Kinesiology
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Item THE DATAFICATION OF EVERYDAY LIFE: CRITICALLY CONTEXTUALIZING THE “QUANTIFIED SELF” IN PHYSICAL CULTURE(2019) Esmonde, Katelyn Rebecca; Jette, Shannon; Kinesiology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The contemporary moment has been characterized as that of the “Quantified Self” (QS); a time in which the body is increasingly subjected to meticulous measurement in the service of generating data that will maximize individual potential through self-improvement. The QS is most readily associated with fitness tracking devices like the Fitbit that quantify various aspects of physical activity (i.e., steps taken, distance walked, heart rate, caloric intake/output). While these devices are often taken up as an individual fitness or health choice, institutions, through efforts such as workplace wellness programs, increasingly utilize them to survey and manage their workers’ health. Widespread use of these technologies is often positioned as a panacea for institutional and personal betterment. In this dissertation, I critically evaluate this assumption, by examining the emergence, nature, and influence of the QS, through a contextualization of the quantification of the physically (in)active body. This is an important undertaking given that the preoccupation with statistical measurement and metrics has seemingly de-emphasized the experiential and, often un-quantifiable, dimensions of physical activity. In light of these concerns, I seek to understand if these technologies are enhancing people’s lives and allowing them to become technologically self-actualized, if they are alienating people from their bodies and physical activity while subjecting them to even greater scrutiny from others, or both. This dissertation comprises three interrelated research studies, in which I draw on the theoretical tools of Foucauldian poststructuralism and sociomaterialisms. In the first study, I historically contextualize the QS, with a focus on how and why the physically (in)active body has been quantified. The second study is a sensory ethnographic study wherein I analyze women runners’ fitness tracking practices to explore how fitness tracking shapes their experiences of embodiment and emplacement. Finally, in the third study I interview key informants in the workplace wellness industry and study documents from workplace wellness programs and proponents. By examining the sociomaterial conditions of self-tracking, both historical and contemporary, this dissertation highlights the politics of self-tracking and the contingencies that are required to produce ‘self-evident’ and factual data about oneself.Item EXERCISE IS MEDICINE? A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE PROMOTION OF EXERCISE FOR MENTAL HEALTHCARE(2018) Maier, Julie; Jette, Shannon L; Kinesiology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Increasingly, physical activity is being promoted as a way to prevent or treat a range of chronic health conditions, including mental illness. In this dissertation, I utilize an ecological framework and draw upon feminist theories to explore why it is that physical activity is being used as a form of (mental health) therapy in this current moment, as well as the benefits and shortcomings of physical activity in preventing or treating mental illness. In particular, I focus on the ways in which gendered discourses and norms shape the physical activity experiences of women with mental illness. The project entails three separate, yet related, phases: 1) Extensive review of popular and academic literature to contextualize the “exercise is medicine” movement; 2) Assessment of the American College of Sports Medicine and American Medical Association’s “Exercise is Medicine” initiative; and 3) In-depth qualitative interviews with women with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The results of my three empirical examinations suggest that physical activity can be a beneficial form of mental health treatment, or a valued part of one’s life and identity more generally. However, too often the limits to physical activity’s effectiveness in treating particular mental illnesses is downplayed, as is attention to the potential harms that can come from being physically active. At times, exercise is even positioned as a “cure”, or superior to psychopharmaceuticals in treating mental illnesses, such as depression. Such enthusiasm toward exercise’s potential therapeutic value can be seen to be, in part, the result of the current neoliberal, healthist moment in which individual responsibility, hard work, and natural remedies are valued over that which is considered easy, quick, or synthetic (Crawford, 1980, Lupton, 1995, Fullagar, 2017). This is not to suggest that physical activity cannot play a vital role in helping people with mental illness, but better messages and more resources are needed to make it accessible, safe, and meaningful to this population. I conclude the dissertation by providing suggestions as to how this can be accomplished.Item TIME TRENDS IN OVERALL DAILY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS BY ORGANIZED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS(2009) Phillips, Jennifer; Young, Deborah Rohm; Kinesiology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Many youth are involved in organized physical activity (PA); however, the impact of these activities on daily PA, body fat, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors is not well understood. Purpose: To compare the overall daily PA and CVD risk factors of girls who participate in organized activities to non-participants throughout adolescence. Methods: Data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study, a 10-year observational study of Black and White girls (N=2379), were analyzed. Organized PA was defined as participation in classes/lessons and sports (0, <4, 4-19.99, ≥20 MET times/wk). Outcomes included daily PA (3-day diary), body fat (bioelectrical impedance analysis), lipids, glucose, insulin, and blood pressure. Longitudinal data were examined for each outcome using a mixed model with repeated measures. Girls were also categorized by the number of years they reported ≥4 MET times/wk of organized PA. Outcomes and risk clustering at 18-19y were evaluated with ANOVA and logistic regression, respectively, by number of participation years. Results: Organized PA and participation*time*race were related to change in daily PA and body fat (p < 0.0001). Although daily PA declined for Black girls, those with ≥20 MET times/wk had higher PA levels than all other girls (p < 0.0001). Change differed by sports participation in White girls (p=0.019); those involved ≥20 MET times/wk demonstrated better maintenance of daily PA. Black girls with ≥20 MET times/wk had significantly lower body fat than non-participants (p=0.002).White non-participants had higher body fat than those with 4-19.99 MET times/wk (p=0.006). Accumulated organized PA was related to daily PA and body fat at 18-19y. Girls who never reported participation had significantly lower daily PA at 18-19y than all other groups (p < 0.02), and significantly higher body fat at 18-19y compared to girls who reported 4y of sports participation (p=0.038). Organized PA was not related to change in other CVD risk factors or risk factor clustering at 18-19y (OR=1.05, 95% CI=0.87-1.27, p=0.59). Conclusion: Organized PA was related to daily PA and body fat for Black and White girls throughout adolescence. Appealing options should be made available and participation encouraged.