with targeted, individualized health coaching was implemented in an effort to reduce these risk factors while encouraging and nurturing ideal cardiovascular health.Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the prevalence of single and combined, or multiple, CVD risk factors within a workplace wellness dataset.Methods: Cluster analysis was used to determine CVD risk factors within biometric screening data (BMI, waist circumference, LDL, total cholesterol, HDL, triglycerides, blood glucose age, ethnicity, and gender) collected during WWP interventions.Results: The cluster analysis provided visualizations of the distributions of participants having specific CVD risk factors. Of the 8,802 participants, 1,967 (22.4%) had no CVD risk factor, 1,497 (17%) had a single risk factor, and 5,529 (60.5%) had two or more risk factors. The majority of sample members are described as having more than one CVD risk factor with 78% having multiple.Conclusion: Cluster analysis demonstrated utility and efficacy in categorizing participant data based on their CVD risk factors. A baseline analysis of data was captured and provided understanding and awareness into employee health and CVD risk. This process and analysis facilitated WWP planning to target and focus on education to promote ideal cardiovascular health.