Counseling Psychology and Human Services Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing Counseling Psychology and Human Services Theses and Dissertations by Author "Budd, Elizabeth"

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    Examining Daily Associations of Nature Exposure, Body Appreciation, and Physical Activity Among Adolescents
    (University of Oregon, 2024-08-07) Castro, Esmeralda; Budd, Elizabeth
    Substantial evidence supports engaging in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) for myriad health benefits, yet most adolescents are not active enough to maximize the benefits. Especially among girls, adolescence is marked by reductions in MVPA and body appreciation, both linked to poor physical and mental and health outcomes. There are mixed findings on how nature exposure (NE) is related to MVPA and body appreciation. Most of these NE studies were conducted among adults and all have measured NE by self-report or objective proxies (e.g., quantity of vegetation in an area), which are vulnerable to bias and inaccuracy. Objectives of the current study among adolescents were to determine 1) the daily associations among MVPA, body appreciation, and NE using an innovative mobile application that measures objective individual-level indicators of time spent in nature, 2) whether and how gender moderates these associations, and 3) if body appreciation indirectly affects the relationship between NE and MVPA. In summer 2023, a community sample of Oregon adolescents participated in a prospective 7-day study. Participants wore ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers to measure MVPA, enabled the phone application “NatureDose™” to measure NE, and answered the short form 3-item Body Appreciation Scale-2 daily. Adjusting for covariates, multilevel linear regressions and moderation analyses, and indirect pathway analyses were conducted. Participants (N = 209; M = 14.39 y/o ± 1.66; 50.23% cisgender girls; 80.19% White) were highly active (M = 281.9 ± 18.54 MVPA min/day), exposed to nature (M = 95.2 ± 66.6 min/day), and reported moderately high body appreciation (M = 3.99 ± 0.06 per day). Daily NE, not body appreciation, was significantly and positively associated with daily MVPA (γ10 = 10.26, p < .001). Gender did not moderate the daily associations. Body appreciation did not indirectly affect the relationship between NE and MVPA. This is the first study among adolescents to use an objective, individual-level measure of NE and confirm the previously identified positive link between NE and MVPA in this age group. Replication in more diverse adolescent samples is a next step. Findings support interventions that integrate nature and MVPA to promote adolescent health.
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    Greater Access to Recreational Resources is Associated with More Leisure-time Physical Activity Engagement in Counties Across the United States
    (University of Oregon, 2021-11-23) Pedroza, Jonathan; Budd, Elizabeth
    Less than 10% of U.S. adults meet physical activity recommendations. Physical inactivity leads to poor physical and mental health conditions. Little is known about community factors on a county level associated with leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), despite LTPA demonstrating greater health benefits than other physical activity domains and most local health departments operating on county levels. This study: 1) examines the association between access to recreational resources and LTPA, and 2) investigates violent crime rates as a moderator of this association across U.S. counties. Data on access to recreational resources (e.g., parks, gyms), LTPA, violent crime rates, median household income, and percent rurality, Black/African American population, and Latina/o population were analyzed from 2016 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps and American Community Survey. With U.S. counties (N = 3089) as the level of measurement, three spatial regression models stratified by region (Northeast, South, West, Midwest) were conducted. Access to recreational resources was positively associated with LTPA in the Northeast (b = 0.058, p = .001), South (b = 0.025, p < .001), and West (b = 0.046, p < .001). Violent crime rates moderated the association between access to recreational resources and LTPA in the Northeast only (b = 0.002, p = .032), showing a significant positive association (b = 0.108, p < .001) only among counties with higher violent crime rates. Exploratory findings indicated median household income moderated the association between access to recreational resources and LTPA in the West (b = 0.002, p = .003) and Midwest (b = 0.001, p = .040). County median household income may matter more as a moderator than violent crime rates in the positive association between access to recreational resources and LTPA, particularly in the West and Midwest. These findings can inform future LTPA promotion interventions by concentrating efforts on improving access to recreational resources and addressing inequities in access based on median household income.
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    School Wellness & Discipline in Oregon High Schools
    (University of Oregon, 2022-10-04) Terral, Heather; Budd, Elizabeth
    Introduction: Education is a social determinant of health, and its intersection with incarceration is a powerful nexus for well-being of students. Whether policies specific to student well-being are associated with exclusionary discipline, a documented risk factor for incarceration, is unknown. This study has three aims: (1) to identify whether there is an association between local school wellness policies’ (LWPs) quality and exclusionary discipline incidents (EDIs) in Oregon high schools; (2) if the quality of specific policy domains (i.e., nutrition education and physical activity) is associated with EDIs; and (3) to determine if total LWP quality moderates the association between out of school suspensions and days missed due to suspension. Methods: Data for Oregon high schools’ LWPs were collected in 2017 and cross-matched to public, school-level student demographic data from the Oregon Department of Education in 2017 and enrollment and suspension data from the Office of Civil Rights Data Collection were collected for 2017-2018 year. Including post hoc analyses, ten multiple regression models were created to examine variation in EDIs. All models were adjusted for relevant covariates. Results: Total LWP quality was not significantly associated with EDIs, nor was the quality of either Nutrition Education or Physical Education/Physical activity LWP domains. Post-hoc exploratory analyses revealed the strength of Standards for USDA Nutrition Programs and School Meals domain was negatively associated with EDIs (Cohen’s f2 = 0.05) as was comprehensiveness of the Wellness Promotion and Marketing domain (Cohen’s f2 = 0.15). The strength of Wellness Promotion and Marketing was positively associated with EDIs (Cohen’s f2 = 0.06). Total LWP quality was not associated with days missed due to suspension, and there was no moderating interaction detected. Conclusion: The quality of two specific LWP domains, rather than total LWP quality, may matter in regard to EDIs in Oregon high schools. Results could aid informed policy decision making for promoting health equity on district and state levels. Future research should identify if these associations are present in other states.
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    The COVID-19 Pandemic and University of Oregon Students' Food Security and Eating Behaviors
    (University of Oregon, 2021-09-13) Cahn, Anna; Budd, Elizabeth
    Food insecurity is highly prevalent among U.S. college students and is associated with poor eating behaviors, physical and mental health, and academic performance. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense income loss in the United States. Income loss is associated with increased food insecurity. Little is known about how college students’ food security and eating behaviors have changed during the pandemic. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess how University of Oregon (UO) students’ food security and eating behaviors changed during the pandemic, as well as mediators of these potential changes between February 2020 and Fall 2020. In Fall 2020, 779 UO students responded to a Qualtrics survey that assessed their demographic characteristics, including undergraduate vs graduate status, international status, race and ethnicity, and sexual orientation, as well as food insecurity (USDA six-item short form food security scale) and eating behaviors (National College Health Assessment). Items asked students to report on these constructs for February 2020 and Fall 2020 (pre and during pandemic). Close to half of respondents reported food insecurity in February 2020 (46.8%) and Fall 2020 (47.3%). When examined by group, change in food security only varied significantly by students’ sexual orientation. LGBQIA+ students reported significantly greater increases in food insecurity from February 2020 to Fall 2020 where heterosexual students had no change (p < .01). Overall, there were no significant changes in any of the eating behaviors between February 2020 and Fall 2020. Change in income partially mediated change in vegetable consumption (p < .001), but no other eating behaviors. Change in food security partially mediated changes in fruit (p < .001), whole grain (p < .001), and protein (p < .001) consumption. These findings provide UO and other college administrators a better understanding of college students’ food security and eating behaviors before and during the pandemic, and can inform future and existing programs to promote food security, and in turn, healthy eating among college students.