Highlights of the HOPE Lab
Mission/Vision: The HOPE Lab was established to bring together researchers and practitioners from a variety of disciplines and fields to promote health across the lifespan through spending time in the outdoors engaged in physical activity, exercise, and play. Members: Faculty: Rich Christiana, Public Health; Becki Battista, Exercise Science; Joy James, Recreation Management; Brooke Towner, Physical Education
Accomplishments: External Grants - $4500 funded; Applied for total of $436,000
● Christiana, R. Battista, R. & James, J.J. (March 2018) NIH R34 proposal titled "A Pilot Study to Prescribe Outdoor Physical Activity for Overweight/Obese Children and their Families in Rural Areas" Submitted for $411,000.00. Not funded.
● Christiana, R. W., Battista, R. A., & James, J. J. (October 2016). Promoting Physical Activity among Children of the North Carolina High Country through Physician Prescriptions $25,000 submitted to the 2016 Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust Innovations in Rural Health Award. Not Funded.
● Christiana, R., James, J. J. & Battista, R. (Spring 2015). Play Coalition Research Grant: Creating Community Awareness through Prescribing Outdoor Play for Children. Funded $3000.
● James, J. J., & Battista, R. (Spring 2013). Outdoors, There's an App for that! Project Good Maker Discover the Forest and Get Outdoors grant to support the Outdoor Humanities Research Cluster "Unplug Yosef" event April 1, 2013. Funded $1000 + $500 Frontier Airlines Ticket Internal Grants - $39,934.18 Funded; Additional support from Departments as requested.
● Christiana, R. (2019). URC Proposal: A pilot study to prescribe outdoor physical activity to overweight/obese children and their families. Not Funded.
● Towner, B. (2018). GRAM Proposal: Park Rx Database influence on families increase of Outdoor Physical Activity. Not Funded.
● Christiana, R., James, J.J. & Battista, R. 2018 Innovation Scholars Grant. Funded $10,000.
● James, J. J. (2016-2018) GRAM “The Healthcare Professionals’ Perspective and Outdoor Physical Activity Prescription Program Development Funded $24,000.
● James, J. J. (2016) ASU URC Grant Promoting Nature-Based Play Therapy: The School Counselors’ Perspective, Funded $1273.68.
● Christiana, R., James, J. J. & Battista, R. (Spring 2015). Promoting Outdoor Physical Activity Among Children: The Pediatrician's Perspective. University Research Council Grant: Promoting Outdoor Physical Activity Among Children: The Pediatrician's Perspective. Funded: $1995.00
● Battista, B. & James, J. J., Co-principal Investigators (2013-2010). Humanities Research Cluster: Outdoor play and its relationship to health and wellness, the environment, and human development. Funded $2600.00. Publications.
● James, J.J., Christiana, R.W. & Battista, R.A. (2019) A historical and critical analysis of park prescriptions, Journal of Leisure Research, DOI: 10.1080/00222216.2019.1617647
● James, J. J., Battista, R., & Christiana, R.W. ( 2018). Developing a Park Prescription Program for Your Community. Parks & Recreation, 53: 4, 28-29.
● Christiana, R., James. J.J. and Battista, R. (2017). Prescribing Outdoor Physical Activity to Children: Healthcare Providers’ Perspectives. Global Pediatric Health 4. Doi: 10.1177/2333794X17739193
● Christiana, R. W., Battista, R. A., James, J. J. and Bergman, S. M.
● (2017). Pilot Study of Pediatrician Prescriptions for Outdoor Physical Activity among Children. Preventative Medicine 5, pp. 100–105. Presentations at international, national and regional conferences Recreation Management
● James, J.J. Presentations at the Carolinas Joint Recreation and Parks Conference and North Carolina Recreation & Parks Association Conference. Public Health
● Christiana, R.W. Presentations at Active Living Conference, American Public Health Association, and Play Coalition. Exercise Science
● Farrell, A.V. (UG Student) and Hess, R.K. (GR Student) at Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting.
● Battista, R.A. Presentations at Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, and an Invited Keynote at the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine. Student Involvement (Undergraduate and Graduate)
● Masters Thesis: Rebecca Hess (2017-2019)
● Honors Thesis: Allison Farrell (2018-2019).
● Office of Student Research Undergraduate Research Assistantship: Allison Farrell (SP 2019)
● Practicum Project to develop Student Outdoor Champion Club. Hailey Howard (SP 2019)
Other resources related to this initiative.
Hope Lab' s link to Park Rx America Shift
Where conservation meets adventure ACSM Exercise Is Medicine Outside Magazine
New UW initiative to spearhead research on health benefits of time outside