Pre-program Physical Activity In University Students Referred To An Exercise Is Medicine On Campus Program

PURPOSE: Gold-level Exercise is Medicine on Campus programs evaluate physical activity as a vital sign and receive referrals for individuals not accruing 150 minutes/week of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The purpose of this investigation was to examine pre-program physical activity levels in students referred to an Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIMOC) program. METHODS: Participants were ten (8 women, 2 men) students (mean age 26.1 + 5.8 years, mean BMI = 29.7 + 5.9 kg/m2) referred to an EIMOC program. Prior to starting the program, participants wore Actigraph GT9x monitors on the non-dominant wrist for a minimum of five days, including at least one weekend day, during free-living. The display on the monitors was not visible to participants. Activity metrics were averaged over days in which the participant had 10 hours of wear time or more. Participants were also asked to self-report their pre-program Stage of Change for physical activity (1 = Maintenance, 3 = Preparation, 5 = Precontemplation). RESULTS: Means and standard deviations for activity metrics are shown below. - Mean + SD Range Step Counts (steps/day) 10549.0 3524.9 5273-17384 Physical activity energy expenditure (kcals/day) 1676.1 680.0 385-2855 Time in Sedentary Activity (min/day) 303.7 138.4 170-629 Time in Light Intensity Activity (min/day) 445.2 127.6 243-674 Time in Moderate Intensity Activity (min/day) 161.0 63.9 64-303 Time in Vigorous Intensity Activity (min/day) 0.4 0.94 0-2.9 Total Time in Moderate-Vigorous Activity (min/day) 161.3 63.9 64-303 Stage of Change 3.1 0.57 2-4 Most participants indicated that they fell into the “preparation” stage of change, meaning that they intend to be physically active but have not been active at the recommended levels within the past year. However, results from Actigraph monitors indicate that participants were meeting the recommended 150 minutes of MVPA/week and most were achieving an average of at least 7000 steps/day prior to the EIMOC program. CONCLUSIONS: Students referred to an EIMOC program for low PA levels may be meeting guidelines for moderate intensity activity even if they are not participating in structured exercise sessions. Nevertheless, participants may have other goals, such as increased time spent in vigorous activity, fat loss, exercise self-efficacy, reductions in barriers to structured exercise, or improvements in health markers that would benefit from participation in EIMOC programs.