University Presentation Showcase: Undergraduate Division
Mental Health Related Benefits and Barriers of Exercise among College Students
Presenter Hometown
Lexington, KY
Major
Exercise and Sport Science
Department
Exercise and Sport Science
Degree
Undergraduate
Mentor
James M. Larkin
Mentor Department
Exercise and Sport Science
Recommended Citation
Hamilton, Madison, "Mental Health Related Benefits and Barriers of Exercise among College Students" (2021). University Presentation Showcase Event. 2.
https://encompass.eku.edu/swps/2021/undergraduate/2
Abstract
It is very clear that college can be a very stressful time. These high levels of stress can lead to negative coping mechanisms. However, there is a positive coping mechanism: exercise. The purpose of this study is to examine mental health related benefits of exercise and discuss any differences between males and females. This study will be examining raw data from a previously done study with a large sample size of college students (n=629). The data includes their answers to the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS), along with other measures of fitness. The EBBS consists of forty three statements that the participants rated from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Of the forty three statements, thirteen of them describe mental health benefits and data will only be analyzed from these statements and they will be broken down into three categories. It is hypothesized that: (A) Questions related to the overall well-being category will be viewed as more of a benefit of exercise by females. (B) Questions related to the physical/mental connection category will be viewed as more of a benefit of exercise by males. (C) Questions related to the enjoyment/positive feelings category will be viewed as more of a benefit of exercise by females. This study will be significant in the field of exercise science because society often tends to focus solely on the physical benefits of exercise. However, the mental benefits of exercise are very important and need to be made more clear.
Presentation format
Poster
Mental Health Related Benefits and Barriers of Exercise among College Students
It is very clear that college can be a very stressful time. These high levels of stress can lead to negative coping mechanisms. However, there is a positive coping mechanism: exercise. The purpose of this study is to examine mental health related benefits of exercise and discuss any differences between males and females. This study will be examining raw data from a previously done study with a large sample size of college students (n=629). The data includes their answers to the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS), along with other measures of fitness. The EBBS consists of forty three statements that the participants rated from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Of the forty three statements, thirteen of them describe mental health benefits and data will only be analyzed from these statements and they will be broken down into three categories. It is hypothesized that: (A) Questions related to the overall well-being category will be viewed as more of a benefit of exercise by females. (B) Questions related to the physical/mental connection category will be viewed as more of a benefit of exercise by males. (C) Questions related to the enjoyment/positive feelings category will be viewed as more of a benefit of exercise by females. This study will be significant in the field of exercise science because society often tends to focus solely on the physical benefits of exercise. However, the mental benefits of exercise are very important and need to be made more clear.
