Chad A. Sutherland

1. Inter-collegiate female ice hockey demands short bursts of high-intensity effort interspersed with periods of active recovery, creating a complex and physiologically taxing environment for athle...

Background: The assessment of body composition can be conducted using a variety of devices, each providing practitioners unique advantages such as cost effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility, and accuracy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the precision of three bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) devices when compared to air displacement plethysmography (BOD POD). Methods: A large-scale study involving 617 undergraduate kinesiology students (♀ = 342 | ♂ = 275) participated in this study. Participants had a mean ( SD) age of 21.2 2.0 y, a height of 171.9 9.9 cm, and a weight of 71.6 15.2 kg. Each participant completed a body composition assessment using the following BIA equipment: Tanita BC-568, Tanita BF-683W, and InBody 230 to estimate body fat (%). Air plethysmography (BOD POD) was used as the criterion method for deriving body composition. Order of assessments were randomized and were performed 1hr apart on the same day. Results: All data sets were positively skewed and determined to be non-normally distributed after conducting a Shapiro-wilk assessment (p < 0.05). Statistically significant differences in the mean absolute error between the criterion and each BIA device were observed: Tanita-568 (MAE = 4.8, p < 0.0001), Tanita-683 (MAE = 5.8, p < 0.0001) and InBody 230 (MAE = 4.6, p = 0.046). The calculated effect size between each BIA device and the criterion revealed trivial differences (ES 0.16). Conclusion: Overall, the InBody 230 BIA device displayed the strongest agreement with the BOD POD.

Background: Strengths‐based employment services focused on the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities challenge traditional, deficits‐based orientations. Within the presence of hope, which sustains collective effort toward a preferred future, such employment services may stimulate social change. Therefore, the presence of hope was examined within strengths‐based employment settings for adults with intellectual disabilities to understand its potential to establish inclusive workplaces. Methods: Employees with intellectual disabilities supported by strength‐based employment services, as well as their employers and co‐workers, completed semi‐structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Hope was present within strength‐based employment services through the (a) co‐sharing of strengths, (b) movement toward a shared, preferred future, (c) alignment of personal and collective goals, and (d) (co)transformation of interacting parties. Conclusion: Implementing strengths‐based employment services for people with intellectual disabilities is supported, as it facilitates the cultivation of hope and thus movement toward inclusive and equitable workplaces.

The UWorkItOut UWin program is a 6-week exercise training and counseling intervention aimed to improve the mental health of university students. Benefits of the program include a reduction of anxiety and depression symptoms, physical, psychological, and cognitive outcomes, as well as the development of various coping skills. Despite these favorable outcomes, a process evaluation of the program is needed to understand its effectiveness. The present study conducted a process evaluation using the RE-AIM framework to assess the UWorkItOut UWin program. Data collected from a mixed-method quasi-experimental pretest-posttest single group design was analyzed using the RE-AIM dimensions (i.e. Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance). Sixty participants (n = 60) completed pre-post surveys, exercise training data, self-report physical activity questionnaires, and exit interviews. The program performed well across the RE-AIM dimensions. The program had high adherence rates (reach) and positive outcomes related to mental health, such as decreased anxiety (d = -0.58), depression (d = -0.36), and loss of emotional control (d = -0.42) as well as increased general positive affect (d = 0.47) emotional ties (d = 0.40), and increased physical activity levels (effectiveness). Program staff were valuable for the social support they provided to participants (adoption). However, the program faced barriers with respect to securing dedicated space to conduct the program (implementation) and lacked evidence of long-term maintenance of physical activity participation (maintenance). The program prioritizes a client-centered approach to meet the needs of the participants. As such, continued program evaluation and adaptation is needed.