title: The Effects of a 12-Week Faculty and Staff Exercise Program on Health-Related Variables in a University Setting.
abstract: The obesity epidemic has grown in the past decade due to physical inactivity (i.e., having a sedentary job) and an increase in caloric intake. This problem combined with the reluctance of many faculty and staff members exercising in the same environment as student's presents a unique challenge in an academic setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 12-week exercise program focused toward the faculty and staff in improving several health-related variables such as curl-ups, push-ups, sit-and-reach, and balance. Fifty-seven faculty and staff participated in the current study. Participants engaged in a variety of exercise classes taught by certified instructors three days a week for 12-weeks. Paired samples t-tests illustrated a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in body mass and significant (p ≤ 0.001) improvements in curl-ups, push-ups, sit-and-reach, and balance. This data demonstrates that a 12-week faculty and staff exercise program has the potential to improve performance in several health-related variables such as curl-ups, push-ups, sit-and-reach, and balance. The ability of this program to improve health-related variables and possibly delay or prevent the development of overweight and/or obesity, sarcopenia, and other chronic diseases is encouraging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA; Department of Exercise Science, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rebold
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Mallory S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kobak
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Kylene
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peroutky
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Physiology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Ellen L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Glickman
keywords: Worksite exercise program; chronic diseases; faculty and staff; health-related variables; sarcopenia