Physical Activity/Exercise Priority Action Group

"Being healthy in body is integral to the overall concept of a person, for if they are healthy in body many times they are healthy in spirit, in other words they have more energy, they are happier, and have more drive to succeed in their daily endeavors."
- Sean Crawford, UND Student Senator

Rationale
“Students with higher cumulative GPAs were more likely to exercise more often.” ¹

“Studies show that regular physical activity can cut the risk for developing depression, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, and certain kinds of cancer… An estimated 25.6 percent of adults in the United States reported being obese in 2007, an increase of nearly 2 percent since 2005 Approximately 300,000 deaths per year may be attributable to obesity.” ²

Description
This Priority Action Group composed of student, faculty, and staff members meets monthly at UND to evaluate environmental factors, analyze problems, share best practices, establish goals, create SMART objectives, develop recommendations and strategies, and ultimately create a campus-wide action plan.  This action plan will be submitted to UND’s President for final consideration and when approved, it will serve as a guide for all UND health and wellness initiatives until the year 2020.

Agendas

September 2010
October 2010 - Problem Analysis
November 2010
January 2011 - Developing Goals and Objectives
February 2011 - Ideas for Objectives
March 2011
April 2011

Minutes

September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
January 2011 - Inventory of Programs, Services, and Policies (Draft)
February 2011 - "We Need" Results from the Joint Meeting - Special Objective Meeting Results
March 2011
April 2011

Best Practice Articles
12 Strategies for Motivating Wellness 
Longitudinal Student Health Study 
Role of College Roommates and the ‘Freshman 15’ 
A Study of the Exercise Behavior of College Students 
Descriptive Profile of Student Health 
College Students Struggle with Obesity 
Diet and Exercise Habits of College Students 
Role of Social Support in College Student Diet and Exercise 
Establishing a successful physical activity program to recruit and retain women 
Concurrent management of exercise with other valued life goals 
Development and preliminary validation of the time management for exercise scale 
Summary of Current Physical Activity Recommendations 
Active Human Nature 

References
1. “UND Student Health Highlights 2008.” National College Health Assessment. Baltimore, MD: American College Health Association Administrated at UND by Student Health Services, 2008. Print. 

2. “Promoting Physical Activity.” The Community Guide to Preventative Services. Community Guide Branch, National Center for Health Marketing (NCHM), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 June 2010. Web. 7 Jul 2010.