The purpose of this study was to examine the association between VLDL and diabetes risk factors, and the impact of a lifestyle intervention on VLDL levels in obese Latino youth. Participants (N=160) in this study were taken from a lager diabetes prevention program for Latino adolescents (Age=14.8±0.8 years, BMI=98.2±1.4). Youth participated in a 12-week lifestyle intervention that included physical activity (60 minutes, 3x/week) and nutrition education sessions (60 minutes, 1x/week) that were delivered to families at the downtown Phoenix YMCA. Primary outcomes included VLDL and diabetes risk factors including fasting and 2-hour glucose and insulin which were measured at baseline and 12-weeks post-intervention. Baseline VLDL levels were significantly correlated with fasting insulin (r =.270, P<0.01) and youth who were more insulin resistant displayed higher VLDL levels compared to youth who were less insulin resistant derived from fasting insulin levels (M=29.8±14.7 mg/dl vs. M=21.6±9.6 mg/dl, P<0.01). In total, 77 participants completed the lifestyle intervention. At post-intervention, VLDL levels were significantly reduced (M=26.0±13.3 mg/dl to M=23.3±11.6 mg/dl, P=0.02). Culturally-grounded, community-based, family-focused lifestyle interventions are a promising approach for reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors in high-risk youth at risk for diabetes.

Research indicates patient adherence to physical therapy home exercise programs is low and this is confirmed anecdotally by people working in the field. Many patients do not improve at the desired rate because they are only coming into the clinic for two to three days a week and then do not continue with their exercises at home. This thesis project was focused on designing a mobile application that would better help physical therapists facilitate home exercises for their patients. The goals of this application were to make it easier for patients to remember what they need to do and how often they need to do it, to increase patient improvements by making it easier to access and complete assigned exercises, and to make the physical therapist more efficient and effective by assigning the exercises through a program that can be easily altered. In order to create this application, research on self-efficacy, adherence, and behavior strategies and theories was collected. Then, interviews with physical therapists and patients were completed to determine what content should be added to the application for patients to be successful and to determine what features they believed would best facilitate exercise adherence. Lastly, the application and its features were designed based on the collected research and interviews.

Human trafficking is not only a social injustice, but also a major global health problem, that our communities cannot ignore. Despite the common misconception that trafficking is only seen in foreign countries or is only related to immigrants, the U.S. is known to be a major trafficking market and destination, with trafficking reported in all 50 states (Bladwin et al., 2011; Shandro et al., 2016; Dovydaitis, 2010). Although trafficking victims are unlikely to have appropriate access to health care, as much as 80% of sex trafficking victims have reported that they encountered a medical professional while under their traffickers' control and went unidentified at the time (Baldwin et al., 2011; Shandro et al., 2016). This exemplifies a serious missed opportunity for intervention. Health care providers should be prepared to identify and care for victims of trafficking as part of their routine clinical practice. This thesis aims to describe trafficking victims' encounters in U.S. health care settings, to assess health care professionals' and students' awareness, knowledge, and beliefs on trafficking, to examine the impact of an educational intervention on this populations' knowledge/belief changes, and to ultimately spread education about this issue to a wide array of communities.

This study examines the relationships between the success of Instagram health and fitness influencers and the images they share. As social media continues to grow as a source of information and interconnectedness, the sway influencers hold over their followers and potential consumers grow too. The success of these influencers in gaining followers, motivating opinions and achieving an aesthetic physique, result in monetary gain. On the media site Instagram, influencers with one million followers can garner over $50,000 per sponsored post. Specifically, the research focuses on four Instagram influencers who have over 200,000 followers. The subjects, Amanda Bucci, Nikki Blackketter, Maxx Chewning and Christian Guzman, were selected based on their popularity within the weight lifting community. Together, these influencers have over 400 million followers on Instagram. The study analyzed 32 photos sourced from the influencer's Instagrams. Of the 32 images, 16 were selected as branded content and 16 were selected as candid content. These images were then coded to answer the following research questions: (1) is there a pattern in the visuals weight lifters share, (2) is there a difference between branded or candid content, (3) how do these similarities or lack thereof influence number of Instagram followers and financial success, and (4) what physical dimensions contribute to a weight lifter's success on Instagram? This study uses content analysis to understand the symbolic meaning of texts and visuals. With the findings showing recurrent themes between (1) posture of subject, (2) use of brand affiliation and (3) professional grade photography, we confirm that bodily capital, sponsorship and authenticity are successful tactics used by influencers to generate a following.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high intensity interval exercise (HIIE) on postprandial fat and carbohydrate oxidation after a high carbohydrate and fat meal in healthy adults. It was hypothesized that the HIIE would result in greater postprandial fat oxidation than the control condition. Three subjects, all non-obese (BMI<30) from the ages of 21-24, underwent a 3 visit protocol. The first visit was to establish a VO2 max (on a cycle ergometer) and the following two were randomized between a control and exercise condition. The exercise condition was comprised of one hour rest to provide baseline data, followed by a 1 minute on (90-95% HR max), one minute off high intensity interval protocol on a cycle ergometer. This was conducted until the same amount of kcal as the standard meal (490 kcal. 250 kcal snickers and 240 kcal sprite) was expended. After the exercise, the participant waited for one hour to minimize the effects of the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) period, and then consumed the meal. Once this was completed, VO2 was measured for the last 10 minutes of every 30 minutes for a full 5 hours postprandial. The same methodology was employed in the control condition except for the exercise protocol. Results showed a significantly greater fat oxidation in the HIIE condition, oxidizing 28 grams, 32 grams, and 27 grams of fat in each of the 3 subjects compared to 14, 16, and 17 grams in the control condition respectively. This supports the notion that HIIE results in greater postprandial fat oxidation compared to seated rest.

This observational study explored the motivational factors for recreational cyclists participating in a charity cycling event held by a Christian based nonprofit, the Fuller Center. Participants (n=22; men: n=10; women: n=12) cycled at least one 302 mile segment of a bike ride distancing the whole West Coast (1,657 miles). The purpose of the study was to determine the motives for the cyclists' participation and to then classify those motives as intrinsic or extrinsic. A scale used to measure motivation of marathoners was transcribed to match those of the cycling participants to assess motivation. The participants were divided into 4 groups based on self-reported experience levels, and it was shown that across all types of experience levels, both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators were expressed but with greater emphasis on intrinsic factors. The most commonly indicated intrinsic motivation subcategories were life meaning, personal goal achievement, and affiliation, with affiliation being recognized by every individual. The most commonly indicated extrinsic subcategories were competition, recognition, health orientation, and weight concern. Though each rider's story was signature to the individual, the very specific religious background and philanthropic mission of the Fuller Center Bike Adventure weighed heavily into each individual's motivation alongside the classified intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Therefore, this research offered valuable data about motivation of recreational cyclists but future studies should focus on a less specific population.

The purpose of this study was to assess usage and satisfaction of a large university recreation fitness center. Data from 471 respondents was collected during Spring 2018. Although users were satisfied overall, we obtained useful information to guide center administration towards improved usage rates and experiences for users of the center.

Childhood obesity is a worsening epidemic in the U.S. with substantial racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. Community-based approaches are necessary to target populations that are disproportionately affected by childhood obesity. The current randomized controlled trial assessed the effects of Athletes for Life (AFL), a 12-week community-based nutrition education and physical activity program that aims to improve cardiovascular fitness and promote healthy eating among families in the South Phoenix region, relative to a control condition. One of the goals of the intervention was to increase participating children's intake of fruits/vegetables and reduce their sugar intake, measured by a parent-reported food-frequency questionnaire. Data were collected on 110 child participants aged 6-11 years old. Relative to baseline values, participants in the intervention reportedly increased their fruit intake frequency by 0.12 + 2.0 times per day, whereas the control group decreased their intake by 0.32 + 1.28 times per day (p=0.026). Participants in the intervention group also increased their vegetable intake by 0.21 + 0.65 times per day, whereas control participants decreased their intake by 0.05 + 0.72 times per day (p=0.019). Participants in the intervention group decreased their intake of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake by 0.22 + 0.62 times per day, whereas control participants decreased their intake of SSBs by 0.04 + 0.40 times per day, however, the change observed in SSB intake was not significant between groups. Lastly, frequency of sugar-laden food intake decreased by 0.86 + 1.10 times per day among the intervention group, whereas control participants increased their intake by 0.02 + 1.10 times per day (p=0.033). The AFL study may serve as a framework for future community-based interventions to promote health in underserved areas.

Background: To determine the effect of sumac on vasodilation and oxidative stress in vascular tissue. This study hypothesized that sumac would increase vasodilation and reduce vascular damage in vascular tissue taken from rats to improve symptoms and risk of vascular dementia.
Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a chow diet or a high fat diet (HFD) for ten weeks. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation was measured in isolated mesenteric arterioles that were treated with or without 80 µg/ml sumac in the superfusate throughout the experiment.
Results: Sumac did not improve vasodilation or in ex vivo arteries from rats fed a high fat diet. There were trends of improved vasodilation in sumac treated vessels from high fat diet rats, but sumac did not significantly improve vasodilation. In rats fed a chow diet, sumac prevented phenylephrine (PE) constriction in the vascular tissue. The most likely cause for this is the presence of Gallic acid in sumac. Another possible explanation is the presence of nitrates in sumac which may have prevented PE vasoconstriction.
Conclusions: Sumac did not significantly improve vasodilation in isolated arteries from rats fed a high fat diet. The results are inconclusive for the improvement of symptoms or risk of vascular dementia. In vivo treatment with sumac should be tested as results may differ.

Creative adventurers are a modern artistic subculture defined by aesthetic individualism and rugged outdoor practicality. Contemporary photographers and videographers who live an active outdoor lifestyle place significant demands on their shoes and feet wherever they work. As a result of the increasing growth of photo based social media, part of producing creative content in this field involves artists interacting directly with their favorite brands through "product tagging" and other means of rapid networking. This energetic atmosphere of creativity and brand engagement presents a unique opportunity to introduce a footwear product specifically made for the brand-conscious visual artist. A collaborative shoe project between a major footwear brand such as Nike or Adidas and a major camera brand such as Canon or Sony is a unique and exciting way to meet the functional and aesthetic demands of this population.