HE44 - Health Behaviors, Guideline Adherence, and Campus Recreation Utilization Among USC Upstate Staff and Faculty: A Baseline Assessment Supporting Exercise is Medicine on Campus
SCURS Disciplines
Medicine & Health Sciences
Document Type
General Poster
Invited Presentation Choice
Not Applicable
Abstract
Background
Regular physical activity is well established as beneficial for both physical and mental health. Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIM-OC), an initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine, aims to improve the health and well-being of university communities through the promotion of physical activity. As a newly registered EIM-OC campus, we sought to establish baseline health behaviors and campus resource utilization among our staff and faculty.
Methods
Participants completed a digital survey distributed via campus email and flyers. The survey assessed self-reported anthropometrics, physical activity, sleep behaviors, and diet quality. Diet quality was evaluated using the Rapid Prime Diet Quality Score Screener (rPDQS).
Results
Nineteen staff and faculty (44 ± 8 years; 26.0 ± 4.1 kg/m2) completed the survey. Participants reported 235 ± 199 minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (203 ± 179 min moderate; 34 ± 62 min vigorous). Among respondents who completed the resistance training question (n = 15), 7 (47%) reported ≥2 days/week of muscle-strengthening exercise. Self-reported physical activity indicated 5 staff and faculty met both aerobic and muscle-strengthening recommendations (33%), 4 met aerobic only (27%), 2 met muscle strengthening only (13%), and 4 met neither (27%). Sixty-three percent reported no use of the campus recreation facility for physical activity during the academic year. On weeknights, 32% reported < 7 hours of sleep, while 16% reported < 7 hours on weekends. Diet quality scores, as assessed by rPDQS, were 28 ± 6. Based on standard body mass index (BMI) classifications, 7 staff and faculty were categorized as having a normal weight (37%), while 12 were considered overweight or obese (63%). Staff and faculty self-reported their health as excellent (11%), very good (37%), good (47%), and fair (5%).
Conclusions
Although most staff and faculty perceived their health as good or better, only one-third met combined aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines, and over half were classified as overweight or obese. Further, most reported no use of the campus recreation facility for physical activity, suggesting an opportunity to evaluate how campus-based health resources align with employee needs to inform future campus wellness programming. The high observed prevalence of insufficient sleep, inadequate physical activity, and elevated BMI in this baseline assessment suggests the need for coordinated campus health promotion. Strategic institutional investment could amplify these efforts and meaningfully improve staff and faculty health, as well as overall campus well-being at USC Upstate.
Keywords
Physical Activity, Body Mass Index, Diet Quality, Health Promotion, University Wellness
Start Date
10-4-2026 9:30 AM
Location
University Readiness Center Greatroom
End Date
10-4-2026 11:30 AM
HE44 - Health Behaviors, Guideline Adherence, and Campus Recreation Utilization Among USC Upstate Staff and Faculty: A Baseline Assessment Supporting Exercise is Medicine on Campus
University Readiness Center Greatroom
Background
Regular physical activity is well established as beneficial for both physical and mental health. Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIM-OC), an initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine, aims to improve the health and well-being of university communities through the promotion of physical activity. As a newly registered EIM-OC campus, we sought to establish baseline health behaviors and campus resource utilization among our staff and faculty.
Methods
Participants completed a digital survey distributed via campus email and flyers. The survey assessed self-reported anthropometrics, physical activity, sleep behaviors, and diet quality. Diet quality was evaluated using the Rapid Prime Diet Quality Score Screener (rPDQS).
Results
Nineteen staff and faculty (44 ± 8 years; 26.0 ± 4.1 kg/m2) completed the survey. Participants reported 235 ± 199 minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (203 ± 179 min moderate; 34 ± 62 min vigorous). Among respondents who completed the resistance training question (n = 15), 7 (47%) reported ≥2 days/week of muscle-strengthening exercise. Self-reported physical activity indicated 5 staff and faculty met both aerobic and muscle-strengthening recommendations (33%), 4 met aerobic only (27%), 2 met muscle strengthening only (13%), and 4 met neither (27%). Sixty-three percent reported no use of the campus recreation facility for physical activity during the academic year. On weeknights, 32% reported < 7 hours of sleep, while 16% reported < 7 hours on weekends. Diet quality scores, as assessed by rPDQS, were 28 ± 6. Based on standard body mass index (BMI) classifications, 7 staff and faculty were categorized as having a normal weight (37%), while 12 were considered overweight or obese (63%). Staff and faculty self-reported their health as excellent (11%), very good (37%), good (47%), and fair (5%).
Conclusions
Although most staff and faculty perceived their health as good or better, only one-third met combined aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines, and over half were classified as overweight or obese. Further, most reported no use of the campus recreation facility for physical activity, suggesting an opportunity to evaluate how campus-based health resources align with employee needs to inform future campus wellness programming. The high observed prevalence of insufficient sleep, inadequate physical activity, and elevated BMI in this baseline assessment suggests the need for coordinated campus health promotion. Strategic institutional investment could amplify these efforts and meaningfully improve staff and faculty health, as well as overall campus well-being at USC Upstate.