Analysis Of A Decade Of Healthy DiplomaTm Program Outcomes: Physical Dimension

Abstract

The University of Indianapolis’ Healthy Diploma Program™ (HD) was created to engage undergraduate students (n = ~5100) in healthy behaviors during their college career. Available to all majors, the HD is based on 8 Dimensions of Wellness: physical, financial, social, environmental, occupational, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual. Every HD participant must (a) meet regularly with an assigned Wellness Coach and (b) participate in semi-annual assessments (e.g., physical fitness testing including number of push-ups, curl-ups, 1.5-mile run, flexibility, and strength). Each HD student reports physical activity behavior which includes (1) days per week engaged in moderate to strenuous physical activity and (2) minutes per session. PURPOSE: To describe the volume of physical activity and physical fitness results from semi-annual assessments from 2009 -2019 HD members in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the HD program. METHODS: Data from HD students (n = 123; 113 females, 10 males) from 2009-2019 was analyzed and included mean and standard deviations for all measures. Non-Parametric Kruskal-Wallis analysis was used to determine any significant differences in physical activity and fitness across time. RESULTS: Over the last 10 years, aerobic fitness estimated from 1.5-mile run (37.5 ml*kg-1*min-1) was stable and at the 50th percentile for age- and sex- specific normative data while flexibility averaged ~53 cm, handgrip strength 56.9 kg, curl up number 44 and number of push-ups 31. There were non-significant increases in body weight from 60 to 68 kg during this decade and decreases in push-up and curl up number. The mean frequency and duration of physical activity was 3.6 days*week-1 and 49.3 minutes*session-1, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in physical activity frequency for all semesters: Fall 14 – Fall 19 (4.0, 3.9, 3.6, 3.8, 3.4, and 2.6 days/week, respectively) indicating less time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity per week. CONCLUSION: Analysis of 10 years of HD data reveal non-significant increases in body weight and decreases in physical fitness along with significant decreases in frequency of physical activity. It appears that a more targeted intervention seems advisable in order to increase physical fitness during a student’s four-year career.