INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS AND STUDENT COLLEGE CHOICE: Exploring the Impact of Championship Seasons on Undergraduate Applications

Among large universities, success inhigh-profile intercollegiate athletics appears to be onefactor among several in the college choice process foraspiring undergraduates. Winning a national championship in one of the two most visible college sports— football and men's basketball — isroutinely accompanied by significant positive attentionfor an institution. That attention appears to translateinto increases in applications received for undergraduateadmission in subsequent admissions cycles. We comparedyear-to-year and multiyear changes in the number ofapplications submitted following winning a national championship with changes in parallel sets ofdata from peer institutions that did not experience achampionship, thereby isolating athletic success as afactor in the college choice process. We found that notable increases generally occurred inadmissions applications received-both in absolute termsbut more importantly relative to peer schools — inthe years following the championship season.     

Comparison of Body Composition Estimates among Norland Elite®, Lunar iDXA®, and the BodPod® in Overweight to Obese Adults

ABSTRACT

Accurate body composition assessment, which includes fat mass (adipose tissue mass, FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and percent fat mass (%FM) is needed to evaluate health and treatment efficacy. The current study compared body composition estimates obtained from the Norland Elite® DXA, BodPod®, and iDXA® before and after a12-week exercise intervention in adults (n=30, BMI 25–35 kg/m²) . Bland-Altman methods determined mean bias and limits of agreement for FM, %FM, and FFM between methods. Compared to the iDXA® and BodPod®, Elite® overestimated BF% and FM (P < .01). FFM was similar between iDXA® and Elite® but lower in Elite® than BodPod® (P < .01). There were no differences between methods in changes in FM or FFM after the exercise intervention. Prior to this study, it was unknown how the Norland Elite®, a DXA model marketed to bariatric surgery patients, compared to other common body composition assessment methodologies..     

Ratings of perceived exertion of ACSM exercise guidelines in individuals varying in aerobic fitness

The physiological responses of high (HF) and low fit (LF) individuals at given perceived exercise intensities were compared to ranges provided by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Participants were 7 LFand 8 HF men between the ages of 22 and 26 years. All participants performed a maximum oxygen uptake and lactate threshold test and two 15-min experimental runs in which they exercised at a constant perceived exercise intensity (RPE 13 and 17). The LF group exhibited significantly greater maximum oxygen uptake reserve ( % VO2R, p < .05) and velocity of lactate threshold (p < .01) values than HF at RPE 13 and 17. Both groups had significantly greater % VO2R and maximum heart rate values at RPE 13 in comparison with the ACSM ranges, using the highest value for the given range (p < or = .001).