Date of Award

January 2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Kinesiology & Public Health Education

First Advisor

Martin Short

Abstract

Physical activity provides an important health benefit for both males and females. Seven out of every ten U.S. deaths are from chronic disease and many of those deaths could have been preventable. With a lack of physical activity and poor diet, chronic illnesses such as obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type II diabetes were reported, (CDC, 2004). There is a steep decline in exercise from high school to college, which indicates that exercise adherence in college students is an issue. In this study, three conditions were examined with students at the University of North Dakota going through a plyometric protocol that included exercises while wearing a weighted device (vest or shorts) or using regular conventional exercise equipment (dumbbells). Participants completed the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) after each condition. Three, paired-sampled t-tests with the Bonferroni Correction (.05 / 3 = .017) to help counteract the issues of having multiple comparisons were conducted. A significant difference was found (t(31)= -3.27, p=.003) between weighted shorts and weighted vests. No significant differences were found (t(31)=-.257, p=.799) between dumbbells and weighted shorts but the difference between the weighted vest and dumbbell conditions did approach significance (t(31)=2.365, p=.024).  

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