Click the above picture to learn more about the Diabetes Prevention Research Group and to learn more about our Director, Dr. Mary Jung and her research goals for the future.
HELP’s Kate Weatherson presented at this year’s annual Qualitative Health Research [2016] Conference, hosted by the University of Alberta and held in Kelowna. Selected amongst many candidates, her oral presentation entitled ‘Factors influencing the implementation of a school-based physical activity policy by teachers’, echoed qualitative findings from her Master’s research, under the supervision of Dr. Mary Jung.
In a recent study, a team of researchers including Dr. Mary Jung, examined various psychosocial variables in predicting physical activity and dietary behavioural changes among female teens. Findings suggest that self-regulated exercise may be enhanced by positive social cognition changes and together, these changes may also improve dietary behaviour, when facilitated by a group-based mentoring program.
A sample of some of the great things going on at HEPL. Watch Rebecca Lee, one of our former MSc students, present her speech this past March on mHealth apps research in the #UBCO 3 Minute Thesis Finals! #3MT here via @YouTube.
As a tool of self-monitoring and exercise adherence, participants with the mHealth app reported higher frequency in self-monitoring, even with constant self-efficacy and perceived self-management of exercise. This pilot study supports social cognitive theory and its role in exercise, as well as suggests a means to increase self-monitoring of exercise – thus, encouraging more theory-based exercise apps.
Not enough time to exercise? Shorter, high-intensity interval training was accompanied by a higher intention for future exercise, as a time-efficient form of exercise, in an exciting study on HIIT training and exercise adherence among overweight and sedentary adults, led by the University of South Florida and UBC-O co-author Dr. Jung.
Dr. Jung and co-authors examined five published behavioural intervention strategies, in this systematic review, on increasing calcium intake around pregnancy. This study addresses the current lacking need for increased calcium and behavioural-based intervention strategies during this pivotal time and thus, provides various methods focused on self-efficacy for future research within this field. Read more here.
Findings from a recent pilot study, conducted by Kaitlyn Bailey, Dr. Little, and Dr. Jung, suggest that the use of real-time Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs), as a means of self-monitoring exercise, may improve efficacy among participants with pre-diabetes or Type II Diabetes. Read more here.