Dr. Felicia Cavallini To Be Published In "Strategies" Journal

Limestone College Professor of Physical Education, and a recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Grant, Dr. Felicia Cavallini, will have a research study article published an upcoming issue of Strategies, which is a major academic journal for the Society of Health and Physical Educators Americas (SHAPE).

In the May/June 200 issue of Strategies, alongside Drs. David Dyck from the University of Guelph, and Mei Sui and Steven Blair from the University of South Carolina, Cavallini will use her Fulbright U.S. physical activity research study in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, as the backdrop to provide specific recommendations for physical education and health teachers in the United States in order to improve physical activity levels for the entire school community.

SHAPE America is the premier national organization that addresses how to improve elementary and secondary physical education and health to all educators across the country.

The research to be published is based around the fact that most American and Canadian adults do not obtain the recommended guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity and muscle-strengthening activity each week. After decades of attempting to increase physical activity within the adult population, Cavallini explores why efforts are falling short of this goal.

“In our theory into practice article, we examine what we can learn about adult physical activity preferences that can powerfully influence and affect the way physical educators teach, interact, and inspire children to move more meaningfully in a way that will increase the likelihood of prolonged physical activity habits well into adulthood,” Cavallini explained. “We propose ways in which to increase physical activity levels in students from elementary and secondary schools, based on the implications of research findings examining adults' attitudes, beliefs, outlooks, and preferences on physical activity and exercise. Best practices and specific intervention strategies are suggested as a means to incorporate more lifestyle physical activity into the school's overall curriculum, as well as to facilitate better integration of children and teen PA into the total school, home, and community environments.”

The graphics “MyElementary Activity” and “MySecondary Activity” will be introduced to visually encapsulates awareness, connection, and education in lifestyle physical activity at school and in the surrounding environment.

Following her 11-month Fulbright Scholar Visiting Research Chair Grant at the University of Guelph, Cavallini and her research team created graphics to represent their findings. The graphics reflected the data gained from 13 diverse focus groups held during Cavallini’s time in Canada. The “MyHouse Activity” and “MyWork Activity” graphics were then placed in all the buildings on the Limestone College campus. The Radiology Oncology Department at the Gibbs Cancer Center in Spartanburg has the signage in all its examination rooms, and the University of Guelph is using them as well.