Exercise Is Medicine On Campus: Employee Circuit Training Course Increases Physical Activity: 1202 Board #328 May 27 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

PURPOSE: Exercise Is Medicine On Campus (EIM-OC) is a global health initiative with over 200 participating college campuses. EIM-OC was implemented at California State University, Monterey Bay in Fall 2019, with offerings for both students and employees. Employee programming included exercise classes, including a four week circuit training course. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate physical activity participation among employees participating in the EIM-OC circuit training course. METHODS: The research design was pre-post and tracked participants in the EIM-OC circuit training course. Twelve female employees who were participating in the class volunteered for the study. The Godin Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire was administered online before and after the course. Paired sample t-tests were performed on Godin Scale Score, and number of strenuous, moderate, and light intensity activity days per week. Significance was set at α; = 0.05. RESULTS: There was a significant increase (t=-1.787, df=11, p=.05) in Godin Scale Score following the course (M=38.50±16.9; M=49.17±23.95). There was a significant increase in moderate physical activity days per week (t=-2.419, df=11, p=.02) following the course (M=2.5±1.17; M=3.33±1.30). There were increases in strenuous physical activity days and light physical activity days per week, although they were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The inaugural EIM-OC circuit training class was effective in increasing physical activity among female employees. Future EIM-OC programs should work to expand their offerings to increase participation among employees, especially those who are inactive. Larger and longer studies could also be helpful to the growing body of knowledge on the EIM-OC initiative.