Impact of mHealth and Peer Health Coaching on Campus Recreation Participation

Knight Research Scholars Program Project

Impact of mHealth and Peer Health Coaching on Campus Recreation Participation

Learn about this research project, meet the faculty and student researchers, review participation expectations, and check current availability.

Project Availability

Team Size
2 team members
Open Spots
2 spots open
Affiliations
College of Health Professions and Sciences
Semester
Fall 2026
Team Leader
Faculty Mentor

  • A’Naja Newsome, PhD

Team Member Qualifications

Availability for at least 4-5 hours per week across a minimum of 2 days
Interest in physical activity, campus recreation, student wellness, mHealth, or health behavior change
Strong communication, organization, and professionalism
Comfort interacting with student participants and assisting with study visits
Peer support, mentoring, tutoring, coaching, orientation, RA, peer advising, or related student leadership experience preferred
Willingness to support recruitment, data collection, Pathverse/mobile app content, and peer health coaching activities as needed
Prior research experience is helpful but not required

Required: CITI Human Subjects Research Group 2 Social/Behavioral Research

Description

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a 12-week mHealth and peer health coaching intervention on campus recreation participation and physical activity among UCF undergraduate students who are non-users of campus recreation facilities. Participants will use a Fitbit activity tracker and the Pathverse mobile app to receive physical activity prompts, educational/intervention content, and brief app-based questions. Some participants will also receive peer health coaching. Undergraduate research assistants may help with participant recruitment, eligibility screening, study visits, Fitbit and Pathverse setup, intervention support, data collection, peer health coaching coordination, and preparation for future presentations or manuscripts. This is a good opportunity for students interested in public health, kinesiology, health promotion, behavioral science, digital health, peer mentoring/coaching, or student wellness research.