Targeted Health Promotions through the Use of Digital Media Techniques : Programs &amp; Classes : Cardio, Conditioning &amp; Strength
Creators: name: Hanson, Jess
name: Huang, David
name: Pestoni, Daniele
name: Tenisch, Lara
name: Wang, Hank
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2019

description: Introduction - The purpose of this project was to analyze the University of British Columbia (UBC) Recreation Fitness &amp; Classes website, specifically the Cardio, Conditioning, &amp; Strength webpage, and to provide UBC Recreation with recommendations on their digital media and messaging to help improve physical activity participation across campus. Physical activity tends to decline rapidly from transitioning from high-school to university (Science Daily, 2018). Therefore, our research aims to provide strategies and recommendations, if necessary, for the UBC Recreation Cardio, Conditioning &amp; Strength webpage in an effort to make physical activity a daily regime for the members of the UBC community and for undergraduate students in particular. Methods - Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the collected data from 17 undergraduate students ranging from year two to four with seven different ethnic backgrounds and from 12 different programs was conducted using Microsoft Excel. Statistical data from ordinal scale questions was analyzed by calculating the mean value and standard deviation. Close-ended questions which could either be answered with “Yes” or “No” were analyzed and visualized in pie charts. Answers of open-ended questions were grouped into recurring themes. In addition, a content analysis was performed by sorting the participants’ responses and counting the number of times certain barriers or resources were mentioned and identified. Results The quantitative data revealed that the Cardio, Conditioning &amp; Strength webpage scored worst in its social media presence (mean = 2.06, SD = 1.11), visual attractiveness (mean = 2.71, SD = 1.02) and interactivity (mean = 3.09, SD = 0.97). The website achieved better scores in the domains of initial thoughts (mean = 3.42, SD = 0.70), language (mean = 3.56, SD = 0.76) and richness (mean = 3.68, SD = 0.73). Analysis of the qualitative data exposed that photos and/or videos, color and a calendar function would add most to the webpage. Furthermore, participants mentioned they felt pictures and footage of the classes were missing the most from the website. Conclusion - The lack of social media presence, visual attractiveness, and interactivity seem to be the limitation within the UBC Recreation Cardio, Conditioning &amp; Strength webpage. It is our hope that our recommendations will help improve the UBC Recreation website to encourage the UBC community to engage with recreation programs and make physical activity a priority in their day. An enhancement to the website and its engagement on social media platforms through new images and videos, in-depth descriptions of the programs, and networking with UBC students will create a more diverse recreation image and therefore promote physical activity. Future research should be conducted among more students in various programs, around all areas of campus to gather more data to further investigate the limitations within digital media platforms and how they can affect physical activity participation. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”