Cultivating, Developing, and Promoting Lifestyle Physical Activity in College, for Life

Abstract

The positive benefits of physical activity (PA) have long been substantiated and widely accepted by the public but unfortunately, most American, and Canadian adults still do not meet the US and Canada PA guidelines. With only 27% of high school students adhering to these guidelines, PA levels tend to decline during the late adolescent years into college. What intervention strategies can be incorporated into the campus culture that will not only increase PA levels in school, but increase the likelihood of adhering to higher levels of PA long after graduation into adulthood? A two-phase, mixed methodology focus group study was recently completed to explore preferences, associations, perceptions, and top motivators to PA. In phase one, facilitated group discussions were conducted with 234 participants from 13 diverse groups in Southern Ontario and 175 participants from 13 groups in South Carolina. Questions were asked regarding the participants’ preferences to meet PA guidelines, views on lifestyle PA versus traditional PA, and top motivators to PA. Based on the feedback from phase one, a survey (phase two) was designed and administrated to participants from the same community groups in Guelph and South Carolina. Among the 18-34-year-old participants, the overwhelming majority of both male and female respondents from both Southern Ontario and South Carolina indicated a preference for lifestyle PA, agree that exercise is a stress reliever, feel “happy and feel like I’ve accomplished something afterwards” but see exercise as planned, structured, regimented, routine, repetitive. “Feeling good and happier afterwards, better health, losing and maintaining my weight, appearance, and seeing the rewards physically were the top PA motivators. Specific intervention strategies are provided to improve PA levels in college emphasizing the need to focus on lifestyle PA opportunities for college students to embrace and experience both in college, and for the rest of their lives.