Enhancing Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being in College Students during COVID-19 through WeActive and WeMindful Interventions

Kathryn Friedman, Michele W. Marenus, Andy Murray, Ana Cahuas, Haley Ottensoser, Julia Sanowski and Weiyun Chen
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Kathryn Friedman: School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Michele W. Marenus: School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Andy Murray: School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Ana Cahuas: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Haley Ottensoser: School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Julia Sanowski: School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Weiyun Chen: School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: This study aimed to examine the immediate and short-term effects of aerobic and resistance training (WeActive) and mindful exercise (WeMindful) virtual interventions in improving physical activity (PA) and resilience among college students. Participants were 55 students who were randomly assigned to either the WeActive group ( n = 31) or the WeMindful group ( n = 24). Both groups attended two virtual 30 min aerobic and resistance training sessions (WeActive) or mindful exercise sessions (WeMindful) per week for eight weeks. All participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) via Qualtrics one week prior to (pre-test) and after the intervention (post-test) and 6 weeks after the intervention (follow up). There was a significant main effect of time for resilience ( F = 3.4.15, p = 0.024), where both the WeActive group and the WeMindful group significantly increased the resilience scores from pre-test to follow up ( t = −2.74, p = 0.02; t = −2.54, p = 0.04), respectively. For moderate physical activity (MPA), there was a significant interaction effect of time with group ( F = 4.81, p = 0.01, η 2 = 0.038), where the WeActive group significantly increased MPA over time from pre-test to follow-up test as compared to the WeMindful group ( t = −2.6, p = 0.033). Only the WeActive intervention was effective in increasing MPA. Both interventions were effective in increasing resilience from pre-test to 6 week follow up.

Keywords: physical activity; resilience; intensity; university students; COVID-19; web-based intervention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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