Working Title: Why is Exercise Not A College Requirement?
Topic
I am going to examine why colleges do not require exercise courses as part of their curriculum. Many colleges do offer “gym” classes but only on an “if interested” basis. My paper will aim to draw attention to why colleges should require these classes or an incentive for their students to engage in exercise. This becomes especially appropriate today with rising stress levels among students and be a way to combat those levels through college.
Research Question
As students enter college it is clear that the motivation to exercise decreases. Can colleges encourage more students to invest into their health and fitness? Why should colleges devote resources into the well-being of their community?
Theoretical Frame
In the article, Motivation and Barriers To Exercise Among College Students, by Ebben and Brudzynski, it was found that there are common factors among students regarding the will to exercise. Common barriers that were found are as follows, “no time”, “school workload too high”, “studying for exams”, “laziness” or “other priorities”. These barriers are important for colleges to be aware of as these ideas are fairly reasonable. While it may be difficult for colleges to reduce the pressures of academics they may be able to instead promote the motivations behind exercise. The most common reasons people exercise include health, fitness, stress reduction, pleasure and visual attractiveness. These motivating factors can be emphasized by promoting fitness centers, extracurricular clubs and classes around campus. Physical activity levels are important to monitor for overall health not just through college but to maintain habits into adulthood.
With colleges offering to give credit for exercise, this could be seen as a win/win situation for most students. These courses would be easy health and fitness “gym” classes for an easy grade as well as college credit. Colleges should direct more resources into these courses to create a healthier environment around campus and more importantly hope to decrease student stress levels. I am very invested in this as I am to pursue a career in the medical field, specifically Physical Therapy. Long term investments in health are important to develop proper health behaviors throughout life not just college. Colleges requiring exercise as a part of the curriculum could act as a form of preventative medicine.
Cases or Examples
While it is known that physical activity levels decrease in college. Weight gain also becomes a prominent issue for college life. In the study, Weight Changes, Exercise, and Dietary Patterns During Freshman and Sophomore Years of College, the authors offer interesting information on how weight gain and behavioral patterns during college can contribute to overweight and obesity in adulthood. The research aims to analyze dietary habits and exercise behaviors in college students. I believe this is a great case to study for my paper as it takes into account dietary concerns. Often times young adults may believe that going to the gym or working out should suffice for good health. What they fail to realize is that health and wellness encompasses both exercise and diet. This is a great avenue to take for my analysis since I have seen many posters around dining halls promoting healthier foods but not many regarding exercise. Another relevant search I came across was from the study, Predictors of Physical Activity and Barriers to Exercise in Nursing and Medical Students, this was interesting because even prospective healthcare professionals show low levels of physical activity. Students who learn the most about health and fitness do not even follow their own teachings. How can future medical and nursing students be expected to advise patients when they do not even follow a healthy exercise routine. The ideology behind not exercising for these students are the lack of time due to the demand of their studies. The results just go to show how even educating students on the benefit of health and exercise may not be most effective. This is relatable as a student in the medical professions, where sciences and other health courses require so much review of material that sometimes there is not enough time to go to the gym. Often times priorities lie within academics since there is little room for mistakes and wasting time. Many students believe that they can focus on school now and then maybe have time to go to the gym in the future. That is another understandable angle but does not always succeed. I do believe it is possible to still have healthy exercise habits in college despite certain courses. Young adults in college must develop healthy habits in the presence of stress to combat obesity in the future. Building a foundation is important which is why colleges should implement exercise or “gym” classes into their requirements. The groundwork of a healthy routine in the face of adversity is important for students to create, which will snowball into the future.
Bibliography
Blake, Holly, et al. “Predictors of Physical Activity and Barriers to Exercise in Nursing and Medical Students.” Journal of Advanced Nursing, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27731886.
Ebben, William, and Laura Brudzynski. “Motivation and Barriers To Exercise Among College Students.” Journal of Exercise Physiology, Oct. 2008, www.asep.org/asep/asep/EbbenJEPonlineOctober2008.pdf.
Huang, Terry, et al. “Assessing Overweight, Obesity, Diet, and Physical Activity in College Students.” Taylor & Francis, Mar. 2010, www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07448480309595728?src=recsys.
Pinto, Bernardine M, and Bess H Marcus. “A Stages of Change Approach to Understanding College Students' Physical Activity.” Taylor & Francis, July 2010, www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07448481.1995.9937506.
Racette, Susanne B, et al. “Weight Changes, Exercise, and Dietary Patterns During Freshman and Sophomore Years of College.” Taylor & Francis, Aug. 2010, www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/JACH.53.6.245-251#top-content-scroll.
No comments:
Post a Comment