Janette Watkins

• Doctoral Student at Indiana University Bloomington

Background: Despite the well-established physical benefits of resistance training (RT), only 31% of U.S. adults meet RT guidelines, with women participating at lower rates. While the physiological aspects of RT are well researched, less is known about the psychological factors, such as affective responses (e.g., enjoyment, energy). This study explo...

Background: Physical inactivity in the U.S. poses a significant risk of developing chronic health factors associated with cardiovascular disease. Children from rural communities are especially vulnerable to inactivity. The Hoosier Sport program aims to address this by working to increase physical activity in 6th and 7th grade students in a rural In...

Sport-based youth development programs, delivered through campus–community partnerships, can create impactful experiences for college students, meet university objectives, and improve the health of children in under-resourced rural communities. This study aimed to pilot test intervention mapping (IM), a systematic approach to intervention developme...

Background Despite the well-known benefits of physical activity (PA), non-communicable disease and premature mortality rates among adults continue to rise. The relationship between adults’ goals and exercise-specific motivation on the type of PA intensity one engages remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify physical activity (PA)...

Background Despite extensive research on the relationship between psychological factors and aerobic training, there remains a gap in understanding these relationships within resistance training (RT), particularly barbell-based RT. This study aimed to examine the associations between basic psychological needs, behavioral regulation, self-efficacy, a...

Background: Body image and body appreciation (BA) are often considered a young adult issue, but the importance of body image as a factor contributing to wellness persists across the lifespan. The study's purpose was to test (1) the effect of a 3-month health-and-wellness coaching (HWC) program on BA and (2) whether baseline measures of physical and...

This study examines how the 8-week Hoosier Sport program impacts cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks by promoting physical activity (PA) among rural, low-income children. Using a human-centered participatory co-design approach, the program aimed to increase PA levels (e.g., total PA, daily steps) in at-risk children. The present study explored the f...

Background Lack of physical activity is a concern for children across diverse backgrounds, particularly affecting those in rural areas who face distinct challenges compared to their urban counterparts. Community-derived interventions are needed that consider the unique context and additional physical activity barriers in under-resourced rural setti...

Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for 18 million deaths per year, disproportionately burdens under-represented racial and ethnic groups, and has economic costs greater than any other health condition. Participation in youth sport may be an effective strategy to improve CVD-related risk factors but studies of youth sport participati...

Purpose The significance of regular physical activity (PA) in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is widely acknowledged. However, children in rural areas encounter specific barriers to PA compared to their urban counterparts. This study employs human-centered participatory co-design, involving community stakeholders in developing a multi-le...

Background This study assesses the effectiveness of a physical activity intervention using a human-centered participatory co-design in a rural community. In collaboration with a campus-community partnership, the intervention involves children in the design process to address declining physical activity levels among middle school students. The prima...

With over 14,000 CrossFit affiliates worldwide, there is untapped potential to serve many autistic athletes. However, current CrossFit coaching certifications and continuing education programs lack autism-specific training. This study assessed CrossFit affiliates’ capacity to work with autistic athletes, evaluated coach knowledge, and identified pe...

PURPOSE: The significance of regular physical activity (PA) in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is widely acknowledged. However, children in rural areas encounter specific barriers to PA compared to their urban counterparts. This study employs human-centered participatory co-design, involving community stakeholders in developing a multi-l...

Introduction Physical activity yields significant benefits, yet fewer than 1 in 4 youth meet federal guidelines. Children in rural areas from low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds face unique physical activity contextual challenges. In line with Stage 0 with the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development, the objective of the present stu...

Arguably the greatest responsibility of a coach is to help an athlete move better. From sports to strength and conditioning training, the athlete is constantly in motion and utilizing basic movement patterns to achieve an array of goals. With this in mind the ability of a coach to work with athletes of different autism profiles is necessary to prov...

Introduction: Few studies have examined the comprehensive impact of adaptive exercise interventions across multiple functional domains (i.e., physical and cognitive health) in adults with developmental disabilities (DD). Methods: The present study examined the effects of a 10-week (2 session/week, 1 hour/session) adapted Zumba® intervention on t...

The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential that physical activity holds for promoting societal equality in minority populations, such as women of all races, ethnicities, and sexualities, people with cognitive and physical disabilities, and others. This broad review of studies looks at how exercise, and cycling in particular, might increa...

This systematic review aims to describe six types of physical activity interventions utilized with children and young adults ages 5–22 as a treatment for ASD. These interventions include swimming, cycling, neuromuscular training, yoga, sports, and exergaming. This examines the knowledge gaps regarding the details of these interventions via time (se...

The purpose of this article is to communicate how a CrossFit class for children can include children with a developmental disability (DD), the general set-up of these classes, and the many ways to modify exercises and programs to be as inclusive as possible. This article uses the CrossFit gym, Bourbon Barrel CrossFit (BBCF), as an example of what a...

The following study examines the effects of positive visualization on strength training. Positive visualization is being defined as: visualizing yourself performing a physical movement to best of your capability or beyond. Student-athletes were asked to positively visualize themselves performing lifts that they physically executed frequently in the...