Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a theoretically based and Web-delivered intervention using common course technology for increasing physical activity in a college student sample. Methods: One hundred four students randomly participated in either a Web-based intervention involving 7 theory-based learning lessons or a control group that received minimal physical activity information. Participants reported levels of physical activity and social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs at baseline and after 6 weeks of the intervention. Results: Relative to controls, intervention participants reported increased days of moderate and vigorous physical activity, but few changes in SCT constructs. Conclusions: Web-based interventions can successfully increase physical activity among college students.

This study examined levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and relationships between PTSS and alcohol-related outcomes in a near census of municipal firefighters. The study also assessed substance-use coping and drinking to cope as potential mediators of such outcomes. Firefighters (N = 740) completed measures that assessed PTSS, alcohol risk behaviors, alcohol problems, drinking motives, and coping with stress. Results showed that 32.4% of firefighters reported significant levels of PTSS using National Center for PTSD (2014) screening cutoff scores. Correlational analysis showed that PTSS was related to at-risk drinking (r = .18) and alcohol-related problems (r = .33), as well as use of maladaptive coping strategies (r = .58) and substance use coping (r = .40). Structural analyses comparing multiple alternative models suggested that a model that included substance use coping and drinking to cope as mediators of the association between PTSS and problem drinking provided the best fit to the data. Tests of multigroup invariance confirmed this model. Overall, PTSS were common in this population and they predicted maladaptive coping patterns and alcohol-related consequences. One implication of these findings is that fire departments might consider adding or enhancing screening and treatment options for PTS, alcohol misuse, or both.

This study investigated gender differences in physical activity (PA) and social-cognitive theory (SCT) variables among Hispanics. Students (N = 298) completed measures assessing levels of PA and variables derived from SCT. Men reported greater PA than women. Men also reported having greater selfefficacy for PA, greater perceived ability to set Goals and make Plans for PA, and greater Expectancies that PA would produce psychological effects (e.g., reduced stress), improve their body image, and enhance their competitive ability. In addition, gender moderated associations between SCT variables and PA behaviors such that self-efficacy and self-regulation were the best predictors of PA among women (β = .18, β = .24, respectively), but body image was the strongest predictor of PA among men (β = .15). The results are discussed in the context of promoting PA in this population.

Background: Obesity is the leading cause of preventable death and conveys risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Overweight and obesity are common among college students, with surveys showing 35 per cent of college students to be overweight. Unhealthy diets and low physical activity are the major causes. Objective: To examine rates of obesity, participation in exercise and predictors of exercise among a predominantly Hispanic (72 per cent) college student sample. Methods: Three hundred and ninety two students completed questionnaires as part of a general health screening. Results: General participation in exercise is high (61 per cent), but the majority (69 per cent) do not meet the CDC recommendations for physical activity. Also, Exercise Importance and Gender were strong predictors of participation in physical activity and exercise in this sample. Conclusion: Strong attitudes are an important determinant of participation in physical activity in this sample. Future studies might explore these relationships among other ethnic/demographic groups, as well as test the effectiveness of attitude change interventions for increasing physical activity.

It has been suggested in personality and emotion theories that traits can influence emotional states and behaviour through interpretive processes such as cognitive appraisals. The present study investigated the relationships between Big Five personality dimensions and the cognitive appraisal processes associated with challenge and threat states in a large sample of municipal firefighters. The study assessed the Big Five traits and cognitive appraisal tendencies using a new measure of challengethreat appraisal that measured appraisals directly and aggregated both across stressful situations and within six specific stressor domains. The results indicated that the Big Five traits related to overall challenge-threat appraisal and their accompanying primary and secondary components in unique and compelling ways, with some traits related more strongly to primary appraisals of situational demands and others related more to secondary appraisals of coping abilities. Overall, the results provide insights into how personality traits are associated with stressrelated emotional experiences.