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133
Among workplaces, institutions of higher education often possess diverse resources that uniquely
position them to respond to the need for workplace physical activity programming and to
produce credible research related to the program development, implementation, and assessment
that may occur to inform best practices for the field (Plotnikoff et al., 2015). As participant-centered
research that would inform best practices in university employee physical activity is
still relatively limited (Conn et al., 2009; DeJoy et al., 2014), the goal of this study was to
understand the characteristics of Get Fit, the promising practice that effectively engaged
university employees in physical activity during the workday, to inform recommendations for
program development and implementation more broadly at Pacific Crest University and other
institutions. Utilizing the Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analytic Framework, the literature review
that comprised Chapter 2 informed the selection of influences that were assumed to be relevant
to the knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs of college employees who participate
with Get Fit. Data analysis revealed that the assumed influences were important, with some
representing assets of the Get Fit program, and others requiring further support. Based on
findings of the analysis of these influences on the Get Fit program, the sections that follow
outline recommendations for PCU and other universities seeking to improve employee rates of
workplace physical activity.
Knowledge Recommendations
College Employees Need Knowledge of Available Physical Activity Resources
The results and findings of this study revealed participants had more factual knowledge
of the Get Fit program than the physical activity offerings of the PCU Fitness Center, which
influenced rates of participation. Such knowledge included details of class content, composition
of class participants, cost of participation, ease of accessibility for staff, and the time and location
of program offerings. Although participants understood PCU Fitness Center class options were
Object Description
| Title | Physical activity interventions to reduce rates of sedentary behavior among university employees: a promising practice study |
| Author | DeFrank, Ginny Mary |
| Author email | ginnydefrank@gmail.com;defrank@usc.edu |
| Degree | Doctor of Education |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line) |
| School | Rossier School of Education |
| Date defended/completed | 2020-06-19 |
| Date submitted | 2020-08-11 |
| Date approved | 2020-08-11 |
| Restricted until | 2020-08-11 |
| Date published | 2020-08-11 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Malloy, Courtney |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Canny, Eric Stowe, Kathy |
| Abstract | The purpose of this study was to understand factors influencing employee participation in a university-offered physical activity program to inform recommendations for other institutions of higher education seeking to address high rates of university employee sedentary behavior with physical activity programming. The instructor-led program was held four times per week beginning at noon each day and lasted one hour in duration on a university campus in the western United States. The program, which was offered at no cost to employees, typically served 20-30 participants each week. The Clark and Estes Gap Analytic Framework (2008) was employed to assess relevant knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences affecting university employee engagement with the physical activity program. The study utilized a convergent parallel mixed methods design, engaging 24 university employees by means of a fifty-four-item quantitative survey. Six survey respondents also participated in interviews. Research findings revealed the importance of the interplay of employee factual and metacognitive knowledge, as well as motivation influences including self-efficacy and expectancy value within the organization’s cultural models and settings. Recommendations for other institutions seeking to engage employees in physical activity were informed by the findings and supported by a review of literature. Recommendations include the use of training, communication strategies, information guides, modeling, and opportunities for reflection to meet employee knowledge and motivational needs. Evaluating and changing organizational policies, cultural values, and existing physical activity programming was recommended to ensure employees understand an organization’s support for participation in physical activity. Additionally, implications for practice involved a focus on the role of instructors and the development of communities of continuity to support and improve rates of university employee engagement in physical activity during the workday. |
| Keyword | sedentary behavior; physical activity; workplace physical activity; physical activity intervention; university physical activity; exercise |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | DeFrank, Ginny Mary |
| Physical access | The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given. |
| Repository name | University of Southern California Digital Library |
| Repository address | USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-DeFrankGin-8921.pdf |
| Archival file | Volume13/etd-DeFrankGin-8921.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 142 |
| Full text | 133 Among workplaces, institutions of higher education often possess diverse resources that uniquely position them to respond to the need for workplace physical activity programming and to produce credible research related to the program development, implementation, and assessment that may occur to inform best practices for the field (Plotnikoff et al., 2015). As participant-centered research that would inform best practices in university employee physical activity is still relatively limited (Conn et al., 2009; DeJoy et al., 2014), the goal of this study was to understand the characteristics of Get Fit, the promising practice that effectively engaged university employees in physical activity during the workday, to inform recommendations for program development and implementation more broadly at Pacific Crest University and other institutions. Utilizing the Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analytic Framework, the literature review that comprised Chapter 2 informed the selection of influences that were assumed to be relevant to the knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs of college employees who participate with Get Fit. Data analysis revealed that the assumed influences were important, with some representing assets of the Get Fit program, and others requiring further support. Based on findings of the analysis of these influences on the Get Fit program, the sections that follow outline recommendations for PCU and other universities seeking to improve employee rates of workplace physical activity. Knowledge Recommendations College Employees Need Knowledge of Available Physical Activity Resources The results and findings of this study revealed participants had more factual knowledge of the Get Fit program than the physical activity offerings of the PCU Fitness Center, which influenced rates of participation. Such knowledge included details of class content, composition of class participants, cost of participation, ease of accessibility for staff, and the time and location of program offerings. Although participants understood PCU Fitness Center class options were |
