Abstract
Physical activity has been widely researched and demonstrated to play a crucial role in benefiting individuals' mental health. As sedentary behaviors begin to rise with upcoming generations, it is important to understand the effects chronic exercise has on an individual's physiological process in order to enhance overall wellbeing. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a 6-week Exercise is Medicine on Campus program on happiness and anxiety. METHODS: Sixty-seven participants from OLLU agreed to participate in this endeavor; all participants were placed in 18 fitness teams for the duration of the challenge. Thirty participants agreed to participate in pre- and post-challenge assessments. Participants completed informed consent, medical history, and PAR-Q. Participants arrived fasted between 8am and 9:30am for resting measurements which included: heart rate, blood pressure, glucose, height, weight, body composition (via bioelectrical impedance analysis), the GAD-7 questionnaire (anxiety) and 100-mm visual analog scale for happiness. Ten participants completed all post-challenge assessments. All participants were provided weekly workouts, and fitness classes were provided on campus during the first three weeks of the challenge. Participants reported their weekly exercise. Results are presented as mean±SD. Paired sample t-tests were completed for pre-post analysis. RESULTS: A total of 10 participants completed this study. There were 5 males and 5 females with a mean age of 33.80±15.68 years old. Baseline and post intervention measurements of participants were weight (pre:182.57±52.48 lbs; post:181.60±51.59 lbs), body mass index (pre:27.73±7.62 kg/m2; post: 27.67±7.66 kg/m2), body fat percentage (pre: 26.29±9.54%; post: 26.37±9.35%), systolic blood pressure (pre: 115.50±12.60 mm Hg; post:119.70±21.75 mm Hg), diastolic blood pressure (pre 78.00±9.31 mm Hg;post:78.90±7.82 mm Hg), resting heart rate (pre 71.30±14.20 bpm; post: 69.70±5.21 bpm), and glucose levels (pre: 101.40±10.57 mg/dL; post: 102.40±16.09 mg/dL). No resting measures changed significantly over the course of the study. The baseline anxiety scale of participants had a mean of 5.90±6.58 and a posttest mean of 4.60±4.90 which was not statistically significant (p=0.62). The initial mean for happiness on the visual analog scale was 71.00±13.56mm and a post mean of 77.10±7.11mm which was not statistically significant (p=0.23). However, the individuals with the highest anxiety scores and lowest happiness levels were positively impacted significantly. CONCLUSION: With nine of the ten participants, anxiety levels decreased or stayed the same, and happiness levels increased or stayed the same. Despite the low significance in the whole group, individually, there was a positive impact on some participants. These findings support that exercise is an effective strategy to reduce physiological distress and improve mental health.
Recommended Citation
Vega, Daylah; Suarez, London K.; Guerrero, Adriana N.; Maspero, Michael V.; Jones, Daiana M.; and Sauers, Emily J.
(2026)
"Chronic Exercise and Its Effect on Happiness and Anxiety,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2:
Iss.
18, Article 112.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss18/112