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EFFECTS OF A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY-THEMED REALITY SHOW CONCEPT ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS AMONG POTENTIAL VIEWERS by Mary Elizabeth Gillis Dissertation Committee: Professor Carol Ewing Garber, Sponsor Professor John Allegrante Approved by the Committee on the Degree of Doctor of Education Date 16 May 2018 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in Teachers College, Columbia University 2018 ABSTRACT EFFECTS OF A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY-THEMED REALITY SHOW CONCEPT ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS AMONG POTENTIAL VIEWERS Mary Elizabeth Gillis Physical inactivity is an important public health concern. Strong evidence exists linking insufficient physical activity (PA) with an increased risk of many adverse health conditions, including major non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancers—all of which can drastically reduce one’s life expectancy. The media holds great potential to encourage positive health behaviors among the broader community. However, evidence to support traditional mass media campaign approaches to PA promotion remains inconclusive, with most television- based campaigns falling short of achieving the PA changes they were designed to promote. Researching alternative methods of delivering PA messages could improve the efficacy of television-based health promotion efforts. Reality television presents one such alternative. This dissertation consists of a systematic literature and two separate, but related, studies. The first study examined the associations between individual characteristics, health-related behaviors, impressions of a PA-themed reality television show concept, and intentions to engage in active transportation (AT) using a randomized two-group (independent) post-test pre-experimental design. Results showed that age, race, and education were significantly associated with impressions. Mild and moderate intensity exercise was significantly associated with behavioral intentions, while impressions of the show explained 19% of the variance in behavioral intentions. There was a statistically significant difference between TV show conditions with those exposed to the AT concept reporting higher AT behavioral intentions. The second study assessed the show concept in formative research and—in addition—examined the associations between individual characteristics, health-related behaviors, impressions of a PA-themed reality television show concept, and intentions to engage in active transportation (AT) using a non-randomized two-group (independent) post-test pre-experimental design as well as in-person, semi-structured interviews. Those exposed to the AT show concept showed higher behavioral intentions for AT, and there was a significant positive correlation between impressions and behavioral intentions in the AT show group. Semi-structured interview data indicated that a majority of research participants had positive impressions toward the PA-themed reality show concept and the show’s characters. However, the visual and design components as well as clarity of the show concept need improvement. These two studies demonstrate the acceptability of the potential effectiveness of a PA-themed reality show concept for conveying active transportation-related messages to viewers. Both studies showed that a PA-themed reality show concept positively influenced PA behavioral intentions specific to AT among those who watched it and impressions of the show as a correlate to behavioral intentions, thus confirming that innovative reality programming can be used to entertain viewers and potentially inspire positive health behaviors. © Copyright Mary Elizabeth Gillis 2018 All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to … you, of course! iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest thanks to four very special individuals—my dissertation committee. You truly are my “dream team,” and I am eternally grateful for all of your support, encouragement, and invaluable contributions to this work. To Dr. Nathan Holbert: Thank you for taking the time to selflessly serve on my committee and for your willingness to engage in a thoughtful discussion of my work. To Dr. Laura Azzarito: You’ve broadened my perspective on what it means to be a quality researcher and the way I see the world. I appreciate this more than you know. To Dr. John Allegrante: You are a brilliant scholar and a kind man. Words cannot express how fortunate I’ve felt to have you in my corner all of these years. To Dr. Carol Garber: Strong, intelligent, independent, a sense of humor, and a good heart. Thank you for supporting this line of research from the very beginning. But most of all, thank you for being my mentor. To all of my friends and family who’ve supported me through this journey of scholarship and self-discovery: You’re the reason my heart beats, and I love each and every one of you. And finally to O.N. Thank you. For saving me. M. E. G. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter I—INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................1 Significance ........................................................................................................4 Overview ............................................................................................................8 Dissertation Organization ................................................................................10 References ........................................................................................................11 Chapter II—MEDIA-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS IN ADULTS AND CHILDREN: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED AND NON-RANDOMIZED TRIALS .........14 Abstract ............................................................................................................14 Introduction ......................................................................................................15 Methods............................................................................................................17 Study Selection .......................................................................................18 Data Extraction .......................................................................................19 Results ..............................................................................................................46 Immediate/Proximal Impacts: Awareness, Understanding, and Saliency ..........................................................................................47 Intermediate Impacts: Attitudes, Beliefs, Intentions, etc. .......................49 Distal Impacts: Physical Activity Behavior ............................................52 Total dose .......................................................................................52 Moving from insufficiently active to sufficiently active ...............55 Other attitudinal and/or behavioral measures ................................55 Discussion ........................................................................................................56 Recommendations for Research .............................................................57 Conclusions ......................................................................................................64 References ........................................................................................................66 Chapter III—EXAMINATION OF A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY-THEMED REALITY TV SHOW CONCEPT USING AN ONLINE INTERNET SURVEY IN A SAMPLE OF URBAN ADULTS ..........................................70 Abstract ............................................................................................................70 Introduction ......................................................................................................71 Background/Literature Review ...............................................................71 Methods............................................................................................................74 Participant Recruitment ..........................................................................74 Study Design ...........................................................................................74 Explanation of AT and Home Design Comparison Videos ....................75 Measures .................................................................................................76 Conceptual Framework ...........................................................................77 Individual Characteristics .......................................................................77 Physical Activity Behaviors ....................................................................77 Active Transportation Habits ..................................................................78 v Perceived Entertainment Value of the Videos ........................................78 Behavioral Intentions ..............................................................................79 Statistical Analysis ..................................................................................79 Results ..............................................................................................................81 Discussion ........................................................................................................85 Conclusion .......................................................................................................91