Abstract
Exercise is Medicine™ (EiM) on campus targets physical activity (PA) participation on college campuses. Limited research has addressed how PA initiatives can be operationalized on college campuses. Purpose: To describe the implementation of EiM on a large U.S. university campus and present preliminary outcomes on participation and awareness. Methods: EiM week was implemented on a large university campus. Exercise stations were set-up at campus locations to encourage brief bouts of PA and educate about the benefits of PA. Evaluation included observations of participation, surveys, and intercept surveys to assess awareness and reach. Results: EiM week was implemented during Fall 2013. Exercise stations elicited 1771 exercise bouts from participants. Surveys indicated widespread reach across the university (13 of 17 colleges); most students (50.8%) became aware of the EiM campaign by passing by the exercise stations. Campus intercept surveys 1-week post-event indicated 54% students had heard about EiM, of which 39% had heard/seen the event through messages encouraging exercise. Conclusion: The current study was successful in engaging a large, diverse population on a college campus. Lessons learned from the development, implementation, and evaluation of EiM on campus activities provide insight for university campuses looking to target student health and PA participation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 176-181 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Evaluation and Program Planning |
Volume | 52 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1 2015 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Business and International Management
- Social Psychology
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Strategy and Management
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health