Browsing by Author "Sermersheim, Mitchel"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Affordable Exercise Opportunities Improve the Health and Fitness of Inner-City Residents
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) McIntire, Jordan; Sermersheim, Mitchel; Arnold, Tracie
    Background: Physically Active Residential Communities and Schools (PARCS) is an 11-year old community-based exercise program in inner-city Indianapolis. Staffed by 200 undergraduate students who provide health/fitness assessments and exercise leadership for academic credit, PARCS offers exercise opportunities where none existed. Purpose: We present member demographic, baseline and outcome health/fitness data after one month of joining. Methods: Members (N = 113) who joined between February and May 2012 and received a one month follow-up assessment are included. Cost was $20/year or free with a medical referral. Members signed a consent form, completed health and demographic questionnaires, and were evaluated for upper-body (UBS), lower-body (LBS) strength and endurance, cardiovascular fitness (CVF), body mass index (BMI), resting heart rate (RHR), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP). One-month follow-up assessments were encouraged but not required. Attendance and health metrics were logged. Analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Results: Members were 48.75+14.64 years old, 46.25% Black, 45.99% White, 5.43% Hispanic, and 2.33% multiracial/other. Data showed 11.95% did not attend or complete high school, 23.9% obtained a diploma or GED, 32.57% obtained a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, and 65.78% earned <$40,000/year. Average attendance was 2.90 times/month. Baseline vs. follow-up measures showed an improvement in UBS (113 + 20.08 vs. 115 + 5.98, arm curls/30 sec, p <0.001), LBS (14.03 + 5.19 vs. 15.54 + 5.14, p<0.001 chair stands/ 30 sec), CVF (85.02+24.42 vs. 95.35+28.20, p<0.001, steps/2 min), RHR (76.92 + 13.28 vs. 73.10 + 13.28, beats/min, p<0.001), SBP (127.03 + 14.00 vs. 122.87 + 11.62 mmHg, p<0.001), and DBP (78.74 + 10.13 vs. 75.39 + 9.55 mmHg, p<0.001). BMI (34.77 + 10.76 vs. 34.33 + 10.47) was maintained. Conclusion: Members were able to exercise enough to improve or maintain health/fitness outcomes suggesting affordable and accessible exercise programs could benefit community health.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Outcomes of Individualized Personal Training Programs for Three Adult Siblings with Autism
    (2014-04-11) Sermersheim, Mitchel; Stanton, Kathleen; Swinford, Rachel
    The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of three 6-week individualized personal training programs for three adult brothers who have autism. Using a single subject design, physical activity levels, basic fitness measures, and interviews were used to construct three individualized training programs to fit the subjects needs. Findings from this study can guide professionals in the adapted physical activity field who work with adults who have autism. Individualized personal training programs may provide an avenue for treatment or behavior modification for adults with autism. In conclusion, the benefits of individualized personal training programs for adults with autism are not well established. However, the results of this study indicated that providing adults with autism with an individualized training program can be beneficial for the individual in more ways than one way. All three subjects saw improvements upon starting the program.