Agility and mobility: A Program to Increase Physical Activity among College Students at the University of Toledo
(Be Agile!)
Proposed by
Proposed for University of Toledo College Students
Problem Statement
Being obese and overweight is not just a cosmetic issue or a body shame factor but is also a sign of being unhealthy. Excessive fat accumulation is termed obese and contributes to many non-communicable diseases leading to increased mortality and morbidity. A body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 is a measure of being obese. In 2016, WHO reported that there were more than 650 million adults who suffer from obesity. The leading cause for it is an increased intake of fat and sugary foods as well as a decrease in physical activity. Both the causes are due to a change in lifestyle due to stress and transition through the phases of life, such as transitioning from high school to college. Students enter a new stressful adult phase adjusting to college life as well as lack of physical exercise and change in diet. (Topp et al., 2011). Gowin et al. (2015) report that many college students in their first year of study tend to gain between 4 and 9 pounds and this issupported by De Vos et al. (2015), who indicate that students continue to gain weight as they proceed through college. The financial implications of managing obesity and weight-related diseases are also high (CDC, 2020). The CDC indicates that as of 2008, the U.S government was spending approximately $147 billion on obesity-related medical care costs (CDC, 2020). The exercise routines students develop during this time are strong predictors of the exercise habits they will continue as they age (Topp et al., 2011). According to the CDC (year), at least 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity is needed to acquire optimal health benefits. Hence, considering the mental, physical, and financial repercussions, it is advisable to cultivate healthy lifestyles during the tender age of new adults to ensure longevity and being physically fit. Thus, by addressing obesity in students and introducing the concept and value of physical activity, there will be a public health transition reducing financial cost as well as morbidity and mortality making the country more robust and prosperous.
Program Need
The university has a recreation center equipped with a free membership gym and sports activities which are easily accessible by the students to get physically activity. The cost of building and maintaining the recreation center in itself is huge with no actual benefits. Due to lack of motivation and incentive, the facilities are not availed thus making it imperative to have a program. “Be Agile” is designed motivate college students. The program uses the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to determine the psychosocial determinants that help individuals engage in physical activities such as perceived behavioral control, attitudes, and subjective norms, all of which predict behavioral intention. The public health problem of non-communicable diseases resulting from obesity requires a lot of money (Plotnikoff et al., 2015). Hence, addressing the root cause of obesity – lack of adequate physical activity, can lead to behavior change that may reduce lifestyle-related complications, which can be life-threatening. By ensuring that they adopt the right physical activity patterns, a long-term solution to obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases will have been created. That is particularly because most of the habits which people develop while in college act as major predictors of the kind of life they lead as adults (Topp et al., 2011). Focusing on college students strengthens the foundation of a robust healthy society thus increasing the productivity and prosperity of the country.
Proposed Solution
Mission Statement:
“To promote physical activity for optimum physical, mental, emotional, and social development at a habit-forming age of college students.”
Goals:
- Introduce the concept of Be Agile for 150 minutes per week among the college students.
- To increase awareness of diet and obesity-related illnesses among college students.
- To increase fitness levels in one year.
Overview:
Be Agile is a program designed to help motivate college students to increase their fitness levels and awareness of obesity-related non-communicable diseases. The program will be implemented by having a short multiple-choice on-line survey administered at the beginning of the school year to assess the mindset, awareness, and fitness levels of the student. The results will be discussed with the participants by the fitness counselor of the university to help them design their individual fitness programs in the recreation center of the university. During the year, short information workshops and educational materials will be distributed via email. At the end of the year, a follow-up survey will be administered to assess any changes that have occured and also will be discussed with the participants. Credit points will be awarded to the students thus motivating them to uptake the program.
Gains/Benefits
The main benefit of this program is that college students will develop the right attitude toward physical activity, translating into healthier life choices now and for the future. Health-conscious students will lead to a reduction in obesity and other lifestyle-related illnesses, thus reducing the burden of the government's health costs (Calestine et al., 2017). The benefits of physical activity are seen as a precursor to good mental health thus improving the performance of the student in college while also ensuring a certain happiness level (Downes, 2015). Good health is the basis for a productive society in all aspects thus benefiting the population at large and having a prosperous nation (Andre et al., 2017). Clearly, there are many advantages to increased physical activities, thus making the program worthwhile for implementation.
Why Successful:
This program will succeed because there is ownership from college administration in the form of a dedicated fitness counselor and follow up of the students’ fitness level through the surveys at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year along with dissemination of information material to increase health awareness. The involvement and motivation of the student are a breakthrough in the incorporation of the planned behavior model. (Downes, 2015). Including physical activity in the curriculum will also help students understand the significance of being physically active in their studies. That will play a crucial role in changing their current attitudes to exercise. Furthermore, all information that will be passed on to the students will come from reliable sources, which will help increase the students' confidence levels; hence, make the program a success.
References
Andre, E. K., Williams, N., Schwartz, F., & Bullard, C. (2017). Benefits of campus outdoor recreation programs: A review of the literature. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, 9(1), 15-25.
Calestine, J., Bopp, M., Bopp, C. M., & Papalia, Z. (2017). College student work habits are related to physical activity and fitness. International journal of exercise science, 10(7), 1009.
CDC. (2020). Adult Obesity Causes & Consequences. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes.html.
CDC. (2020). How much physical activity do adults need? Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm.
De Vos, P., Hanck, C., Neisingh, M., Prak, D., Groen, H., & Faas, M. (2015). Weight gain in freshman college students and perceived health. Preventive Medicine Reports, 2, 229-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.03.008
Downes, L. (2015). Physical activity and dietary habits of college students. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 11(2), 192-198.
Gowin, M., Cheney, M., Gwin, S., & Franklin Wann, T. (2015). Health and fitness app use in college students: a qualitative study. American Journal of Health Education, 46(4), 223-230.
Plotnikoff, R. C., Costigan, S. A., Williams, R. L., Hutchesson, M. J., Kennedy, S. G., Robards, S. L., … & Germov, J. (2015). Effectiveness of interventions targeting physical activity, nutrition and healthy weight for university and college students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 12(1), 45.
Topp, R., Edward, J. S., Ridner, S. L., Jacks, D. E., Newton, K., Keiffner, P., … & Conte, K. P. (2011). Fit into college: A program to improve physical activity and dietary intake lifestyles among college students. Recreational Sports Journal, 35(1), 69-78.
Grading Feedback on Program Rationale Paper:
Thanks for submitting your paper by the deadline. I appreciate that. Below are the specifications from the syllabus for this assignment. Also below is my grading feedback and your final score on the Program Rationale. This assignment was only worth 10 points. As your previous assignments, this was an intermediate step of learning how to prepare your final grant application.
For each section of this paper, you received either a “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” rating from me. (See below). At the end, I looked at your entire paper and asked myself this question: “Would this paper be acceptable in real life – in real public health?” If yes, you received a good score. If not, your paper needed a lot of improvement. Please contact me if you have any questions.
A. Formatting of the Paper: Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
• Title page included program name, name of program planner, and priority population.
• Two pages maximum length, not including title page and reference page.
• Pages numbered but not on title page.
• 11’ font. Times New Roman. Single space the paragraphs. Space between for readability.
• One-inch margins. All the way around.
• Used bold font on the headers. Use italicized font on sub headers
B. Problem Statement: Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
• Described why the health issue is a significant problem within the priority population.
• Explained why is this issue important to the priority population and the decision makers
• Included costs of this health problem to individuals, families, and society - both the health costs and economic costs
• Described why this health problem should be dealt with.
• Supported his/her claims with appropriate data and citations lacking many necessary citations.
C. Program Need: Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
• Explained why your program is needed in the community. Not well described
• Addressed the issue of programs similar to yours in the community only discussed your own program
• Explained how you know that you will not be duplicating existing programs not covered
• If there are, explained how your program different or better
D. The Proposed Solution: Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
• Stated a proposed solution to the problem including the name of your proposed program and the purpose of it. Not included
• Mission Statement: One sentence. This program exists to . . .
• Goals: Listed no more than 3 goals for your proposed program.
• Overview: Provided a brief overview of your proposed program. Who? What? When? Where? How? (3 sentences in length.) far exceeded what was asked for – too much detail
E. Gains/Benefits: Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
• Described what can be gained from your program for the decision-makers. Clearly delineated benefits to decision-makers
• Described how the priority population will gain from the program. Clearly delineated how the program will improve the lives of the priority population.
• Described the benefits of your program
• Described how the program will reduce or eliminate the health problem
F. Why Successful: Satisfactory Unsatisfactory the majority of this section does not make sense
• Explained why your program will be successful.
• Clearly described how program is based on best practices and recommendations of published experts. Cited your sources to validate this.
• Persuaded decision-makers and potential funders put their trust in you.
• Had adequate citations to support his/her claims of why program will be successful.
G. Citations, References, and Writing Quality: Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
• Provided citations where they were needed. Missing many
• Citations were in correct APA format.
• Included a reference page with references in correct APA format.
• Writing quality was appropriate for use of this document in real life. Poorly written. You need to visit the campus writing center.
• Appearance of document was appropriate for use in real life.
=============================================================================
Your Final Score: 5 /10
Now that you have my growth feedback on your Program Rationale, here are a couple of questions to ask yourself:
- The main purposes of your Program Rationale were to persuade key decision-makers and gate keepers that: a) The health problem is relevant to and really hurting your priority population, 2) That there is a great need for your program in Toledo and, 3) Your program is a great solution to the problem because it is based on recommended, best practices. Did your paper do these three things well?
- Is there really a need for your program? How will the grant reviewers be assured that there is no other program like yours in this geographic area?
- Please realize that grantors are not going to give you any money unless local decision-makers have endorsed your program and unless you are collaborating with other like-minded departments, organizations and agencies. Has the Chief Administrative Officer of your organization approved your program? Your board members? Who are your collaborating partner organizations?
======================================================================================
Sample Solution