Student Wellness: Connecting health to academic success

1. Student Wellness: Connecting health to academic success Jacque de fouw, Suzanne fenech, Katie gerstemeier

2. Outline • What is the university’s place in helping with retention? • Students…exercise and academics • U of M wellness program, Tigers Feel Great!!! • Its beginning • Current status • Future ideas

3. Retention • A student who re-enrolls the following semester/year at a particular institution • “Student academic success and retention are indicators that the university is doing what it says- its responsibility and mission to provide an education and an academically enriching experience.” • “From the university’s perspective it is less expensive to help current students succeed than to recruit new students…Good retention rates attract future outstanding students, creating a larger alumni base.” Grizzell, Jim. “Linking Health to Academic Success and Retention.” Spectrum. February 2007. Jensen, Uni. “Factors Influencing Student Retention in Higher Education.“ Kamehameha Schools Research & Evaluation Division . February 2011.

4. How can exercise help retention and academic success?

5. Jensen, Uni. “Factors Influencing Student Retention in Higher Education.” Kamehameha Schools Research & Evaluation Division . February 2011. Reynolds, Gretchen. “How Physical Fitness May Promote School Success.” The New Yorks Times. September 18, 2013. “Worldwide studies and science support exercise for relieving symptoms related to ADD, OCD, anxiety, depression, addiction and aging.” Sparking Life. 2014.

7. Psychological benefits of exercise • Chronic Depression • Shrinks certain areas of the brain • “Exercise unleashes a cascade of neurochemicals and growth factors that can reverse this process, physically bolstering the brain’s infrastructure.” The neurons in the brain connect to one another through “leaves” on tree-like branches, and exercise causes those branches to grow and bloom with new buds, enhancing brain function. • Heightened attention • Vigorous exercise BEFORE learning helps create a heightened state of attention. Exercise improves student learning, memory, mood, and behavior. • ADD/ADHD • Is described as a patchy attention system; discontinuous an uncoordinated • Exercise raises baseline levels of dopamine and norepinephrine which are the chemicals targeted by ADHD medications http://sparkinglife.org/page/why-exercise-works

8. Psychological benefits of exercise • Anxiety Disorders • Clinical anxiety affects 40 million Americans (18% of population) • Misinterpretation of the situation, common denominator is irrational dread • Exercise works by: • Providing a distraction • Reduces muscle tension • Teaches a positive outcome for symptoms, like increased heart rate and respiratory rate • Improves resilience (You learn that you can be effective in controlling anxiety without letting it turn into panic.) • The theory is that when we increase our heart rate and breathing in the context of exercise, we learn that these physical signs don’t necessarily lead to an anxiety attack. We become more comfortable with the feeling of our body being stimulated, and we don’t automatically assume that the feelings are harmful. • Stress • Extreme levels of stress erode the connections between nerve cells in the brain • Exercise fires up the recovery process in our muscles and our neurons. It leaves our bodies and minds stronger and more resilient, better able to handle future challenges, to think on our feet and adapt more easily. http://sparkinglife.org/page/why-exercise-works

9. Studies • A representative study, presented in May at the American College of Sports Medicine, found that fourth- and fifth-grade students who ran around and otherwise exercised vigorously for at least 10 minutes before a math test scored higher than children who had sat quietly before the exam. • In a large-scale study of almost 12,000 Nebraska schoolchildren published in August in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers compiled each child’s physical fitness, as measured by a timed run, body mass index and academic achievement in English and math, based on the state’s standardized test scores. Better fitness proved to be linked to significantly higher achievement scores, while, interestingly, body size had almost no role. Students who were overweight, but relatively fit, had higher test scores than lighter, less-fit children. • A multi-year study by researchers at Tufts University found that students who said they exercised at least 3 days a week were more likely to report a better state of physical health and greater happiness than those who didn't exercise. This (and other evidence) suggests that the real benefits of exercise may not come right after a workout but from a longer commitment to regular activity. http://kidshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/college/exercise.html http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/how-physical-fitness-may-promote-school-success/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

10. Tigers feel Great!!! University of Memphis student wellness program: Campus Recreation and Student Health Services

11. Creation of TIGERS feel great!!! • 2006 - SHS Nurse Practitioner identified increase in patients with Metabolic Syndrome • National statistics and news of Obesity Epidemic • Started development of “Prescription for Wellness” for clinic patients • VP and AVP requested “The Biggest Loser” program on campus Fall 2007 • Collaboration with many key departments • 2007 - Began development of “Tigers Feel Grrreat in ’08”

12. History of TIGERS feel great!!! • Targeted U of M students • Core participant with Body Mass Index (BMI) > 25 • One-day seminars • Nutritional Support • Student Health Services (SHS) Graduate Assistants • Nutrition Department • Exercise • Health and Sport Sciences Department • Student Recreation and Fitness Center (CRIS) • Behavioral Support • U of M Counseling Unit • Psychology Department • Resources for lifelong assistance • Community and Internet

13. History of TIGERS feel great!!! • Pilot program Spring 2008 • Intake • Fall – two intake sessions/week at various times for first 4 weeks • Motivational Interviewing– goal development - continuing (in-person/phone/email) • Fitness Assessment– beginning and end of semester • Campus Recreation orientation • Monthly Progress Party and Weigh-in (if desired) • Walking groups– daily at 1 pm & 4 pm FH track or inside • Lab tests – Cholesterol/Triglycerides + Fasting Blood Sugar • Nutritional Support • Education components: nutrition, exercise, stress, goal setting, hydration and kidney health, etc. • End of Semester Fitness Party • Incentives : t-shirts, pedometers, caps, water bottles, Tiger gear

14. tigers feel great!!! (Up to 2013) • Every semester we tweak the program to increase program completion • In 2011 we started doing a 10-week program • Week 1: 1.5 hours in length • Students do a basic health assessment (height, weight, blood pressure, body fat %, and BMI) • Overview of the program • Basic nutrition and exercise guidelines taught by the fitness and nutrition GA’s • Short exercise session led by the fitness GA • Week 2-9: 30-45 minutes in length • Meet same day and time each week for an exercise session • Nutrition GA gives a short talk every other week on a specific topic (ex. Healthy swaps, healthy eating on campus, etc.) • Motivational counseling 2-3 times led by psychology GA’s • Week 10: 45-60 minutes in length • Another health assessment to track improvements • A short exercise session

15. tigers feel great!!! (Up to 2013) • In 2012: • We added a “Stages of Change” survey to see if we can predict who will complete the program. • It could be used in the future to weed-out students who aren’t ready so they don’t take a spot from someone who is ready to make a change. • It has not shown to be viable yet, but with a few more semesters/years of tracking we might start seeing a trend. • Spring Break exercise challenge • Weeks 9 & 10 we change to individual workout sessions • To transition students into working out on their own • A pre-made workout at the front desk for students to pick up • Fitness leaders were available for assistance

16. Tigers feel great!!! (2014 and beyond) • Fall 2014 • Changing the name to something more “catchy”, like TigerFit • Poor response to the individual workouts, so only doing the group sessions • Poor attendance after breaks, Thanksgiving and Spring break • End of the semester people get caught up in school and other life responsibilities • Going to end the program at 8 weeks • Do more interactive teaching and goal setting, letting exercise be more of a bonus instead of the main focus • Handouts (examples on next slides) • Incentives to finish (recently received a grant) - measuring cups, water bottle, etc.

19. Questions?

20. Stations

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