Maria Kosma

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Professor (Associate) at Louisiana State University

USA has the lowest life expectancy of its peer countries and steadily increasing obesity rates. Although exercise is key to health and well-being, long-term exercise participation is a significant challenge. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative, hermeneutic study was to examine the reasons for the long-lasting participation in a community-bas...

Drawing on Aristotle’s concepts of techne (art or craft) and phronesis (practical wisdom), the purpose of this concept-based article was to showcase that there is techne and phronesis in movement, including their interrelations for the long-lasting love of movement, and thus health and well-being. The paper is divided into four sections. In the fir...

The phantom limb syndrome involves sensations, including pain, of a non-existent limb with debilitating consequences on one's health and quality of life. Given that the reasons for the phantom limb syndrome are unclear, the purpose of this concept-based paper is to shed light on these mechanisms by showcasing how the habitual body as being in the w...

The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative, temporal study was to examine the effects of a semester-long physical theater class on body schema (body posture, awareness, confidence, expression) among eight college students. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted twice to qualitatively collect the study's data. Two themes emerge...

Given the numerous health-related risks associated with inactive lifestyles among older adults, it is imperative to identify meaningful and exciting exercise programs for this population. Therefore, the purpose of this concept-based paper was to draw on the nature of movement-central performing arts, like physical theater and aerial dance, and show...

The nature of physical theater can facilitate understanding of the complex characteristics of embodied movement. Given also the scarcity of empirical studies in the area , the purpose of this qualitative , phenomenological, and temporal study was to thoroughly examine the embodied nature of physical theater (e.g. unity of body and mind) within diff...

Given that playful movement can be long-lasting and lead to health and well-being, the purpose of this concept-based paper was to showcase Gadamer's hermeneutic universality of play, including the reasons the highest form of human play is art. Specifically, Gadamer's universal elements of play are discussed, including its seriousness, non-purposefu...

Based on the 2023 Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, 50% of young adults (18-24 years old) experience anxiety and depression, compared to about 32% of all adults. The rising mental health problems among young adults may link to lingering covid-19 pandemic issues, such as social isolation and lockdowns, excessive screen use, decreased academic...

Although it is well-established that the highest forms of health and well-being are experienced by those who embody the greatest levels of autonomy, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted autonomy and freedom in decision making, such as leading healthy lifestyles like physical activity, either because of disease-related issues (e.g., battling sickness and...

Based on the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide, especially among young adults and women who were hit the worst, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Exercise participation has several health benefits, including improved mental health and well-bein...

Mental health issues, especially among young women, have significantly increased due to Covid-19 pandemic. Although movement activities in Kinesiology and performing arts can have countless health benefits, physical activity declines drastically among mainly freshmen and young females. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of physica...

The purpose of this concept-based paper was to showcase the importance of Merleau-Ponty’s (1945/2014) phenomenological body schema as motor habit in skill acquisition and perception of the world and contrast it with the standard information processing models that are solely based on cognition. Examples of disability cases are used, including Schnei...

The purpose of this concept-based paper was to showcase the importance of Merleau-Ponty’s (1945/2014) phenomenological body schema as motor habit in skill acquisition and perception of the world and contrast it with the standard information processing models that are solely based on cognition. Examples of disability cases are used, including Schnei...

Common Cartesian dualisms (e.g., mind vs. body) are misleading in understanding human action likephysical activity. Therefore, in this paper, we will challenge the typical dualism habitus vs. reflexivityand showcase that exercise habitus and reflexivity are embodied encompassing familial, cultural,cognitive, emotional, and corporeal elements that i...

There has been an increasing push for the use of digitized physical activity promotion in recent years, where exercise promoters are expected to use different technological platforms like smartphones and activity trackers to increase fitness levels. In this article, we critique this instrumental form of exercise promotion where the body is objectif...

The fields of kinesiology and public health promotion have significantly invested in the potential for on-line, digitally mediated exergaming to promote higher levels of physical activity and so to reduce disconcertingly high levels of obesity in the USA. The proponents of exergaming attempt to tie exercise to play in order to make exercise fun and...

Objective The purpose of this phronetic, qualitative study was to examine exercise facilitators and barriers among Native American freshmen in relation to life challenges during their transition from high school to college. Participants: Seven Native American freshmen college students (females = 2, males = 5) were recruited. Methods: A focus group...

The purpose of this phronetic, quasi-experimental study was to examine if skill-based and performative aerial practice (treatment group-class, n = 8) was more beneficial on mental health and the love of movement than only skill-based aerial practice (control group-class, n = 9). The total study population included 17 undergraduate, beginner student...

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, phenomenological study was to use embodied cognition in understanding learning experiences in skill development and performativity (e.g., storytelling and emotional expression) among 17 beginners in aerial practice (Mage = 20.59 ± 1.37 years old). Eight people were in the treatment-group class (skill developm...

Background of study: Given the importance of movement and low exercise adherence among young adults, it is imperative to understand reasons for the love of movement. Objective: The purpose of this phronetic, qualitative study was to examine if the values of aerial practice encompassed elements of embodiment, techne (art), and phronesis (practical w...

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the embodied qualities of aerial practice among 13 US undergraduate students (Mage = 20.46 years old). Drawing on the philosophy of embodiment, interview questions addressed bodily sensations, cognition, and the role of music and mirror viewing. The first emerging theme from the analysis was bodi...

The purpose of this phronetic/pragmatic, mixed-methods study was to integrate quantitative data with qualitative data in examining the complex relations among depression, exercise, screen-viewing time, and life plans among 14 socioeconomically disadvantaged African American young adults. Based on the thematic analysis, the two emerging themes were...

Background Adults with physical disabilities typically engage in low levels of physical activity (PA), thus a better understanding of how motivational factors and behavior vary over time and in relation to disability type and severity is needed. Objective/Hypothesis To examine temporal changes in theory of planned behavior (TPB) constructs and PA...

Background: Although exercise participation has numerous benefits among young adults, socioeconomically disadvantaged ethnic minorities tend to be less active than their White counterparts of higher SES. Instead of relying on logical positivism in exercise promotion, a phronetic (humanistic) approach may better assist with understanding exercise be...

Given the rise in obesity and the positive exercise effects in curbing obesity levels, exercise promoters are expected to use technological applications—social media and fitness applications—in their exercise motivational programs. The purpose of this article is to critique the use of social media and fitness apps as both ineffective and potentiall...

Among those with multiple sclerosis (MS), mobility impairment is common and significantly affects independent functioning and quality of life. The purpose of the study was to examine the role of physical activity in mobility impairment in individuals with MS and explore the social cognitive factors of social support, outcome expectations, and self-...

Background of Study: Although exercise has many benefits, older African American (AA) women are less active than older Caucasian women and older AA men. Balance and muscle-strengthening activities are typically recommended for decreased falls, whereas the role of aerobic training alone on falls prevention is controversial. Objective: This was a mix...

Despite the exercise benefits, disparities among diverse older adults continue to exist where African American women have the lowest percentage of any population group in meeting national recommended activity guidelines. Drawing on the philosophical tradition of phronesis (practical reasoning) introduced by Aristotle, we studied perceptions of the...

Given the negative health-related consequences of falls risks and the high inactivity levels among older adults, the study’s purpose was to examine the relations among motivational aspects derived from the transtheoretical model (TTM), physical activity (PA), and falls risks for 170 diverse older adults (Mage = 72.24 years). Based on MANOVA, the TT...

Given the benefits of physical activity and the high proportion of inactivity among older adults, the purpose was to elicit theory-based behavioral, normative, and control physical activity beliefs among 140 educationally and economically diverse older adults and compare their beliefs by race (Blacks vs. Whites) and physical activity levels (inacti...

Despite the proliferation of theory-based behavior-change programs to promote physical activity, obesity and diabetes rates continue to rise. Given the notable ineffective interventions, it is important to examine why these efforts have been largely unsuccessful and to consider potential alternatives. The purpose of this article is to consider the...

Falling is a major health-related risk among older adults due to injuries, disability, and even death. Although physical activity (PA) can prevent falls, most older adults are inactive due to limited motivation. The purpose was to examine a motivational framework whereby the stages of change (SOC) and PA mediated the relations between the theory of...

The purpose of this investigation was to determine associations among race, education, and income and falls risk scores from the Comprehensive Falls Risk Screening Instrument (CFRSI). Participants (N = 626) were Black (n = 318) and White (n = 308) older adults (M age = 72.62, SD = 9.31). The CFRSI assessed history, physical functioning, medication,...

Understanding how health beliefs intersect with physical activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is an important step in developing effective activity promotion programs. The purpose of the study was to employ the Health Belief Model (HBM) to assess the health beliefs of adults with MS and examine the relationship between health beliefs and...

This study aimed to identify differences in individual, social, and physical environmental factors across the stages of physical activity and explore the effect of those variables on physical activity among older adults. Two hundred and ninety adults aged over 65 years were recruited from the Seodaemun district of Seoul. Standardized scales were us...

This study tested moderators of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) based on geographical region, gender, race, and income among adolescents in an exercise context using multigroup path analyses. Participants were eighth- and ninth-grade students from Louisiana (LA; N = 448, M(age) = 14.37 years) and Pennsylvania (PA; N = 681, M(age) = 14.28 years...

Given the importance of physical activity (PA) and the low activity levels among adults with physical disabilities, it is important to understand how temporal changes in psychosocial constructs affect PA changes over time. Examine if changes in the transtheoretical model (TTM) constructs affected changes in PA levels over time. One hundred thirty-t...

Guided by a social ecological perspective, the aim of this study was to investigate the predictive strength of individual (barrier self-efficacy), social environmental (support from parents, friends, physical education teachers), and physical environmental variables (equipment accessibility, neighborhood safety) toward physical activity among schoo...

We examined the measurement properties offall-related psychological instruments with a sample of 133 older adults (M age = 74.4 years, SD = 9.4). Measures included the Comprehensive Falls Risk Screening Instrument, Falls-efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC), modified Survey ofActivities and Fear ofFalli...

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of outcome likelihood, outcome value, and outcome expectancy using data collected from students in secondary school physical education classes. Dependent measures were examined for construct, concurrent, and predictive validity, as well as internal and temporal reliability. The r...

The type of learning activity offered in physical education may influence students' motivational beliefs, physical activity participation and effort/persistence in class. However, most empirical studies have focused on the individual level rather than on the learner-content interactions. Accordingly, the potential effects of learning activities on...

Using self-determination theory as a framework, the purpose of this study was to test a structural model of hypothesized relationships among perceived need support from physical education teachers (autonomy support, competence support, and relatedness support), psychological need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), intrinsic motiv...

Purpose Examine the construct validity of a modified stages-of-change (SOC) scale among adults with physical disabilities by investigating the relations among the transtheoretical model (TTM) constructs, physical activity (PA), and SOC. Additionally, the SOC algorithm was compared with previously recommended SOC scales. Design/Setting Cross-sectio...

Clinical problem: Falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and injurious death among older adults; the aftermath of a fall stresses the health care system and places financial and psychological burdens on the patient and family. Because of this, fall prevention/risk reduction is a primary focus of numerous health care agendas. Over the las...

Using the theory of planned behavior as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to elicit the salient modal physical activity (PA) beliefs and to examine changes in the modal PA beliefs before and after a 16-week pilot PA intervention in culturally diverse older adults. Participants were 48 adults between the ages of 50 and 93 year...

This study used a prospective design to test an integrative model of the mediating role of self-efficacy between the expectancy-value model and self-efficacy theory constructs and physical activity levels in a sample of 207 middle school students in physical education. Expectancy-value constructs (expectancy-related beliefs and task values) and sel...

Annually, one in three older adults experiences a fall. Falls can lead to death, disability, and/or decreased health-related quality of life (HRQL). Objec-tives: To validate the Comprehensive Falls Risk Screening Instrument (CFRSI). Methods: Data were collected on 286 older adults (M age in years = 74.2 ± 10.0). The CFRSI total falls risk score was...

The purpose of the study was to examine the issue of scale correspondence by testing the theory of planned behavior (TPB) using two models. Participants were 223 adults (M age = 45.4years, SD = 10.8) with self-reported physical disabilities who completed an on-line survey. Using a cross-sectional design, participants completed demographic questions...

The purpose of this study was to utilize the disablement pathway model to examine the contribution of physical function, dyspnea, and pain to disability in activities-of-daily-living (ADL) in culturally diverse older adults. Participants were 51 older adults (age = 69.0 years ± 9.7; 76.5% African-American, 51.0% < high school education, 52.9% < $20...

People with disabilities report lower physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) levels than people without disabilities. Therefore, it is important to identify factors that motivate individuals with disabilities to be physically active and thus increase their HRQOL. The purpose of the study was to prospectively explore the e...

The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine the mediating role of intention in future weight training behavior (1–8 weeks) using an integrative framework [the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and self-efficacy theory (SET)]. Participants were 251 college students (M age = 21.36; 116 males, 135 females) enrolled in 16 weight training clas...

The purpose of this paper is: (1) to briefly review the heart failure syndrome and the importance of exercise training, (2) to stimulate the reader to consider examin- ing the motivation and readiness of the patient with heart failure to engage in exercise training, and (3) to provide strategies to accelerate the process of change to make necessary...

The purpose of this study was to elicit the physical activity (PA) beliefs from adults with physical disabilities; and second, to examine their self-reported PA participation. Participants were 223 adults (M age = 45.4 years, SD = 10.8), with self-reported physical disabilities who completed a web-based survey. Six open-ended questions were used to...

The study's purpose was to identify the mediating role of intention and the stages of change (SOC) in physical activity (PA) over a 6-month period using two models (theory of planned behavior [TPB] and TPB/SOC). Participants were 143 adults with physical disabilities (70.68% response rate; M age = 46.03). The TPB constructs, SOC (time 1), and PA (t...

Physical inactivity is a health issue with serious consequences for older adults. Investigating physical activity promotion within a multi-theoretical approach may increase the predictive strength of physical activity determinants and facilitate the development and implementation of effective interventions for older adults. This article examines co...

A high proportion of individuals with disabilities remain physically inactive. Therefore, this study (web-based survey) investigated the relationships between the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) and physical activity among 224 adults with physical disabilities (M age = 45.4 years, SD = 10.78, females = 71%). Additionally, the most important TTM predic...

Develop, deliver, and assess the efficacy of a 4-week web-based leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) motivational program based on the Transtheoretical Model and tailored to inactive adults with physical disabilities. This was a pilot-based study incorporating a true experimental design with one treatment and one control group. The intervention pr...

Purpose To use the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) constructs to examine the most important physical activity stage of change predictors for mostly inactive adults with physical disabilities. Methods A cross-sectional survey completed on the Internet. One hundred fifty-one individuals with physical disabilities (50% response rate) completed the surve...

The majority of physical activity initiatives have been directed toward promoting cardiorespiratory fitness and general health. Far less attention has been devoted to encouraging or understanding muscular fitness-promoting behaviors. The purpose of this study was to determine if constructs from the Transtheoretical Model, a contemporary behavior ch...

Examine the theorized associations of transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavior change constructs (behavioral and cognitive processes of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy), along with exercise barriers, by stage of change for exercise behavior among individuals with physical disabilities. Cross-sectional survey of 322 adults with physica...

The inclusion of a representative sample of understudied populations (e.g., women, minorities, older adults, youth, and people with disabilities) in physical activity promotion studies is a public health priority. Given the limited empirical evidence of effective recruitment strategies and limitations in research methodology for both over represent...

Given the importance of adaptive behavior (AB) to independent functioning for persons with intellectual disabilities, a significant question for practitioners and scholars in physical activity is the effect of physical activity on AB. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to simultaneously test potential effects of health-related fitness (HRF) a...

The benefits of exercise andlor physical activity among individuals with disabilities have been well documented. However, very few people with disabilities are active. In this paper, a series of contemporary theoretical models will be presented to facilitate the identification of strategies to increase individuals with disabilities' opportunities a...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2004. Includes bibliographical references. Electronic reproduction.