Campus Recreation Facilities Research Articles

Environmental Correlates of Physical Activity: Implications for Campus Recreation Practitioners

Recent research has illustrated that young people tend to develop poor physical activity behaviors before the college years and maintain poor behaviors throughout the college experience. The undergraduate experience (ages 18–24) is an opportunity to affirm positive physical activity behaviors. Campus recreation facilities and programs are positioned to contribute to this effort because they provide easily accessible recreation opportunities to students, faculty, and staff. This being the case, campus recreation professionals should consider the factors that encourage and promote physical activity. One set of factors, environmental, might be of particular interest to campus recreation professionals. Although environmental factors are often considered for the purposes of operation and safety, their correlation with physical activity might not be considered as much. The current article presents a literature review of 3 environmental correlates of physical activity: proximity, access, and aesthetics. Implications for campus recreation professionals are also presented.

Factors Affecting Risk Management of Indoor Campus Recreation Facilities

Factors affecting risk management of indoor campus recreation facilities were studied. Campus recreation directors of 4-year colleges/universities in North America who held memberships in the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) responded to a paper survey consisting of 32 dichotomous yes/no and close-ended multiple-choice questions. Questions addressed staff certification requirements, use of waivers, number of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in the facility, communication and security devices, health screening of participants, and in-person supervision of the facility. Results showed that facilities are open to participants extensively throughout the 7-day week, thus requiring directors to ensure their risk management procedures are up to date—most notably staff members' CPR and first aid certification, as well as AED training.

Influence of Campus Recreation Facilities on Decision to Attend a Southeastern University: A Pilot Study

University students have numerous reasons why they select one institution over another. With all the extracurricular activities offered, academics are no longer the only reason considered by students when selecting a university to attend. Recreation facilities are quickly becoming a strong element in recruitment for many institutions. In a pilot study, 64 freshmen students of a southeastern university were surveyed to measure the influence campus recreation facilities had on their decision to attend that specific university. Roughly 80% of participants reported being informed about student recreation facilities prior to enrollment, with more than half of the respondents reporting they were impressed or very impressed with facilities. More than one in every three students stated their decision to attend the university was based in part on positive perceptions of recreation facilities. More than half of the students influenced by recreation facilities in their decision to attend the university were shown campus recreation facilities during a pre-enrollment campus tour. Results from this study show that campus recreation facilities may be used to influence students' decision on which university to attend. Implications and practical applications of this study are discussed in the closing sections.

Assessment of a Campus Recreation Program on Student Recruitment, Retention, and Frequency of Participation across Certain Demographic Variables

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of campus recreational sports facilities and programs on student recruitment and retention and to provide analysis regarding the number of times students participate in recreational sports activity. A convenience sample of students from classes in the Department of Physical Education and Health at a small southeastern university was used in the study. The instrument consisted of a modified version of the National Intramural-Recreational Sport Association's Quality and Importance of Recreational Services Survey. The chi-square test of homogeneity was used to test for differences, alpha = .05. Significant differences were found on the gender and class standing variables studied. Although limitations of the study exist, the results provide further evidence that students report that the availability of recreational sports facilities and programs has an impact on both their decisions to attend and remain at an institution. Furthermore, the study shows that differences exist across gender and class standing variables in frequency of participation, a finding that can only serve to increase the practitioner's understanding of those who use such facilities and programs.

The Financial and Facility Status of Campus Recreation Programs at NIRSA Colleges and Universities

Directors of campus recreation at NIRSA colleges and universities in the US and Canada were surveyed to determine: (a) the number of schools that have built, within the preceding three years, major indoor as well as major outdoor campus recreation facilities and the number of institutions planning to do so within the next three years; (b) the usage and scheduling priorities covering all campus recreation facilities; (c) the sources of funding for the construction of these major facilities and sites; and (d) the sources of funding for operational activities for campus recreation. The data were analyzed in terms of school size, location, and whether public or private in nature. The findings revealed that 56% of the institutions surveyed had either recently built new major indoor student recreation centers or were planning to do so, within the next three years. In terms of major outdoor facilities or sites, the percentage was 41%. The majority of construction funds for indoor and outdoor facilities/sites as well as operational funds for programs and activities came from future student fees at most of the public schools. Typically, private schools had the majority of their monies for both indoor and outdoor facilities emanating from private sources while the majority of operating costs was covered through the general fund of the institutions. The sharing of facilities continues with both physical education and with athletics; and, the directors of campus recreation, generally speaking, felt comfortable with such arrangements, even when such arrangements include having athletic and physical education activities take precedence in usage over those of campus recreation.

An Examination of Security in Campus Recreation Centers

Providing proper and adequate security is a critical element in comprehensive risk management for campus recreation facilities. However, little research has been done in this area to assess and analyze the status of security at campus recreation centers in the United States. The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the types of security systems used in campus recreation centers, (b) determine the most common types of security incidents that occur in these centers, and (c) examine facility security procedures and personnel. Questionnaires were mailed to 100 randomly selected campus recreation directors across the United States. There were 58 usable surveys returned for a 58 percent response rate. Notable results included: (a) the majority of centers have written security plans but only about one-third update their plans on a regular basis, (b) 72 percent of responding centers provide employee training for security issues, and (c) less than half indicated that they use centers use pagers or cell phones. In addition, while closed circuit television (CCTV) was recognized as an excellent way to decrease criminal activity, only 30 percent of centers reported the use of CCTV to monitor their facilities. Approximately two-thirds of respondents indicated that ID cards were required to access the centers. Interestingly, less than half of the respondents indicated that they thought their facilities were designed with security in mind. Finally, with regard to criminal activity, illegal entry was recognized by 65 percent of respondents as a primary security issue.

Female and Male Prioritization of the Availability of Campus Recreational Facilities

Female and Male Prioritization of the Availability of Campus Recreational Facilities

Dietary Fat Intake and Physical Activity Relationships in Female College Students

LEARNING OUTCOME:To identify relationships between dietary fat intake and physical activity in two groups of female college students The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between dietary fat intake and physical activity in female college students by comparing a group of students who engage in regular aerobic exercise (exercise group or EG; n=38) and a randomly selected group of students (general population group or GPG; n=29). GPG recruitment involved sending letters of invitation to randomly selected students and sending follow-up letters to non-responders. Potential students showing positive interest were enrolled as study participants. EG students were recruited from campus recreational facilities. Data collection consisted of three random 24-hour diet recalls, a seven-day physical activity recall, and a fitness assessment, which included height, weight, skinfold measurements, and a submaximal YMCA cycle ergometer test. Dietary fat intake, physical activity level, energy intake, age, height, weight, aerobic capacity, percentage body fat (% BF), and BMI were compared between groups using t-tests. The GPG had a significantly greater % BF (22.1 ± 4.2 vs 19.9 ± 3.7%) and a significantly lower weight-adjusted physical activity (39.8 ± 5.7 vs 42.8 ± 6.7 kcal/kg/day) at p ≤ 0.05. No significant difference in mean dietary fat intake was found between groups (GPG=22±8 vs EG=20±8%). Correlational coefficient analysis revealed no significant relationship (r ≤ 0.30) between dietary fat intake and physical activity within either group. We concluded that, although regularly exercising female college students, in this study, have greater physical activity levels than average female students, they do not have significantly lower dietary fat intakes. Additionally, the mean dietary fat intakes in this study were much lower than the national average (35%). A study implication is that nutrition education messages which include low-fat foods as part of a balanced diet may be healthier for female college students than messages focusing solely on low-fat diets.

Using Cognitive Dissonance to Encourage Water Conservation1

In a field experiment on water conservation, we aroused dissonance in patrons of the campus recreation facility by making them feel hypocritical about their showering habits. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, we manipulated subjects “‘mindfulness” that they had sometimes wasted water while showering, and then varied whether they made a “public commitment” urging other people to take shorter showers. The “hypocrisy” condition‐in which subjects made the public commitment after being reminded of their past behavior‐was expected to be dissonance‐arousing, thereby motivating subjects to increase their efforts to conserve water. The results were consistent with this reasoning. Compared to controls, subjects in the hypocrisy condition took significantly shorter showers. Subjects who were merely reminded that they had wasted water, or who only made the public commitment, did not take shorter showers than control subjects. The findings have implications for using cognitive dissonance as means of changing behavior in applied settings, especially those in which people already support the desired goal, but their behavior is not consistent with those beliefs.

Influence of Campus Recreation Programs and Facilities on Student Recruitment and Retention

Influence of Campus Recreation Programs and Facilities on Student Recruitment and Retention

Campus Recreation Facilities Planning for Better Use

(1985). Campus Recreation Facilities Planning for Better Use. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 23-26.