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Background College students are vulnerable to setting long-term trajectories of low physical activity (PA) but are reachable via mobile health fitness tracking (eg, mobile health step counting) and interpersonal support tailored to the college community. However, no studies have statistically isolated the appeal and influence of these intra- and interpersonal components in college-based PA interventions. Objective This study retrospectively examined a college-based PA promotion program at a northeast US public university during the COVID-19 pandemic to (1) test the impact of student status on the use of intervention components and (2) determine whether such use was associated with successful retention and goal achievement in the program. Methods The university used a commercial platform for a 30-day PA promotion program during April 2021 with intrapersonal (step-tracker syncing, education, self-monitoring, and motivational messaging) and interpersonal (friend interactions and team games) components. App use was operationalized as intrapersonal (frequency of opening app, education, and self-monitoring) and interpersonal (friends made in-app and team affiliation and size). Results Campus-wide emails elicited sign-up by 156 undergraduate students, 57 graduate students, and 126 faculty and staff members. Objective 1 yielded the following results: undergraduates used the app less frequently (median 0.8, IQR 0.4-1.7 times per day) than other groups (graduate students: median 1.4, IQR 0.7-2.7 times per day; P=.01; faculty: median 1.3, IQR 0.7-2.7 times per day, H2=14.5; P=.001) but made the same number of friends (median 1-2) and teammates (median 8-9; P=.77 for friends and P=.93 for teammates). Objective 2 yielded the following results: most participants (313/335, 93.4%; 95% CI 90%-96%) were retained for the first 7 days, but by 30 days, retention dropped, most notably for undergraduate students (82/154, 53.2%; 95% CI 45%-61%), followed by graduate students (39/56, 70%; 95% CI 56%-81%) and faculty and staff (93/125, 74.4%; 95% CI 66%-82%; χ22=12.6; P<.001). Retention was associated with app engagement frequency (model hazard ratio 0.56, 95% CI 0.43-0.72; P<.001) and affiliation with a team having high median app engagement and a large size (intracluster correlation coefficient 0.064, 95% CI 0.001-0.164, P=.05). Meeting a daily step goal was associated with app engagement frequency (β=.72, SE=0.21; P=.001), number of friends (β=.40, SE 0.20; P=.04), and an initial motive of maintaining or increasing (rather than starting) PA (β=.99, SE=0.21; P<.001). Conclusions College students, compared with faculty and staff, used the app less frequently, used the app for a shorter duration before abandonment, and met the step goal on fewer days. Engagement with the program was associated with longer retention and better PA outcomes, which were critically modified by the interpersonal engagement. These findings suggest that college students using virtual PA support during times of physical isolation could benefit from more tailored implementation strategies (eg, timed prompts and team reassignments).

Context Access to athletic trainers (ATs) in high schools is crucial for student-athlete (SA) safety. Although most high schools in the United States have access to athletic training services (ATS), no authors have longitudinally compared ATS trends between public (PUB) and private (PVT) school sectors. Objective To compare ATS trends between PUB and PVT schools from the 2018–2019 through 2022–2023 academic years. Design Longitudinal cross-sectional study. Setting Online survey. Main Outcome Measure(s) High school responses to the Athletic Training Locations and Services survey from all 50 US states and the District of Columbia were queried from the 2018–2019 to 2022–2023 academic years. Average numbers of SAs ( SAs ), sports ( Sports ), full-time ATs ( FtATs ), part-time ATs ( PtATs ), and the sum of full-time and part-time ATs ( ATs ), along with the average weekly contracted hours ( CHrs ) and actual hours ( AHrs ) per school, and ratios of SAs : ATs , Sports : ATs , CHrs : SAs , CHrs : Sports , AHrs : SAs , and AHrs : Sports were examined to track ATS trends over 5 years and compare PUB vs PVT schools. Results Public schools had higher SAs and Sports vs PVT schools (both P < .001). Private schools had higher ATs , CHrs , and AHrs than PUB schools (all P < .050). Ratios of SAs : ATs and Sports : ATs were higher in PUB schools, whereas CHrs : SAs , AHrs : SAs , CHrs : Sports , and AHrs : Sports were higher in PVT schools (all P < .050). From 2018–2019 to 2022–2023, PUB schools increased Sports and Sports : ATs ; PVT schools increased SAs , Sports , ATs , and SAs : ATs (all P < .050). Over the years, PUB schools decreased CHrs : Sports and AHrs : Sports ; PVT decreased CHrs : SAs , AHrs : SAs , CHrs : Sports , and AHrs : Sports . FtATs increased in both sectors, whereas PtATs decreased in only PVT schools. Conclusions Overall, ATS were more extensively provided in PVT schools, based on ATs and ATS hours. Both sectors increased FtATs , which is encouraging. However, as SAs and Sports increased, ATS provided per SA and sport declined.

This repeated, cross-sectional study examined trends in the availability of school-based programming to prevent violence in middle and high schools across the United States from 2008 to 2020. Overall, violence prevention programming increased in respondent schools throughout the study period. However, important gaps remain, with lingering state-level disparities.

This article explains how to use and apply the SHAPE America position statement “Physical Activity Should Not Be Used as Punishment and/or Behavior Management” in one’s own teaching and as an advocacy tool. © 2025 SHAPE America.

For decades, adapted physical education advocates have passionately engaged in a debate over two adjectives: adapted vs. adaptive. This article explores the reasons why one is preferred over the other and why it matters, especially to students with disabilities. © 2025 SHAPE America.

Background: Numerous barriers to moderate to vigorous physical activity exist for youths with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The virtual exercise games for youth with T1D (ExerT1D) intervention implement synchronous support of moderate to vigorous physical activity including T1D peers and role models. Objective: This study aims to understand the acceptability of this intervention to participants. Methods: We conducted postprogram, semistructured, televideo interviews with participating youths to elicit perspectives on the acceptability of the intervention and experience with the program. Two coders independently reviewed and analyzed each transcript using a coding scheme developed inductively by senior researchers. Discrepancies were resolved by team discussion, and multiple codes were grouped together to produce 4 main thematic areas. Results: All 15 participants provided interviews (aged 14-19 years; 2 nonbinary, 6 females; median hemoglobin A1c level of 7.8% (IQR 7.4%-11.2%), 5 with a hemoglobin A1c level of ≥10%). Qualitative data revealed four themes: (1) motivation to engage in physical activity (PA)—improving their physical capabilities and stabilizing glucose levels were cited as motivation for PA and challenges of living with T1D were cited as PA barriers; (2) experience with and motivation to manage diabetes while engaging in PA—participants provided details of accommodating the inherent uncertainty or limitations of PA with diabetes and sometimes preparing for PA involved psychological and motivational adjustments while some relayed feelings of avoidance; (3) peer support encouraged engagement with the intervention—participants appreciated the peer aspects of components of ExerT1D and participants’ reflections of the facilitated group experience highlight many benefits of a small-group virtual program; and (4) improvements in PA and diabetes self-management efficacy—all participants credited the program with improving or at least raising awareness of T1D management skills. Conclusions: Our virtual PA intervention using an active video game and discussion component provided adolescents with T1D the confidence and peer support to engage in PA, improved awareness of diabetes-specific tasks to prepare for exercise, and improved understanding of the effect of PA on glucose levels. Engaging youths with a virtual video game intervention is a viable approach to overcome barriers to PA for adolescents with T1D. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05163912; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05163912

Nutrition units are a staple in many health education courses. While nutrition units can support the acquisition of critical functional knowledge and the development of important skills, there is also the potential for harm and the potential to perpetuate beliefs, ideas, and norms that can lead to disordered eating, the development of unhealthy relationships with food, or shaming of self and others (e.g., fat shaming). The purpose of this article is to outline several factors that may influence how health educators think about and teach nutrition, as well as practical strategies for creating inclusive, affirming, and health-promoting nutrition units.