Category: ARC Session

Personal Training and its Effects on University of Oregon Students

Presenter: Jackson Hullinger − Human Physiology

Co-Presenter(s): Karl Schenk, Olivia Gurley

Faculty Mentor(s): Chantelle Russell

Session: (Virtual) Oral Panel—Strive to Thrive ARC

This paper analyzes how personal trainers affect and influence the wellness of college students at University of Oregon. If students work with personal trainers then their overall wellness will improve because working with a personal trainer offers a more structured workout plan for people who are inexperienced or uncomfortable at the gym, less risk of injury, and guidance on proper nutrition. To prove this, we read through multiple scientific research papers and spoke to various personal trainers and students about how personal training has benefitted them. Our primary results showed that among the people we interviewed, the overwhelming majority of participants showed improvements in their overall wellness. However, these results were based on prior experience in the gym and their individual relationship with their trainer. The implications of these results can help direct more students who are not comfortable with the gym and/or whose physical and mental health is not well to the Rec Center. Additional possible outcomes of this could be a raised GPA among students at UO, better physical and mental health of students, and just an overall better campus. Overall physical and mental wellness are important aspects of well that UO is trying to help students with, and directing students to meet with a personal trainer would be the most beneficial way to improve wellness.

Personal training and the students at UO

Presenter: Olivia Gurley − Human Physiology

Co-Presenter(s): Jackson Hullinger, Karl Schenk

Faculty Mentor(s): Chantelle Russell

Session: (Virtual) Oral Panel—Strive to Thrive ARC

This paper analyzes how personal trainers affect and influence the wellness of college students at University of Oregon. If students work with personal trainers then their overall wellness will improve because working with a personal trainer offers a more structured workout plan for people who are inexperienced or uncomfortable at the gym, less risk of injury, and guidance on proper nutrition. To prove this, we read through multiple scientific research papers and spoke to various personal trainers and students about how personal training has benefitted them. Our primary results showed that among the people we interviewed, the overwhelming majority of participants showed improvements in their overall wellness. However, these results were based on prior experience in the gym and their individual relationship with their trainer. The implications of these results can help direct more students who are not comfortable with the gym and/or whose physical and mental health is not well to the Rec Center. Additional possible outcomes of this could be a raised GPA among students at UO, better physical and mental health of students, and just an overall better campus. Overall physical and mental wellness are important aspects of wellness that UO is trying to help students with, and directing students to meet with a personal trainer would be the most beneficial way to improve wellness.

Impacts of Access to Nutritional Information on College Students

Presenter(s): Santino Gentile — Psychology

Co-Presenter(s): Eleanor Yi, Cheyenne Bissonnette, Alana Hilkey

Faculty Mentor(s): Chantelle Russell

Session: (Virtual) Oral Panel—Strive to Thrive ARC

Our research entails the benefits of nutrition on the mind and body, as well as the effects of having access to nutritional information, specifically macronutrients and ingredients, for college students. Students having access to the nutritional information of dining halls would be greatly aided in their personal and/or medical diets. Firstly, we discuss the beneficial effects of nutritional decisions and how they can improve the mental stability and physical health of students and all adults in general, which was found through secondary, scholarly research. Making knowledgeable decisions about dietary intakes can improve mood, blood sugar levels, quality of life, movement, energy levels, sleep quality, cognitive function, and physical recovery. This leads to an improved general quality of life for college students. The next step in this research must be addressing whether students, in particular students attending the University of Oregon, would similarly follow nutritionally beneficial diets to improve their mental and physical health in this way. This data was found via external research from previous studies nation/worldwide. It can be concluded that college students can and will make healthier dietary decisions upon learning about the nutritional information available to them via the dining halls. Multiple benefits, including mental and physical health as well as medical, would open up to students upon becoming knowledgeable in this subject matter.

The Effects of the Use of Cannabis on College Students Wellbeing

Presenter(s): Malcolm Durfee – Psychology

Co-Presenter(s): Julia Hibbard, Cali Moore

Faculty Mentor(s): Chantelle Russel

Session: (Virtual) Oral Panel—Strive to Thrive ARC

Introduction: Whether it be for medicinal purposes or recreational use, the use of cannabis among college students has gone up. The hypothesis for our study is that cannabis use in college aged students affects mental health long term but short term it increases happiness.

Question of Study: What are the effects of the use of Cannabis on a College Student’s Wellbeing?

General Statement of the significance of the research: That cannabis use is very prevalent at college and it also very regulated, and the question is it a the problem that people are using it heavily or regulating it heavily.

Primary Results: We found that there is no proof of causation towards cannabis helping your well being or hurting it. Rather it depends on the person and if they personally know that the drug is good for them.

Primary Conclusion: The conclusion there is no conclusive evidence that this drug directly affects rather it could possibly be a signifier of how your well being is good or bad. Therefore our hypothesis was wrong and we need more research to really get to the bottom of this.

General Methods, Procedures, Sources: We examined these sources. In addition Alexis Drakatos showed a study that spoke about cannabis usage of students but it used survey data so it was not the most reliable data considering I know many students that lied on it. The data from all the UO interviews were either unusable or biased due to them trying to prove a narrative.

Outdoor Inclusion for Hispanic Women

Presenter(s): Claire Daley — Global Studies

Co-Presenter(s): Yesenia Vargas, Mia Rivas, Ana Gastelu

Faculty Mentor(s): Chantelle Russell

Session: (Virtual) Oral Panel—Strive to Thrive ARC

Outdoor recreation is an important part of our community at UO because of the many benefits, such as better mental/physical health, increased academic success, and social connections. However, while there have been attempts to attract minority groups, such as Hispanic women to outdoor recreation activities at the university, there is still a big disparity in participation. We hypothesize that with more inclusive promotion strategies within outdoor-oriented programs on campus and increasing Hispanic representation in leadership positions, people who identify as a part of this community will be more inclined to participate. Our research study explores factors contributing to the inclination to participate in outdoor activities, awareness of university outdoor events, and the interpersonal barriers that influence participation. We used data from interviews with UO outdoor recreation professionals and information from the Redefining Outdoorsy Summit. We looked at statistical and demographic data of Outdoor Program participation records provided by the Department of Assessment and Research. Lastly, we researched how other universities promote diversity in their Outdoor Recreational activities. We found factors that influence Hispanic women’s participation in outdoor events are: lack of inclusion and awareness in the promotion of these events, history of childhood participation in outdoor adventures, and negative perspectives related to involvement in outdoor activities.