Award Date

May 2024

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Department

Brain Health

First Committee Member

Donnamarie Krause

Second Committee Member

Jefferson Kinney

Number of Pages

118

Abstract

PurposeAdolescence is a challenging time navigating self-control and decision-making, creating vulnerability to developing poor habits and unhealthy behaviors. This feasibility study aimed to determine if a high-intensity training program (HIT) would improve self-control, health-related behaviors, and healthy occupational participation in at-risk adolescents in the Real Talk Youth Impact Program (Real Talk), measured by the Occupational Experience Profile (OEP).

Methodology Three at-risk adolescent were recruited via convenience sampling from Real Talk to participate in a twelve-session HIT intervention, one participant completed all sessions. Researchers used a quasi-experimental exploratory sequential mixed-methods design to examine self-control, health-related behaviors, and occupational participation measured before and after each exercise session using the OEP. Qualitative data informed quantitative data using the OEP.

Results Results suggest that engaging in a five-week high-intensity exercise protocol may contribute to the participant’s improved self-control and healthy decision-making choices when engaging in extracurricular activities. Additionally, the OEP captured participant’s improved self-efficacy and insights into various environmental factors that contributed to or inhibited perception of healthy occupations through exercise intensity.

Conclusion Results suggest that HIT may assist with improving self-control, healthy- related behaviors, and healthy occupational participation in at-risk adolescents in a community-based setting as measured by the OEP. Future research is needed with larger sample sizes to determine the validity of HIT’s benefits for at-risk youth.

Keywords

Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Decision making; Exercise; Neuroplasticity; Occupational Therapy; Youth

Disciplines

Medical Neurobiology | Medicine and Health Sciences | Neuroscience and Neurobiology | Neurosciences | Occupational Therapy

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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