Laboratory Name:

Social and Behavioral Health Sciences Program

Institution:

Department of Public Health Sciences and Epidemiology 

John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Key Faculty:

Claudio R. Nigg, Ph.D. 

Jay E. Maddock, Ph.D. 

 Contact:

Claudio R. Nigg 

cnigg@hawaii.edu

 808-956-2862

http://www.hawaii.edu/publichealth/sbhs.htm

 Research Overview:

"Our program started officially recruiting for MPH and MS students into our Social and Behavioral Health Sciences (SBHS) program for Fall 2003,” says Claudio. Nigg, program co-director. “SBHS Faculty has a broad range of research interests across health behaviors (including physical activity/exercise) and across populations (adolescents, older adults, etc.). Past research related to physical activity/exercise includes measurement development, intervention and theoretical investigations.”

Current projects include:

•   The evaluation of the Healthy Hawaii Initiative (HHI) funded through the Tobacco Settlement. The HHI has been conceptualized to create health promoting environments within the state through schools and communities coupled with professional and public education addressing physical inactivity, tobacco use, and poor nutrition.

•   A multi-site validation of the stages of physical activity funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The participating sites are from the Behavior Change Consortium (BCC), allowing an unprecedented opportunity for behavioral evidence for the stages of physical activity in special populations and using physiological and objective measures.

•   A pilot dissemination project aiming to promote life-long physical activity and healthy dietary habits among all children (obese or not) in grades 4-6 funded by the Hawaii Medical Services Association (HMSA). Guided by the Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) Active Recreation program, the pilot program offers a variety of organized, non-competitive, non-gender-specific, and fun physical activities in which children of all skill levels can participate, learn about lifestyle activities, and experience success.

 Recent Publications:

Biddle, S.J.H., & Nigg, C.R. (2000). Theories of exercise behavior.    International Journal of Sport Psychology, 31, 290-304.

Clark, P.G., Nigg, C.R., Greene, G., Riebe, D., Saunders, S.D., Burbank, P., Dufresne, R., English, C., Garber, C., Lees, F., Luisi, A.,   Owens, N., Padula, C., Prochaska, J., Rossi, J., Rossi, S., Ruggiero, L., Stillwell, K., Fey-Yensan, N. (2002). The Study of Exercise and Nutrition in Older Rhode Islanders (SENIOR): Translating theory into research. Health Education Research, 17, 552–561.

Hausenblas, H.A., Nigg, C. R., Symons Downs, D., Fleming, D. S. &        Connaughton, D. P. (2002). Perceptions of exercise stages, barrier self-efficacy, and decisional balance for middle-level school students. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 22, 436-454

Maddock, J. E., Nigg, C. R., & Wagner, A. (2002). Case Study 2:              Evaluation of the Healthy Hawaii Initiative. In US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Evaluation Handbook. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nigg, C. R. (2003). Technology’s influence on physical activity and      exercise science and application: The present and the future.                Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 4, 57-65.

Sport Psychology Lab Profiles