Biographies

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Eyra Corprew

Georgia Southern University Student majoring in Health Education and Promotion. Researcher, zumba instructor, and program coordinator for

“More Sweat, Less Stress.”

Kaleigh Kahl

Senior Health Education and Promotion major at Georgia Southern University from Atlanta,

Georgia. Researcher and program coordinator for “More Sweat, Less Stress.”

Constance Moorer

Senior Health Education and Promotion major at Georgia Southern University. Member of Sigma

Alpha Pi Honor Society, researcher, zumba instructor, and program coordinator for “More

Sweat, Less Stress.”

Ira Wood

Senior Health Education and Promotion major at Georgia Southern University. Researcher and

program coordinator for “More Sweat, Less stress.”

Abstract

According to survey data collected by the Associated Press, 85% of students in the

United States felt stressed on a daily basis and 77% of students felt stressed over academic

concerns. The purpose of this program was to implement a stress management program for

college students attending Georgia Southern University. The program consisted of one session

with three activities: a power point presentation and two interactive activities. A descriptive and

analytical research design was used in this study and all statistical analyses were performed using

SPSS software. Measurement was conducted through pre and post-tests that contained seven

statements related to stress management in addition to demographic information. Findings

indicated that there was an 8-point increase in the stress management knowledge of the

participants. Before the program, the mean score on the pretest was approximately 25.8, and after

the program the mean increased to 33.1 on the post test. In conclusion, the data suggests that

stress management techniques such as Zumba and meditation are effective ways to reduce

college students stress levels based on the research that has been conducted.

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Introduction

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, stress is defined as the brain’s response to

any demand. The major causes of stress are job pressure, money, health, relationships, poor

nutrition, media overload, and sleep deprivation (Statistic Brain Research Institute). In the

United States, 48% of people reported that they feel their levels of stress have increased over the

past five years (Statistic Brain Research Institute). According to a survey data collected by the

Associated Press in 2009, 85% of students in the United States stressed on a daily basis and 77%

of students feel stress over academic concerns (Statistics on College Student Stress).

Small amounts of stress can be healthy for college students, but significant amounts of stress can

have many negative effects on the body. According to Jayakumar and Sulthan, the issues that

stress causes for college students can be categorized into three groups: physical, emotional, and

behavioral issues. Physical issues that stress commonly causes among college students are

headaches, digestive issues, disturbances in sleep patterns, etc., all of which can negatively affect

academic performance and peer relationships. Emotional issues as a result of too much stress can

include anything from depression and anger to mood swings and hypersensitivity, while

behavioral issues could include over or under eating, increased use of alcohol and drugs, and

nervous habits (Jayakumar & Sulthan, 2013).

Researchers examined different published literature on programs and intervention

regarding college stress management. Three research studies concluded that interventions for

college stress management are very limited. First, Ratanasiripong et. al, proposed biofeedback

programming to be very helpful to students in the management of stress and anxiety.

Biofeedback training is designed to give the participator awareness of how the stressors are

affecting the function of their body like heart rate and blood pressure; and it helps the participant

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learn how to control those physiological changes. Second, Adamle, Riley, & Carlson (2014)

conducted a pet therapy program to see if the students’ interest in the pet therapy program could

be a social support for transient stressful periods. Pre and Posttests were administered to measure

the effectiveness of the program on college students’ stress. Finally, a study conducted by Oman

et al. (2008) and their program was designed to see the impact of meditation on college students’

stress, forgiveness, rumination, and other well-being outcomes. They argued that mindfulness-

based stress reduction (MBSR) and Eight-Point Program (EPP) are the two strong meditation

management of stress (MMS) that should be used. Researchers concluded that all of the

interventions analyzed were effective in reducing college student stress. Each of these programs

correlated with “More Sweat, Less Stress” because all of them used a different stress

management technique that was intended to reduce stress levels and the effects stress can have

on the health of college students. In addition, the pet therapy study conducted by Adamle, Riley,

and Carlson utilized pre and posttests to analyze program results like the ones used in “More

Sweat, Less Stress.” The study conducted by Oman et al. differentiated from “More Sweat, Less

Stress” in that it measured outcomes other than stress levels and health effects, such as

forgiveness, rumination, etc.

Intervention-based programs on stress management for college students are limited. Most

programs and interventions that were available used the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Furthermore, researchers also suggested the use of theory-based intervention when developing a

stress management program.

In order to increase awareness of proper stress management techniques, it is important to

not only to provide accurate and thorough information, but also motivation and behavioral skills

are needed as well. Although college students may be informed about proper stress management

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techniques, there is a possibility that they will not perform the actions necessary to reduce their

stress if they are not motivated or possess the correct behavior skills. There are different theories

that be use when planning a stress management program and one of them is the Information-

Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model (IMB). IMB incorporates the constructs of information,

motivation, and behavioral skills to encourage people to perform the intended health behavior

(Fisher & Fisher, 1992).

The purpose of this program is to implement a stress management program for college

students. The program will help the participants to make positive choices that will help manage

stress that presents itself during their college experience and throughout their adult lives.

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Needs Assessment

Health Status

    According to the National Institute of Mental Health, stress is defined as the

“brain’s response to any demand” (“Fact Sheet on Stress,” 2013). Due to the fast-paced way of

life in this country, stress is prevalent and has continued to increase over time. In the United

States, 48% of people reported that they feel their levels of stress have increased over the past

five years Research conducted on 2,500 adults across the country stated that 49% of people feel

that they have had a major stressful experience in the past year (Stress Statistics, 2014). Lastly, it

is well known that college students are stressed out. According to a survey data collected by the

Associated Press in 2009, 85% of students in the United States feel stressed on a daily basis and

77% of students feel stress over academic concerns (Associated Press, 2009).

In the state of Georgia, stress also has a huge impact on people of all ages. According to

Kolmar (2012), the state of Georgia is ranked second most “stressed out” states in America.

According to the Georgia Institute of Technology (2012), one of the most common causes of

stress among college students are relationships, whether it is with a significant other, friends, or

even family members. The problem is trying to manage stress in a healthy way on top of all the

other things college students worry about. Many college students are not aware of good stress

management techniques. In a study conducted at Georgia Southern University, research has

reported that 75% of college students said they have felt stressed within the past month, and 25%

of college students said they “felt the difficulties in their life were piling up so high that they

could not overcome them.” Many of these students also reported experiencing high stress over

things they felt like they had no control over (Mateo, 2014). According to Georgia Southern

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University, the best ways for a college student to manage stress are to avoid alcohol and drugs,

eat a balanced diet with regular exercise, and get plenty of sleep (“Avoiding Stress,” n.d.).

Community Description

    Bulloch County, located in Southeast Georgia, is a rapidly growing rural town

with a population of about 71,212 (United, 2015). Bulloch County is now the 5th fastest growing

County in the State of Georgia (Bulloch County Population, 2012). The racial makeup of

Bulloch County is as follows: White Non-Hispanic 65.9%, Black Non-Hispanic Alone 27.4%,

Hispanic or Latino 3.5%, Asian alone 1.4%, two or more races 1.4% (Bulloch County Georgia).

The population of children 5 years and under is 5.7%, ages 18 years and under 20.5%, and adult

ages 65 years and over is 10.0%. According to 2013 data, 31.3% of Bulloch County’s population

lives below the poverty level (United, 2015). One of the universities in Bulloch County is

Georgia Southern University, which ranks as one of the top 10 most popular universities in the

nation. As of 2014, the total enrollment at Georgia Southern was 20,517 students. The racial

makeup of Georgia Southern is as follows: American Indian or Alaskan native 1%, Asian/Native

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1%, Black or African American 26%, Hispanic/Latino 4%, White

64%, and two or more races 2%. The population of full-time students is 88% and part-time 12%

(Georgia).

Community Link

    The Counseling Center and the Health Services of Georgia Southern University

are the major resource centers that provide services and assistance to students in handling their

everyday challenges. Both facilities are staffed with professionals, some with doctoral-level

degrees that will determine the right service for the student needs. With all the services, there is

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still a gap in resources when it comes to stress management. During the spring semester of 2015,

the Counseling Center only offered one major program/group for stress management called “The

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.” It’s an 8-week workshop that focuses on reducing and

managing stress that includes activities such as mindfulness, yoga, and meditation (“Current

Groups,” n.d.). The downside of this program is that only the members of the Counseling Center

groups are allowed to attend the workshop (Current Groups). The Counseling Center also posted

different information on their website demonstrating how to handle stress and an online

relaxation exercises. Online relaxation exercises provide audio links of diaphragmatic breathing,

deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery: the forest, relaxing phrases

and mindfulness meditation that students can download and listen too to reduce stress

(“Relaxation and Stress Management”).

    Another possible resource for the stress management program comes from the

Health Services center. There is also only one major program, Lunch and Learn: Stress Busters,

which is implemented once every semester and it is before the final exam (Health Services). The

purpose of this program is to reduce the stress that the students experiencing before taking their

final exams (Health Services). Activities in this program include making stress balls, coloring,

and painting nails (Health Services).

    With all the existing programs that were offered to Georgia Southern Students, it

seems many are not accessible to all students. The proposed program will be complementary and

new to the community.

Preliminary Qualitative Data

Spring semester of 2015, interviews were conducted on campus at Georgia Southern

University. A student was interviewed on his opinion of the stress management program

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availability for students attending Georgia Southern University. When asked if he felt like the

college contributed to stress in his life, he stated, “Yes, it has everything to do with all the stress

in my life! I’m not as fortunate as some students. My parents can’t afford to pay for my college

tuition and my living expenses, which means that I have to work and go to school. I hardly ever

sleep and don’t have the money or time to cook, so I eat fast food almost every day.” Next, the

student was asked if the stress management programs offered at the university were beneficial to

him, he replied, “The programs aren’t any help to me, because the timeslots for them conflict

with my class and work schedule. The school has some things to help with stress online, but I’d

rather have a one on one meeting to help me deal with my daily stress issues”(Anonymous 1,

personal communication, Feb. 9 2015).

When an employee at the Health Services department at Georgia Southern University

was interviewed on her opinion about providing more stress management programs for students,

she responded, “More programs are in need to help the students manage stress. The program that

we offer, Lunch and Learn: Stress Busters should not only be offered during final exams but also

throughout the semester during regular exam. I feel like that will help the students to become

more relaxed when it comes time to take final exams. With a school that grows bigger with each

semester, there should be a bigger spectrum of stress management programs to meet the needs of

every student (Mitchell, L. personal communication, Feb 9, 2015).

In conclusion, with the interviews conducted, it seems that there is not a sufficient

amount of stress management programs operating to support the needs of the students. Students

also felt if given the opportunity to attend a stress management program that fits their schedule,

they will use it to their advantage. A demand for implementing programs that focus on stress

management for college students at Georgia Southern University is evident.

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Mission, Goals, and Objectives

Mission Statement:

To reduce stress through the use of different stress management techniques.

Goal:

To improve the knowledge of stressors and stress management skills among college students at

Georgia Southern University.

Objectives:

1. By the end of the program, 30 college students will have participated in the stress management

program provided by Health Services.

2. Upon completion of the program, 75% of the participants will demonstrate increased

knowledge of how to manage their stress effectively through completion of a survey.

3. By the end of the program, all participants will be able to recognize one or more physical

activities and meditation as effective stress management techniques.

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Framework

In order to increase awareness of proper stress management techniques, it is important to

provide college students with thorough information, motivation, and the necessary behavior

skills. Although college students may be informed about proper stress management techniques,

the key is to make sure they take the proper actions to manage their stress more effectively. The

Information-Motivation-Behavioral (IMB) Skills Model incorporates the constructs of

information, motivation, and behavioral skills to encourage people to perform the intended health

behavior (see Figure 1).

Georgia Southern college students have a demanding need for demonstrating proper

stress management techniques in order to keep stress levels healthy. The IMB Skills Model will

work well in conjunction with the stress management program because the program planners will

be providing stress management information and techniques. The program planners will also be

motivating the participants to encourage them to perform proper stress management techniques

regularly. The stress management program applies to the IMB Skills model construct of

information because during the program, the program planners will be educating the participants

on different effective stress management techniques, such as physical activity and meditation.

The program will apply to the construct of motivation because the program planners will be

saying encouraging things during the program to the participants. Lastly, the program will relate

to the construct of behavior skills because after completing the program, the participants will be

able to believe they can keep up the health behavior of properly managing stress.

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Figure 1

("Information-motivation-behavioral skills model," 2012)

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Intervention

The intervention that was used in this program was a combination of both Health

Communication and Health Education Strategies. The program planners used the following

strategies to reduce college stressors and provide stress management information, as well as

motivated the participants of Georgia Southern University.

Health Communication Strategies

● Health communication strategies helped achieve the goal of improving health in a

significant and lasting way by empowering people to change their behavior and by

facilitating social change.

● Communication with our target audiences was done through distributing printed flyers,

online advertisement such as mass e-mail, and sorority invitation. All of these invitations

provided an information regarding the program such as date, time, and location.

Health Education Strategies

The health education tools that the program planners used are:

● Zumba: helps to energize the participants, relaxes body and mind, and release all

negative energy.

● Meditation: use of audio meditation clip to increase participants calm and focus; heart

rate and breathing slow down, blood pressure normalizes, and use oxygen more

efficiently,

● PowerPoint Lecture: to introduce different stress management techniques and impacts of

stress in the human body.

The program used materials that emphasizes the proper stress management techniques in

order to control the stress levels of college students. The program highlighted the negative and

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positive outcomes of stress in the human body. All reading and visual materials were thoroughly

reviewed by the program planners and the community leader to guarantee the accuracy of the

materials. The program encouraged participants to change their behavior and not only to educate

and inform them about stress. The program planners used incentives such as free foods, goody

bags, and gift cards in urging the student to participate to the program.

Georgia Southern University Prepared by: Program Planning

Students (Group 5)

Title of Program: “More Sweat, Less Stress” Program Length of Lesson: 60 minutes

Objectives:

1. By the end of the program, 30 college students will participate in the stress management

program provided by University Health Services.

2. Upon completion of the program, 75% of the participants will demonstrate knowledge of

how to manage their stress effectively through completion of a survey.

3. By the end of the program, all participants will be able to recognize one or more physical

activities and meditation as effective stress management techniques.

Materials:

Zumba instructor, music, meditation audio clip, inside area, PowerPoint Presentation,

projector, computer, foods, gifts

Time: Type Action

5 min

5 min

Discussion

Discussion

Consent form/ pretest

Discussion about the different stress management techniques

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30 min

10 min

5 min

5 min

Group Activity

Group Activity

Discussion

Wrap up

and effects of stress on the body

Zumba exercise

Listen to meditation clip

Answer any questions from the audience while conducting

post-test

Foods and gifts bags/prizes

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Budget

Place

Georgia Southern University Russell Union Ballroom

(Partnered through University Health Services)

$0

Equipment

2 Sand Bags @ $3.00 each $6

Bag of Balloons @ $2.98 $2.98

2 Rolls of Popping Paper @ $4.50 each $9

3 Bags of Candy @ $3.50 each $7

5 Bags of small plastic bags @ $2.50 each $5

4 Gift Cards of $15 each $60

People

Zumba Instructor $0

Donations

2 Sand Funnels $0

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100 Flyers $0

50 Water bottles $0

Total $89.98

Budget Justification

Place

Georgia Southern University Russell Union Ballroom

The Russell Union Ballroom is free for use for any Georgia Southern University

department. Since the program is being held through the University Health Services,

there will be no cost for its use.

Equipment

Sand Bags

The bags of sand will be used as a filler for the stress balls we will be making to

give out to participants of the program. The sand will be placed inside balloons that will

be sealed once full.

Balloons

The balloons will be used as the casing for the stress balls that will be passed out to the

program participants. The balloons will be filled with sand using a funnel and then sealed.

Popping Paper (Bubble Wrap)

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The popping paper (bubble wrap) will be used inside gift bags as a stress relieving tool. There

will be a note attached that instructs the program participants to pop a “stress relieving capsule”

any time they feel stressed.

Candy

The candy will be used inside the gift bags that will be handed out to the program

participants in addition to the bubble wrap. The candy will serve as an extra little treat for the

participants to enjoy after completing the program.

Small Plastic Bags

Small plastic bags will be used to place stress balloon (balloon with sand

inside), popping paper, and candy inside. These bags will be given to participants as gift

bags with instructions on how to use each item inside of the bag.

Gift Cards

Four gift cards will be raffled off at the end of the program as an incentive for

participating through the entire program.

People

Zumba Instructor

A Zumba instructor will be used to demonstrate and instruct participants on how

to use Zumba exercises’ for stress management. This will also allow the Zumba

instructor to promote future exercise classes for the participants.

Donations

Sand Funnels

Funnels are needed for making stress balls. It will be used to transfer the sand to

the balloons. Sand funnels will be donated by Constance Moorer.

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Flyers

Flyers will be used to promote and advertise the program. Flyers will be

distributed by the program planners around Georgia Southern University campus. These

flyers will be provided by the University Health Service for free.

Water Bottles

Water will be served as a beverage for participants that enter the program. Water

bottles are donated by the University Health Services.

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Logic Model and Timeline

Logic Model

Timeline of Events

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Events listed with checked marks have been completed. Events shaded in purple have not been

completed.

Tasks

Semester: Spring

2015

Months

January February March April May

Choose Community

Organization

ü

Develop Literature

Review

ü

Conduct Needs

Assessment

ü

Submission of Needs

Assessment

ü

Create Intervention ü

Develop mission,

goals and objectives

ü

Develop

Measurement Chart

ü

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Create Framework

and Model

ü

Develop Intervention

Strategies

ü

Develop Planning

Committees

Submission

ü

Develop Program

Proposal for Final

Submission

ü

Contact Hears and

Hand Clinic Director

ü

Group Presentation ü

IRB Form

Submission

ü

Tasks

Semester:

Fall 2015

Months

August September October November December

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Contact Director ü

Redefine Program Goals and Objectives

ü

Meeting with Community Organization

ü

Create Lesson Plan and Timeline

ü

Create Consent form

ü

Introduction Submission

ü

Purchase Items for Program

ü

Create consent forms

ü

Create Stress Goody Bags

ü

Develop Methods[AC1]

ü

Program Implementation

ü

External Evaluation

Data Analysis

Send Out Thanks

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You Cards

Contact Director

Group Presentations

Report Results

Discussion

Abstract

Group Binder Submission

Methods

Participants

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Descriptive research design was used for the “More Sweat, Less Stress” program. A total

of eleven (n=11) students from Georgia Southern University attended the program that was held

on September 23rd, 2015. Participants were recruited from Georgia Southern University through

the utilization of social media, flyers, and word of mouth. The demographics of the students

ranged from ages eighteen to forty in addition to a wide range of ethnic backgrounds.

Participants were also composed mainly of female upperclassmen.

Intervention

Participants engaged in three different activities related to stress management after

completing a pretest and consent form. The first section of the program involved a PowerPoint

presentation that emphasized proper stress management techniques intended to keep stress levels

of college students healthy. The program planners asked participants to identify sources of stress

in their lives as well as activities they believed were healthy ways to cope with stress. The

presentation also highlighted the negative outcomes of stress in the human body if not properly

handled in addition to positive outcomes of engaging in proper stress management techniques.

The next section of the program involved a Zumba exercise, “a blend of rhythmic

choreography with a Latin and world flavor that works your core burns calories, all while

dancing to upbeat music” (Michelle, 2015). Two dance instructors stood at the front of the room

and directed the participants through five organized dance exercises intended to relieve stress.

This exercise helped to energize, relax the body and mind, and release any negative energy of the

participants.

Lastly, participants sat on the floor and listened to an audio meditation clip intended to

slow down their heart rate and breathing, normalize blood pressure, and help their bodies use

oxygen more efficiently after exercising. Meditation also gave a sense of calm, peace and

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balance that benefited both emotional well-being and overall health of the participants.

Following the meditation exercise, participants were asked to complete a post-test and the raffle

tickets were drawn in order to declare winners of gift cards to Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A. At the

conclusion of the program, participants were provided healthy sub sandwiches, water bottles, and

goodie bags filled with helpful stress management items to take home with them. The program

lasted for a total of sixty minutes and was conducted one time only.

Measures

“More Sweat, Less Stress” was created in order to measure knowledge about stress

management among college students at Georgia Southern University. Measurement was

conducted through the use of an evaluative pre- and post-test that program planners could use to

compare the knowledge levels of the participants before and after they completed the program.

Likert scale (strongly disagreed, disagreed, neutral, agreed, and strongly agreed) was used from

which respondents choose one option that best aligns their view. Confidentiality was maintained

by asking participants not to provide any type of identifying information.

Data Analysis

Data analysis for the “More Sweat, Less Stress” program was conducted through use of

the SPSS software (SPSS). Statistical analyses utilized in this study were inferential statistics

based on a post-program survey that measured the benefits of the program on the participants

and their stress levels. Mention the specific measures that will be analyzed if they are yet to be

done. Descriptive data was applied to all demographics (age, gender, race, GPA).

Results

A total of eleven college students participated in the Stress Management Program (n=11).

All of the participants were administered a pretest and posttest. Table 1 shows the overall means

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of knowledge in stress management of college students at Georgia Southern University. An

independent t-test was run to find the differences between the pretest and posttest. Data showed

that the P-Value is .089 and there was an increase in knowledge of stress management among the

participants. The grade average for the pretest was an estimated 25.8 and the grade average for

the posttest was an estimated 33.1.

Table 1. Comparing stress management knowledge of college students at Georgia Southern

University as determined by T-Test.

Variable n x2 SD t df Significance

Group -6.480 20 .089

Pre-test 11 25.8182 3.06001

Post-test 11 33.0909 2.11918

Participants were categorized in groups in regards to race, gender, age, classification,

GPA, and academic performance. The majority race in the group was African American

followed by Caucasian (refer to Figure 1). The participants were predominantly female, with

only 18.2% of the participants being male (refer to Figure 2). Over half of the participants, 54%,

were aged 18-21 years (refer to Figure 3). The majority of participants were upperclassmen

(Juniors 36.4% and Seniors 36.4%) with average academic performance and GPAs between 3.0

and 4.0 (refer to Figures 4, 5, and 6). Visual representations of these numbers can be found in the

figures below.

Objectives:

1. By the end of the program, 30 college students will participate in the stress

management program provided by University Health Services.

2. Upon completion of the program, 75% of the participants will demonstrate

X

X

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knowledge of how to manage their stress effectively through completion of a

survey.

3. By the end of the program, all participants will be able to recognize one or

more physical activities and meditation as effective stress management

techniques.

X

The Stress Management Program did not meet any of its 3 objectives. For objective 1, 30

college students was expected to come in the program but only 11 showed up and participated.

The cause of failure was due to lack of advertisement and time. Objective 2 was unsuccessful

even though there was an 8-point increase in the stress management knowledge of the

participants. Objective 3 was also unsuccessful because there was no evidence that physical

activity and meditation are personally effective of the participants. Even though the program did

not meet any of its objectives, the program was still successful for it made a positive impact on

the participants and was enjoyed by everybody including our community partner.

Figure 1. Racial Demographics

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Figure 2. Gender Demographics

Figure 3. Age Demographics

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Figure 4: Classifications

Figure 5: Academic Performance

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Figure 6: Grade Point Average

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Discussion

The purpose of this program is to implement a stress management program for college

students. The program will help the participants in making positive choices when dealing with

stress. The first activity of the “More Sweat, Less Stress” program was a lecture regarding the

importance of identifying one's stressors, negative impact of stress in the body, and the different

ways of stress management techniques. Next was a Zumba exercise where the participants that

dancing and exercise can be a way to relief stress. Lastly a meditation clip was provided to the

participants to show them another way to relief stress, and it was a good way to show how to

calm their mind and body.

A pretest and posttest was used as an assessment tool in determining the learning

outcomes of the participants before and after the program. The study had a total of 11

participants (n=11).  After analyzing the pretest and posttest, findings shows that there was an 8-

point increase in the stress management knowledge of the participant. These results are

consistent with previous studies that have examined the effectiveness of stress management

programs for college students.

Looking back in the literature, many stress management program were implemented. In

one program conducted by Harvard Medical School, a group of 500 students were asked to

complete three sets of pre and post-tests containing questions related to perceived stress, as well

as stress management. After completing a lecture about stress and how to cope with it, the

students were then followed over a period of eight weeks for observations (Esch, 2013). This

study was different from our own in that the sample size was much larger, and the students were

followed over a period of time in order to observe the effects of the program. The results of this

program were similar to the “More Sweat, Less Stress” program. Both program found that the

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participants were very satisfied to the outcomes of the program and able to demonstrate a better

understanding of how to manage stress and improved the quality of life of college students. A

second program conducted by researchers at Bangor University in the UK had 23 students

complete a stress course and report on how satisfied they were three months after. The results of

this program differed from the “More Sweat, Less Stress” because of the way measurements

were taken. “More Sweat, Less Stress” program’s data were rated ordinally based on knowledge

whereas the data of this program was a binary survey asking if the participants were satisfied or

not (Bennett, 2015).

A third program took 44 medical students from a university and had them complete a

four-session workshop dealing with stress management. This study found that 82% of the

participants found that the workshop was feasible for most students and helped to increase self-

care behaviors, like sleeping and exercising (Greeson, 2015). The results of this study differed

from the “More Sweat, Less Stress” program in that behavior and perceived stress were

measured. Lastly, a fourth study was done using HIV-positive men in order to observe the effects

of a stress management program on anxiety levels. The program consisted of twenty biweekly

sessions of muscle relaxation therapy, meditation, and hypnosis. The results of this study showed

that meditation was very effective in reducing stress and anxiety levels (Taylor, 1995).

Although the program was carefully prepared, there were some unavoidable limitation.

Most of the participants in “More Sweat, Less Stress” program were women and African-

American, the results of the study may not be fully applied to men and other racial group.

Conducting pretest at the same time with posttest might have created a response bias for

measuring the participant’s knowledge. Participants might have recalled what was asked in the

pretest or they might have been motivated to provide a socially desirable response in order to

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make the program look good. Participants can also exhibit subject bias since they are trying to

improve their knowledge and want to see improvement.

The authors of the program feels that audience participation can be improved by

increasing the recruitment period. To determine the level of satisfaction of the participants within

the program, a brief questionnaire could have been included in the post test to see whether the

program was beneficial and if they would participate in a similar program in the future. This

feedback will help researchers and program planners to determine the weakness and strengths of

the program.

To improve stress management skills, practitioners could use the results from this study

to develop coping strategies that take a holistic approach to improving resiliency to stressors. By

combining both physical activity with meditation, practitioners can help college students address

the physical and psychological side effects of stress. The results from this study can also

advocate policy such as colleges and university should provide stress management programs for

the students.

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