Education, Faculty of
Kinesiology, School of
DSpace
University of British Columbia. School of Kinesiology
University of British Columbia. Student Recreation Centre
University of British Columbia. Campus and Community Planning
Song, Shannon
Toye, Janessa
Chartrand, Alaine
Schlappner, Kaitlyn
Currently, UBC Recreation is only offering Women’s Only Fitness Hours (WOFH) 9 hours per week out of the 96.5 hours per week that the ARC gym space operates for, despite self-identifying women making up 55.8% of the UBC community’s population (University of British Columbia, 2021). WOFH is a program that offers self-identifying women designated times in which they are able to participate in physical activity (PA) in a safe and private environment (University of British Columbia, 2022b). WOFH was designed to provide women the confidence and empowerment they need to implement PA into their everyday routine (University of British Columbia, 2022b) without the fear that many mixed-gender gyms provide. Therefore, the purpose of our project was to examine the effectiveness of the communication of WOFH to the targeted community as well as to improve awareness by utilising feedback from survey participants and the existing literature. All of the survey participants (n = 119) recruited are self-identifying women currently enrolled as either an undergraduate or a graduate student at UBC Vancouver. Participants were directed to a short Qualtrics survey in which they consented to participating, then answered a variety of multiple choice, Likert-type and open-ended questions. Surveys were distributed through social media, including Facebook groups and Instagram stories over a span of two weeks. One Facebook group, in particular, targeted a specific UBC student population which may have played a large role in contributing to this study’s successful participant count – UBC Sororities. Following data collection, data analysis took place. This research highlighted several key findings including: the population of students aware of WOFH; of those aware, the number of students who have attended WOFH; reasons for continued participation, satisfaction ratings for WOFH experiences; gauged interest in attending WOFH; and gauged perspectives on UBC Recreation’s WOFH in relation to other women-only gyms. In response to these findings, there are four recommendations for UBC Recreation to consider implementing to increase both awareness, participation and satisfaction of the WOFH program. First, UBC Recreation should expand into the gym space during WOFH, rather than keeping the program confined to the studio. Many participants expressed they wished they had access to equipment outside of the studio, but were not confident enough to attend the regular gym hours in order to access the equipment. Second, WOFH can be offered at both the ARC gym and the BirdCoop. By doing so, there can be increased time designated for WOFH, and thus different time frames to accommodate a wide range of student schedules. Third, many survey participants were unaware of WOFH until completing the survey. Therefore, the third recommendation is to utilize social media to further promote WOFH to increase attendance. The last recommendation is to provide weight training education, as many students expressed in the survey that they feel uncomfortable in gym settings due to lack of knowledge. There are also several areas in which future research can examine. The first is to examine the best methods in which to provide education in order to ensure students feel comfortable using all of the equipment and machines. The second area is to assess if ‘Bring a Friend’ is beneficial to retention rates, and whether or not this promotion would encourage more people to engage in PA. The last area that can be further examined is overall satisfaction and benefits of the program. Although this was included in our survey, only 12% of participants had attended WOFHs. This would be a beneficial area to further examine once there is more awareness and participation in the program in order to increase satisfaction and meet the needs of the participants. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”
An Assessment of UBC’s Recreation Women’s Only Fitness Hours Program Prepared by: Shannon Song, Janessa Toye, Alaine Chartrand and Kaitlyn Schlappner Prepared for: KIN 464: Health Promotion and Physical Activity Course Code: KIN 464 University of British Columbia Date: 12 April 2022 Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS Sustainability Program provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student research project and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore, readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Sustainability Program representative about the current status of the subject matter of a report”. University of British Columbia Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Sustainability Program Student Research Report 1 An Assessment of UBC’s Recreation Women’s Only Fitness Hours Program Shannon Song, Janessa Toye, Alaine Chartrand and Kaitlyn Schlappner School of Kinesiology, the University of British Columbia KIN 464: Health Promotion and Physical Activity Dr. Negin Riazi April 12, 2022 2 Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Literature Review 4 Methods 8 Data Collection 8 Participants 10 Research Design 11 Procedures 12 Results 13 Descriptive Statistics 13 Descriptive Qualitative Analysis 16 Discussion 17 Recommendations 19 Appendix A: Survey 27 Appendix B: Consent Form 33 Appendix C: Program Information 36 Appendix D: Social Media Recruitment Materials 37 Appendix E: Survey Results 38 Appendix F: Poster 58 3 Executive Summary Currently, UBC Recreation is only offering Women’s Only Fitness Hours (WOFH) 9 hours per week out of the 96.5 hours per week that the ARC gym space operates for, despite self-identifying women making up 55.8% of the UBC community’s population (University of British Columbia, 2021). WOFH is a program that offers self-identifying women designated times in which they are able to participate in physical activity (PA) in a safe and private environment (University of British Columbia, 2022b). WOFH was designed to provide women the confidence and empowerment they need to implement PA into their everyday routine (University of British Columbia, 2022b) without the fear that many mixed-gender gyms provide. Therefore, the purpose of our project was to examine the effectiveness of the communication of WOFH to the targeted community as well as to improve awareness by utilising feedback from survey participants and the existing literature. All of the survey participants (n = 119) recruited are self-identifying women currently enrolled as either an undergraduate or a graduate student at UBC Vancouver. Participants were directed to a short Qualtrics survey in which they consented to participating, then answered a variety of multiple choice, Likert-type and open-ended questions. Surveys were distributed through social media, including Facebook groups and Instagram stories over a span of two weeks. One Facebook group, in particular, targeted a specific UBC student population which may have played a large role in contributing to this study’s successful participant count – UBC Sororities. Following data collection, data analysis took place. This research highlighted several key findings including: the population of students aware of WOFH; of those aware, the number of students who have attended WOFH; reasons for continued participation, satisfaction ratings for WOFH experiences; gauged interest in attending WOFH; and gauged perspectives on UBC Recreation’s WOFH in relation to other women-only gyms. In response to these findings, there are four recommendations for UBC Recreation to consider implementing to increase both awareness, participation and satisfaction of the WOFH program. First, UBC Recreation should expand into the gym space during WOFH, rather than keeping the program confined to the studio. Many participants expressed they wished they had access to equipment outside of the studio, but were not confident enough to attend the regular gym hours in order to access the equipment. Second, WOFH can be offered at both the ARC gym and the BirdCoop. By doing so, there can be increased time designated for WOFH, and thus different time frames to accommodate a wide range of student schedules. Third, many survey participants were unaware of WOFH until completing the survey. Therefore, the third recommendation is to utilize social media to further promote WOFH to increase attendance. The last recommendation is to provide weight training education, as many students expressed in the survey that they feel uncomfortable in gym settings due to lack of knowledge. There are also several areas in which future research can examine. The first is to examine the best methods in which to provide education in order to ensure students feel comfortable using all of the equipment and machines. The second area is to assess if ‘Bring a Friend’ is beneficial to retention rates, and whether or not this promotion would encourage more people to engage in PA. The last area that can be further examined is overall satisfaction and benefits of the program. Although this was included in our survey, only 12% of participants had attended WOFHs. This would be a beneficial area to further examine once there is more awareness and participation in the program in order to increase satisfaction and meet the needs of the participants. 4 Introduction In September of 2019, UBC Recreation implemented Women’s Only Fitness Hours, currently held in the Lower Level Studio of the ARC Fitness Center (University of British Columbia, 2022b). These sessions are offered Monday from 1:30pm to 4:30pm, Tuesday from 7:30am to 10:30am, and Thursday from 2:00pm to 5:00pm (University of British Columbia, 2022b). WOFH were designed to create a safe and welcoming gym environment for self-identifying women students in a predominantly male domain, and to promote physical activity (PA) amongst this demographic by increasing access to these facilities (University of British Columbia, 2022b). The benefits of exercise are well known and documented (Prince et al., 2020). Women can benefit in numerous ways, both physically and mentally, from engaging in regular exercise (Myre et al., 2020). These services are working to promote a more inclusive and affirming environment and by using the term ‘self-identifying women students’, it is inclusive of non-binary and trans-women in addition to cis-women students. WOFH facilitates access and inclusion by providing self-identifying women students privacy, resources, knowledgeable staff, and ample allocation of studio time (University of British Columbia, 2022b). However, despite the implementation of this program over two years ago, there is still very little awareness of WOFH amongst the UBC community. Literature Review The concept of WOFH is still relatively new, and thus the body of literature is still in its infancy. Overall, the research examines the concept of gender and its influence on accessing physical education, and supports creating an inclusive gym environment for women. 5 Interestingly, women are less likely than men to meet daily PA guidelines despite the benefits associated with PA (Coen et al., 2020). Women, including transgender, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ individuals are often opposed to mixed-gender gyms (Fisher et al., 2018), reporting that it is not a welcoming environment, especially for women of colour (Coen et al., 2020). As such, much of the existing research considers access to PA for self-identifying women using a deficit-based approach. They consider social, physical, psychological, infrastructure and financial barriers that women tend to face within gym environments, which often put them at a disadvantage (Vasudevan & Ford, 2021). For example, gyms can be very gender-divisive and perceived to be hyper-masculine environments (Salvatore & Marecek, 2010), thus creating a social barrier to PA for women (Coen et al., 2018; Coen et al., 2020). These social barriers often intersect with gender norms and weight-centred gym cultures which further deter women from participating in PA (Myre et al., 2020). Regrettably, women are underrepresented in gyms compared to men, especially in regards to weight-based strength training, reflecting the gender norms that continue to reinforce women’s avoidance of gyms (Salvatore & Marecek, 2010). In fact, one study reported that the ratio of men to women in the free weights section in a gym was 27:1 (Vasudevan & Ford, 2021). Women also face physical barriers which often extend from their poor physical education. Reported concerns include incorrect form and the existence of body movement limitations (Vasudevan & Ford, 2021). Most importantly, women feel uncomfortable in the gym as they are replete with gender inequities. There is an evident gender gap that exists in gym environments which can be detrimental to attendees. Women are often compared to men based on feminine and masculine stereotypes that are rooted in gendered ideologies, such as women being smaller and physically weaker than men (Coen et al., 2020). Moreover, these ideals put pressure on women to attain certain standards as masculine body stereotypes suggest power, whereas 6 feminine body stereotypes suggest thinness (Salvatore & Marecek, 2010). These stereotypes can also be observed in the gym through infrastructure barriers in which materialistic inequities are evident, such that equipment in women’s only areas are limited to a small selection of lighter weights/dumbells (Coen et al., 2020; Vasudevan & Ford, 2021). Additionally, women tend to use the cardiovascular machines more often than the strength training equipment due to the gender ideologies surrounding training habits (Vasudevan & Ford, 2021; Rapport et al., 2018), resulting in an invisible border which isolates the cardiovascular equipment to prevent women from “crossing the line” (Vasudevan & Ford, 2021, p. 10). Sadly, the effect of the stereotypes only continue to reinforce the expectations of what women can accomplish in the gym, thus further preventing them from attending the gym. This is evident when comparing college men and women who engage in PA – men are nearly two times more physically active than women simply by attending the gym (Acejias et al., 2017). Undoubtedly, stereotypes (Coen et al., 2020), stigma (Myre et al., 2020; Vasudevan & Ford, 2021), and microaggressions (Coen et al., 2018; Rapport et al., 2018) are just a few examples of psychological barriers that further marginalize women in the gym. Gradually, women were able to overcome the negative outcomes that mixed-gender gyms depict by attending women’s only gyms, claiming the women’s only side as their “safe haven” (Fisher et al., 2018, p. 485). Accordingly, women’s only gyms should be promoted as a safe space where every individual can feel confident and accepted. While women express awareness of the many benefits of PA, many still do not engage in sufficient PA (Lovell et al., 2010) largely due to gym spaces being well recognized as an intimidating space for women. Thus, efforts should be made to improve women’s only gyms through its programming, resources, education, and gym promotion to ensure that women feel safe and empowered. Education should include reconceptualizing individuals’ 7 internal beliefs of gender through unlearning and relearning so as to dismantle gendered stereotypes (Coen et al., 2020). Gym promotion should be carefully constructed to ensure that women do not feel pressured to change who they are to attend the gym. As such, advertisement messaging that encourages women to “come-as-you-are '' is anticipated to be successful in shaping the gym as a welcoming environment for anybody (Coen et al., 2020, p. 550). As for programming, increasing off-peak hours can maximize gym attendance for women (Rapport et al., 2018) in addition to the implementation of monthly gym membership payments rather than yearly membership fees (Acejias et al., 2017; Vasudevan & Ford, 2021). Women are more at risk for insignificant PA levels in comparison to men (Acejias et al., 2017). A large limitation that exists is the under-researched population of college women that participate in the gym despite over 56% of college enrollment consisting of women (Lovell et al., 2010). Moreover, there is a scarcity of research that explores the strategies used to ensure long-term engagement in women’s only gyms, particularly the social motivators which may influence program efficacy. In addition, there is little research on the inequities that exist in WOFH in relation to equipment access, especially within mixed-gender gyms. One study that observed the usage of university gyms found that there were rarely instructors present (Rapport et al., 2018). Thus, future directions for research should focus on the presence and assistance of a woman-identifying professional trainer to determine whether this would create a less intimidating environment for women who are new to using the gym. An additional limitation is the lack of research evaluating the effects of attending the gym with a friend, or partner activities in the gym. Thus, we cannot predict whether advertisements that focus on partnered workouts will result in increased appeal towards gym participation. Future research should explore preferences and reported satisfaction when participating in the gym alone as well as participating alongside a friend. 8 UBC Recreation’s WOFH are intended for women-identifying students to use the studio space to improve physical fitness, confidence, and overall health, however, increased efforts are needed to improve program awareness as well as program efficacy to establish long-term program adherence. While WOFH can provide women-identifying students with a safe space to exercise, recommendations to improve program efficacy and adherence would include providing the program with adequate equipment regardless of gender inequities, providing comprehensive gym education to students, and improving operation hours for WOFH to better accommodate the large women-identifying student body. The purpose of this study is to assess UBC Recreation’s WOFH awareness, evaluate the program efficacy of WOFH, and determine strategies to enhance program engagement and long-term adherence. Correspondingly, research questions for this study include: How known is UBC Recreation’s WOFH across the women population at UBC?; Of the population that knows about the WOFH, how many have attended and continue to participate?; What are the reasons for continued participation?; and What are the population’s current views on UBC Recreation’s WOFH? Methods Data Collection To gain an understanding of the data, this project used the convergent parallel design, a mixed-methods design. A convergent parallel design requires the researcher to collect the qualitative and quantitative data simultaneously, consider both of the methods equally, separately analyze both methods, and then merge and interpret the results together (Demir & Pismek, 2018). An advantage of a mixed methods approach includes the generation of more evidence which can provide insight to the answers given by participants (Caruth, 2013). Using a mixed methods approach also helps to offset limitations and biases of quantitative 9 and qualitative approaches (Caruth, 2013). The intended output of this project was to collect responses from self-identifying women students about their experiences, preferences, perceived barriers and limitations, and their general attitude towards WOFH. Accordingly, the most efficient procedure to gather this data was by creating a survey. Not only are surveys simple to use for both participants and researchers, but it is also convenient by both limiting physical contact during the COVID-19 pandemic and its accessibility in reaching a large number of students (Park et al., 2019). Furthermore, due to the time constraint of this study, conducting in-person surveys may have been more time-costly, thus, online surveys were utilized so that the data collection process could be completed in a more timely manner (Park et al., 2019). The survey questions began with multiple-choice introductory questions to determine whether the participants met the study’s inclusion criteria and the demographic characteristics of the sample population. Two questions ruled in participants who self-identified as a woman and were also undergraduate or graduate UBC students; the remaining questions provided the researchers with a general overview of the participants’ year of study, program of study, and area of residence. The survey questions seeked responses to WOFH awareness and attendance and existed in the form of both multiple choice, including ‘yes or no’ and ‘select all that apply’, and 5-point Likert-scale questions. For example, one question asked participants to rate their experiences with WOFH using the 5-point Likert-scale, in which 1 represents “very unsatisfied”, 2 represents “unsatisfied”, 3 represents “neutral”, 4 represents “satisfied”, and 5 represents “very satisfied” (Appendix A). One question also included ‘not applicable’, “N/A”, for participants who had never been in a gym setting. These questions examine participants’ encounters with WOFH advertisements, interest and likelihood of attending 10 WOFH, participation in WOFH in the past and present, opinion on WOFH availability and pricing, and reasons for long-term adherence with WOFH/UBC Recreation gyms. The survey also included an attention question directing participants to select a specific answer, “KIN 464” (Appendix A, Question 25). The purpose of this question was to identify respondents who were randomly selecting answers without reading the question and allow researchers to exclude their answers before performing the data analysis. The ‘Display Logic’ function was also used for various questions within the survey. This function indicated which questions would proceed based on the participants’ answer to the previous question. For instance, if a participant has previously gone to WOFH, they were then guided to answer what their experience was; on the other hand, if a participant had never gone to WOFH, they were then guided to answer if they were interested in attending WOFH. This allowed researchers to gather a wider range of data by catering to the experiences of varying participants. To encourage participation, the length of the survey was designed to take approximately 5 minutes, and participants were provided the opportunity to be entered into a draw to win a 1-year HOPR membership or a FitBit. The prizes were advertised alongside the link to the survey, and once completed the survey, participants had the opportunity to enter themselves. Participants The target population of this study was self-identifying women students at UBC. This population includes undergraduate and graduate, including master’s and PhD self-identifying women students, as the WOFH at UBC were designed for this specific population (University of British Columbia, 2022b), and therefore they all have access. Self-identifying women students at UBC were recruited through convenience sampling. Convenience sampling is a 11 non-probability sample in which participants are easily accessible by the researcher (Clark, 2017). Exclusion criteria was self-identifying men and non-UBC students (both self-identifying women and men), as they do not have access to UBC Recreation’s WOFH. The recruitment process consisted of posting in various social media groups of UBC students in order to collect data from diverse groups within the target population. Research Design This study utilized the UBC Survey Tool, Qualtrics, which is accessible by all UBC students, faculty, staff, and sponsored guests (University of British Columbia, 2022a). The Qualtrics survey was posted to authors of this study Instagram stories as well as various Facebook groups to reach this study’s target population. Despite Instagram’s use of connecting with friends, Instagram is popularly used amongst young adults (Ganjoo et al., 2021) and is the preferred social media platform due to its minimal text and maximal visuals (Shane-Simpson et al., 2018). On the other hand, Facebook is also a popular social media platform that many young adults use (Divine et al., 2019; Curtis et al., 2020). In fact, roughly a third of undergraduate students spend nearly 4 hours a day on the platform (Divine et al., 2019). As such, the survey link was posted to the following Facebook groups: UBC Class of 2022/2021 (Official Group), UBC Class of 2022 (Official Group), University of British Columbia (UBC) Class of 2023 (Official Group), and UBC Class of 2024 - Official, UBC Vancouver Class of 2024/2025 Official Group, University of British Columbia (UBC) Class of 2025 / 2026 (Official Group). In addition, the survey link was shared with the women of UBC Sororities. UBC Sororities is a club consisting of 600+ undergraduate women, thus, the survey link was posted in the UBC Panhellenic Community Facebook group. All survey links closed on Thursday, March 31st at 11:59pm, providing this study roughly 2 weeks for data collection. This study required a minimum of 40 participants, and it was expected that with 12 these Facebook communities and the provided time frame, this study would succeed the minimum number of participants needed for data collection. Procedures Prior to conducting research, the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans was successfully completed by each group member. This program provides guidance on ethics when conducting research involving human populations (Government of Canada, n.d.). In order to better understand the phenomenon that is WOFH and uncover gaps within the literature, a literature review was completed. In order to collect the data from the study population, a survey was created and published on the UBC Survey Tool, Qualtrics, for 2 weeks (March 17th, 2022 to March 31st, 2022). As previously mentioned, the social media poster (Appendix D) and survey (Appendix A) was advertised to self-identifying women students using various Facebook groups that cater towards current UBC students. On the first page of the survey, a consent form was included. In order to continue onto the questions, the participants had to be in agreement with the consent form (Appendix B). Following this, the survey included an introduction to provide the participant with information on WOFH and its offerings (Appendix C). Once the data collection period closed, the data was analyzed using a combination of descriptive statistics and qualitative descriptive analysis, as the survey utilized both open and closed questions. Data Analysis Column charts were used to summarise quantitative data in this study including all multiple-choice and Likert-scale questions. Additionally, this study utilized a thematic analysis approach for the open-ended questions to identify central themes. Central themes from open-ended questions centred around the fact that participants expressed feeling more 13 comfortable in gyms with other women, and that this is a motivating factor towards trying new equipment and exercises without feeling judged (Appendix E, Figure 9). Many participants have also shared negative experiences with mixed-gender gyms, and that those poor experiences have deterred them from continuing to attend the gym (Appendix E, Figure 9). Not surprisingly, “intimidation” was often expressed by many of the participants which relates to “being watched”, being “self conscious”, and being more anxiety-inducing (Appendix E, Figure 9). As such, this places a large emphasis on the importance of operating a quality women’s-only gym that can promote confidence and empowerment amongst this population. Results Descriptive Statistics There were a total of 121 responses to our survey, however, only 119 responses were included in the data analysis. One response was not included for not meeting the inclusion criteria, as they were not a UBC student. The second response was not included as they did not select the correct response on the attention question, and thus, it was believed that they were not reading the questions thoroughly enough to provide valid responses for this study. Results showed that 100% of respondents were self-identifying women (Appendix E, Figure 1), while 99.2% were UBC students (Appendix E, Figure 2). This indicates that this study was able to reach the intended target population using the method of recruitment. Additionally, 95% of respondents were undergraduate students, whereas the other 5% of respondents were graduate students (Appendix E, Figure 3). The participants were made up of students from a variety of faculties: 40 in Arts, 29 in Science, 13 in Kinesiology, 13 in Business, 6 in Applied Science, 5 in Medicine, 4 in Forestry, 4 in Land and food Systems, 1 in Architecture and Landscape Architecture, 1 in Dentistry, 1 in Music, 1 in Nursing, and 1 in 14 the Vancouver School of Economics (Appendix E, Figure 4). This was significant for determining if students from certain faculties were more aware of WOFH than others. For example, 53.8% of Kinesiology students who responded to the survey had previously heard of WOFH, whereas 60% of Arts students were unaware of WOFH prior to participating in the survey. Lastly, 67 participants selected that they are currently living on campus, while 52 participants selected that they are living off campus (Appendix E, Figure 5). Interestingly, whether they lived on campus or not had no effect on their awareness of the program, as the majority of participants in each group were unaware of UBC Recreation’s WOFH. Out of the 119 responses, 42% responded that they attend the gym weekly, 23% responded they attend a few times a month, and 35% responded that they never attend the gym (Appendix E, Figure 6). However, out of the 112 participants directed to a question regarding the importance of women’s only hours, 81% responded that having women’s only hours at gyms was important to them, 16% said that women’s only hours didn’t matter to them, and 3% said that they didn’t believe it was important (Appendix E, Figure 10). Participants were also asked to rate their experiences at both mixed-gender gyms and women’s only gyms, and while for women’s only gyms, the majority of participants selected ‘Satisfied’, ‘Very Satisfied’, or “N/A’; for mixed-gender gyms, participants varied from ‘Unsatisfied’, ‘Neutral’, and ‘Satisfied’ (Appendix E, Figure 8). Only 112 respondents were directed to the question regarding awareness of WOFH, and 39% responded that prior to the survey, they had heard of WOFH at UBC whereas 69% were unaware UBC Recreation offered this program (Appendix E, Figure 11). Interestingly, despite 39% being aware of the WOFH, only 14% had ever seen advertising by UBC Recreation for the program (Appendix E, Figure 18). Participants selected ‘by word of mouth’ as the most common way in which they had learned of this service, while the second most common method selected was ‘other’ (Appendix E, Figure 19a). When the participants who selected ‘other’ were asked to expand, 15 they all wrote that they had seen the advertising on the UBC Recreation website or through posters across the UBC campus and in the gym (Appendix E, Figure 19b). Furthermore, of the 44 participants who were previously aware of WOFH, 14 had previously attended at least one WOFH session (Appendix E, Figure 12). Therefore, out of the 119 respondents, 12% of participants had ever attended WOFH at least once. In addition, despite 81% of participants responding they believe WOFH are important, only 71% responded that they would be interested in partaking in WOFH, 27% responded with ‘maybe’, and 2% responded that they were not interested (Appendix E, Figure 17). The 14 participants who had previously attended were then asked to rate their experience at WOFH as well as their impression of the program, the facility, the provided equipment, the staff, and the overall workout environment using a Likert-type Scale. For each of the 5 questions, the majority of respondents selected ‘Satisfied’ (Appendix E, Figure 13). Moreover, out of the 14 participants who have attended WOFH, 1 participant reported that they stopped participating (Appendix E, Figure 14), selecting it was due to the ‘Uncomfortable Environment’, ‘Lack of Privacy’, and ‘Crowded/Less Access to Equipment’ (Appendix E, Figure 15). However, amongst other reasons, the 13 other participants included that they continue to attend WOFH due to the ‘Comfortable Environment’, ‘Privacy’, and because it is ‘Less Crowded/Better Access to Equipment’ (Appendix E, Figure 16). Interestingly, when asked if they use a gym that is not affiliated with UBC, such as Gold’s Gym, 38% of respondents selected ‘yes’ (Appendix E, Figure 20). The most selected responses for choosing another gym were ‘Do not live on UBC campus’, ‘Other’, and ‘Gym environment’ (Appendix E, Figure 21a). 60% of participants responded that the time slots currently offered for WOFH were convenient for their schedule (Appendix E, Figure 22). Furthermore, 52% of respondents said they would buy a membership pass to access WOFH and the other amenities offered, 22% responded that they already had a membership pass, and 20% were unsure if they would 16 purchase a membership pass (Appendix E, Figure 23). However, of the 52% (58 participants) who responded they would purchase a membership pass, 50% of them would still attend WOFH after learning the program is hosted in the Lower Level Studio of the ARC (Appendix E, Figure 24). However, 43% responded that they were unsure if they would still be interested in participating in WOFH due to its location, while 7% said they were no longer interested in participating (Appendix E, Figure 24). Out of 111 survey participants, 61% believed that despite the location of WOFH, the price of the membership pass was still reasonable with access to other services, while 25% were unsure of the reasonability and 15% found the price unreasonable (Appendix E, Figure 25). Nonetheless, of those same respondents, 78% answered that they were more likely to buy a membership from UBC Recreation when compared with the other gyms on UBC campus while 12% were unsure and 10% answered that they were not more likely to do so (Appendix E, Figure 26). Lastly, participants were asked how the WOFH program could be more accommodating and accessible to them and the most selected answers were ‘Increased hours’, ‘Increased facility space (extension into the gym)’, and ‘Consistent hours (e.g., 5PM daily)’ (Appendix E, Figure 27a). Descriptive Qualitative Analysis In addition to the quantitative questions, a number of participants were also directed to qualitative survey questions to provide more specific insight on certain topics. Interestingly, when providing an open-ended answer to the question inquiring why they still participate in WOFH, one participant wrote, “the staff also seem more approachable and kind” (Appendix E, Figure 16b). When asked to provide more detail as to why participants rated their experiences with both mixed-gender gyms and women’s only gyms in a certain way, the following quotes summarize the recorded responses: “Being in a mixed-gender gym 17 is more intimidating and I would be less likely to try new things there than a women’s only gym”; “Women’s gyms feel safer”; “Sometimes I feel judged in mixed-gender gyms, but in women’s only gyms I always feel supported”; and “Mixed-gender gym time is fine, especially when I go at a less busy time but I find myself more willing to push myself and [feel] less self-conscious during women’s only times” (Appendix E, Figure 9). Through these responses, one major theme was identified such that self-identifying women often feel much safer participating in physical activity when surrounded by other self-identifying women. When analyzing responses as to why participants opted for a gym not affiliated with UBC, the answers varied, however the most common reason was that UBC gyms are often too busy/crowded (Appendix E, Figure 21b). These responses allowed researchers to better understand the awareness of UBC Recreation’s WOFH, while also examining ways in which this program can become more accessible and accommodating to a wider range of self-identifying women students. Discussion Overall, the results of the study revealed a variety of key findings that support the current body of literature, while also providing information to further promote communication and development of the WOFH program currently offered by UBC Recreation. Less than half (39%) of respondents were aware of UBC Recreation’s WOFH (Appendix E, Figure 11), despite this program being offered multiple times a week since September 2019 (University of British Columbia, 2022b). The study produced several important findings as follows. Of those aware of WOFH and using the program, 21% have attended within the last 3 months, 57% within the last month, and 14% within the last week. The top reasons for continued participation were ‘Comfortable Environment’ and ‘Less Crowded/Better Access to Equipment’ (Appendix E, Figure 16). Not only do the majority of 18 participants believe that having WOFH are important, but they also expressed that they were 'Satisfied' or 'Very Satisfied' with their experiences (Appendix E, Figure 13). Although 66% of participants were not aware of WOFH, 71% of those participants were interested in attending WOFH (Appendix E, Figure 17). When asked about how often they attend the gym, 35% of participants selected 'Never' (Appendix E, Figure 6), and those participants then answered 'Yes' or 'Maybe' when asked if they were interested in attending UBC Recreation's WOFH (Appendix E, Figure 17). Study participants preferred women-only gyms (Appendix E, Figure 8), however reduced equipment offered during UBC Recreation’s WOFH deterred them from using the program (Appendix E, Figure 21b). Finally, knowledge of the WOFH was achieved through word of mouth, the UBC Recreation website, and posters in the campus gyms (Appendix E, Figure 19). The campus partners were interested in determining the awareness, usage, adherence, and barriers of UBC Recreation’s WOFH. The main research question was surrounding student awareness – this research study provided insight that the majority of the participants knew about UBC Recreation’s WOFH through word of mouth, UBC Recreation’s website and posters in the gyms (Appendix E, Figure 19). This limits a significant number of potential gym members since those who see gym posters are already attendees of the gym. This knowledge contributes to a greater understanding of where students are hearing about WOFH which Campus Partners can then emphasize more on program promotion through other means, such as social media. There were many connections to the existing literature surrounding women and their gym preferences. For one, past literature has described that women find mixed-gender gyms to be gender-divisive such that women are not commonly associated with weight-lifting equipment. Similarly, our research relates to this social and infrastructure barrier through the reported issue of participants’ limited access to the gym space – participants only have access 19 to the studio with limited gym equipment instead. Second, it is evident that women tend to feel more self-conscious in mixed-gender gyms, aligning with this study’s research – women experience greater judgement and insecurity due to lack of knowledge (weight-lifting and form) in mixed-gender gyms. Accordingly, Campus Partners can implement education programs to women-identifying participants to increase empowerment and confidence within gym spaces. A gap in the literature is investigating the influence of attending the gym with a friend/partner and the evaluation of its effect on comfort levels in the gym as well as retention rates. As such, this study asked participants whether they preferred to work out ‘independently’, ‘with a friend’, or ‘both’, to which the majority responded that they preferred ‘both’ (Appendix E, Figure 7). Given this knowledge, future research should explore the impact of marketing tailored towards bringing a friend to the gym. Limitations faced with our research included that three of our survey questions were not answered due to the ‘display logic’ function. The unanswered questions were based on the topics of barriers and possible improvements to the program. Consequently, insightful information was missed because of the structure of the study. Also due to display logic, the main question, “Are you aware of WOFH?”, was only answered by 112 participants despite there being a total of 119 study participants. Recommendations The aim for the following recommendations is to provide better awareness of the program, as well as a more accommodating and accessible exercise environment for self-identifying women students. The recommendations focus on four main areas based on the survey results: space, time, marketing, and education. Although there are many areas through which this program can continue to develop and improve, these four areas in particular are proposals that can be initiated promptly. 20 The first recommendation is to expand the WOFH into the gym space so that participants are able to access all of the equipment, rather than being limited to the Lower Level Studio of the Arc. Although 57% of participants selected they were ‘Satisfied’ with the facility in which WOFH were provided (Appendix E, Figure 13), 64% of participants selected ‘Increased facility space (extension into the gym)’ when asked how WOFH could be more accommodating to them (Appendix E, Figure 27a). Survey participants expressed the desire to have access to equipment and machines that may require a wider range of knowledge, such as squat racks, for example. Not having this equipment available during WOFH only further materialises what is expected from men and women in a gym setting (Coen et al., 2021). Furthermore, not having certain equipment accessible may limit WOFH attendees, as more experienced women may feel as though there are no benefits to them attending as they are unable to participate in certain exercises due to lack of equipment. Furthermore, expanding WOFH into the gym may encourage more self-identifying women students to attend as there will be more space and it will be less crowded than during normal gym hours. This was a concern mentioned by multiple participants of the survey, and one of the main reasons as to why many people opted for a gym outside of UBC Recreation. The second recommendation is to increase the hours in which WOFH are being hosted, and host sessions in both the Arc and the BirdCoop. The most selected response (66%) when asked how WOFH could be more accessible was increased hours. The sessions in the gyms should be hosted at different times however to ensure that men and women who are not using WOFH still have the opportunity to access the gym space. Lack of time is one of the main barriers as to why university students don’t participate in PA (Arzu et al., 2006). Therefore, by increasing the hours in which WOFH are available and by modifying the hours to be more consistent (e.g., 5pm daily), the researchers are hopeful that it will accommodate more schedules and thus increase attendance of the program. The purpose of WOFH is to 21 empower women to participate in PA and create a safe environment in which they can exercise. By increasing the hours in which this program is being offered it is becoming more accessible to a wider range of potential users, while also inviting them to a safe space in which they feel comfortable participating in PA. As previously mentioned, only 44 survey respondents were aware of UBC Recreation’s WOFH prior to completing the survey (Appendix E, Figure 11). Thus, the third recommendation is to increase media promotion and presence on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Increased promotion, as well as interesting content will encourage more self-identifying women students to attend WOFH. Social media is able to connect programs directly to clients (Sajid, 2016), thus by creating and promoting content WOFH has the potential to reach a wider range of potential users. Furthermore, it is also a way to connect with university students in a way that they are comfortable, and, given current algorithms of social media, very likely to see. Additionally, the majority of survey respondents aware of WOFH reported the most common advertisements were seen on the UBC Recreation website or posters in the gym. Although these methods are spreading awareness about the program, they are most likely targeting individuals who already have a membership at the gym, or individuals who are planning on purchasing a membership at the gym. Therefore a bigger social media presence will target a larger audience, while also distributing information about the program in a proactive manner. The last recommendation is to provide weight training education to students. This will provide students the confidence to not only participate in WOFH, but to attend the gym in general. In Rapport et al’s (2018) study in university gyms, it was found there were rarely instructors present, and without instruction many beginner’s are unsure of how to use certain equipment or which exercises benefit certain muscles. Weight training education can be implemented in a variety of ways. The first is by having instructors present and proactive 22 during the WOFH. This ensures attendees feel as though they can ask for guidance during the session, which contributes to creating a comfortable environment. Additionally, having an instructor present can ensure that women are properly learning the rules of the gym, which in turn can prepare them for attending the gym during regular hours. Another option to provide weight training education is by having in-person training sessions. These can be hosted during the same time as WOFH, and it will cover how to use different machines, how to modify exercises to benefit different individuals, and exercises for specific muscles. This will also give participants the opportunity to ask clarifying questions, and try the exercises while an instructor is present and able to correct their form to avoid injuries. In addition to these suggestions, having posters next to equipment with QR codes linking to a short video that demonstrates how to properly use each machine. This would be useful for participants unable to attend the in-person training or feel uncomfortable approaching an instructor. It would also be beneficial for participants who may need a short reminder of how to use specific machines or equipment before performing an exercise. With the findings from the literature review and survey, researchers are hopeful that Campus Partners are able to implement these recommendations to improve the communications effectiveness of the WOFH program while also creating a more effective and inclusive environment for self-identifying women students at UBC. 23 References Aceijas, C., Waldhäusl, S., Lambert, N., Cassar, S., & Bello-Corassa, R. (2017). Determinants of health-related lifestyles among university students. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757913916666875 Arzu, D., Tuzun, E. H., & Eker, L. (2006). Perceived barriers to physical activity in university students. Journal of sports science & medicine, 5(4), 615. Caruth, G. D. (2013). Demystifying mixed methods research design: A review of the literature. Online Submission, 3(2), 112-122. Clark, R. (2007). Convenience sample. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405165518.wbeosc131.pub2 Coen, S. E., Davidson, J., & Rosenberg, M. W. (2021). ‘Where is the space for continuum?’Gyms and the visceral “stickiness “of binary gender. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 13(4), 537-553. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2020.1748897 Coen, S. E., Rosenberg, M. W., & Davidson, J. (2018). “It's gym, like gym not Jim”: Exploring the role of place in the gendering of physical activity. Social Science & Medicine, 196, 29-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.10.036 Curtis, R. G., Ryan, J. C., Edney, S., M., & Maher, C. A. (2020). Can Instagram be used to deliver an evidence-based exercise program for young women? A process evaluation. BMC public health, 20(1), 1-9. Demir, S. B., & Pismek, N. (2018). A Convergent Parallel Mixed-Methods Study of Controversial Issues in Social Studies Classes: A Clash of Ideologies. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 18(1), 119-149. 10.12738/estp.2018.1.0298 24 Divine, A., Watson, P. M., Baker, S., & Hall, C. R. (2019). Facebook, relatedness and exercise motivation in university students: a mixed methods investigation. Computers in Human Behavior, 91, 138-150. Ganjoo, R., Schwartz, L., Barzani, Y., & Firmani, M. (2021). Exploring instagram to promote student engagement in an online didactic environment. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 22(2)https://doi.org/10.1128/JMBE.V22I1.2587 Government of Canada. (n.d.). Welcome. CORE. Retrieved from http://tcps2core.ca/welcome Lovell, G. P., El Ansari, W., & Parker, J. K. (2010). Perceived exercise benefits and barriers of non-exercising female university students in the United Kingdom. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 7(3), 784-798. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph7030784 Mathers, N. J., Fox, N. J., & Hunn, A. (1998). Surveys and questionnaires (pp. 1-50). NHS Executive, Trent. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nick-Fox/publication/270684903_Surveys_and_Questionnaires/links/5b38a877aca2720785fe0620/Surveys-and-Questionnaires.pdf Myre, M., Glenn, N. M., & Berry, T. R. (2021). Exploring the impact of physical activity-related weight stigma among women with self-identified obesity. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 13(4), 586-603. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2020.1751690 Park, K., Park, N., Heo, W., & Gustafson, K. (2019). What prompts college students to participate in online surveys?. International Education Studies, 12(1), 69. Prince, S. A., Roberts, K. C., Reed, J. L., Biswas, A., Colley, R. C., & Thompson, W. (2020). Daily physical activity and sedentary behaviour across occupational classifications in Canadian adults. https://www.doi.org/10.25318/82-003-25 x202000900002-eng Rapport, F., Hutchings, H., Doel, M. A., Wells, B., Clement, C., Mellalieu, S., ... & Sparkes, A. (2018). How are university gyms used by staff and students? A mixed-method study exploring gym use, motivation, and communication in three UK gyms. Societies, 8(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc8010015 Sajid, S. I. (2016). Social media and its role in marketing. http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2151-6219.1000203 Salas-Gomez, D., Fernandez-Gorgojo, M., Pozueta, A., Diaz-Ceballos, I., Lamarain, M., Perez, C., ... & Sanchez-Juan, P. (2020). Physical activity is associated with better executive function in university students. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 14, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00011 Salvatore, J., & Marecek, J. (2010). Gender in the gym: Evaluation concerns as barriers to Women’s weight lifting. Sex Roles, 63(7-8), 556-567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9800-8 Shane-Simpson, C., Manago, A., Gaggi, N., & Gillespie-Lynch, K. (2018). Why do college students prefer facebook, twitter, or instagram? site affordances, tensions between privacy and self-expression, and implications for social capital. Computers in Human Behavior, 86, 276-288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.04.041 University of British Columbia. (2021). Gender Drilldown. Planning and Institutional Research Office (PAIR). https://pair.ubc.ca/student-data-analytics/demographics/gender-drilldown/ University of British Columbia. (2022a, March 1). Survey Tool. Information Technology. https://it.ubc.ca/services/teaching-learning-tools/survey-tool 26 University of British Columbia. (2022b, April 8). Women's only fitness hours. UBC Recreation. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://recreation.ubc.ca/fitness-classes/fitness-centres/women-fitness-hours/ Vasudevan, A., & Ford, E. (2021). Motivational Factors and Barriers Towards Initiating and Maintaining Strength Training in Women: a Systematic Review and Meta-synthesis. Prevention Science, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01328-2 27 Appendix A: Survey 1. Do you identify as a woman? a. Yes b. No 2. Are you a UBC student? a. Yes b. No 3. What is your level of study? a. Undergraduate b. Graduate 4. What is your faculty/school of study? a. Applied Science b. Architecture and Landscape Architecture c. Arts d. Audiology and Speech Sciences e. Business f. Community and Regional Planning g. Dentistry h. Education i. Extended Learning j. Forestry k. Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies l. Journalism m. Kinesiology n. Land and Food Systems o. Law p. Library, Archival and Information Studies q. Medicine r. Music s. Nursing t. Pharmaceutical Sciences u. Population and Public Health v. Public Policy and Global Affairs w. Science x. Social Work y. UBC Vantage College z. Vancouver School of Economics aa. Other 28 5. Do you live on campus? a. Yes b. No 6. How often do you attend the gym? a. Every day b. 3-5 times per week c. 1-2 times per week d. 1-3 times per month e. Never 7. Do you enjoy working out independently or with a friend? a. Independently b. With a friend c. Both 8. Please rate your experience at both gym environments from ‘Very Unsatisfied’ to ‘Very Satisfied’, or ‘N/A’: 9. Please expand on why you chose your answer for your experience with Mixed-gender gyms and Women’s only gyms (if applicable): a. [text box] 10. Is it important to you that there are women’s only hours at gyms? a. Yes b. No c. Doesn’t matter 11. Are you aware of UBC Recreation’s Women’s Only Fitness Hours (WOFH)? a. Yes b. No *If ‘No’ is selected, the survey will skip to question 15* 12. Have you been to UBC Recreation’s WOFH? a. Yes b. No 29 13. Please rate the following questions from ‘Very Unsatisfied’ to “Very Satisfied’: 14. How long has it been since you last attended WOFH? a. Within the last week b. Within the last month c. Within the last 3 months d. Within the last year e. Other 15. If you stopped attending WOFH, why did you stop attending? [Select all that apply] a. Uncomfortable environment b. Lack of privacy c. Lack of sense of community d. Religious reasons e. Crowded/little access to equipment f. Other g. Not applicable 16. What would encourage you to continue to attend WOFH/the gym? [Select all that apply] a. Peer support (having friends who also go to the gym) b. Gym education c. Improved Gym environment d. Other 17. Why do you continue to participate in WOFH? [Select all that apply] a. Comfortable environment b. Privacy reasons c. Provides a sense of community d. Religious reasons e. Less crowded/better access to equipment f. Other 30 g. Not applicable 18. Would you be interested in using WOFH? a. Yes b. No c. Maybe *If ‘Yes’ is selected, the survey will skip to question 17* 19. Why don’t you attend WOFH? a. Price b. Lack of gym experience c. Fear of not knowing what to do d. Don’t know much about this program e. Don’t have anyone to go with/don’t want to attend alone f. Other 20. Have you seen advertising for WOFH at UBC a. Yes b. No c. I can’t remember 21. Where have you seen/heard advertising for WOFH? a. Instagram b. Facebook c. Email d. In class e. By word of mouth f. Other 22. Do you use another gym (that is not a part of UBC gyms)? a. Yes b. No *If ‘No’ is selected, the survey will skip to question 21* 23. Why not a UBC gym (ARC or BirdCoop)? a. Reputation b. Equipment range c. Gym environment d. Do not live on UBC Campus e. Other 24. UBC Recreation’s WOFHs are hosted every Monday from 1:30PM-4:30PM, Tuesday from 7:30AM-10:30AM, and Thursday from 2:00PM-5:00PM. Are the hours currently provided convenient for your schedule? 31 a. Yes b. No 25. Attention Question! Please choose ‘KIN 464’ a. KIN 424 b. KIN 420 c. KIN 464 d. KIN 411 26. To access WOFH, a fitness membership is required. This membership costs $35/term which provides unlimited access to group fitness classes, BirdCoop and ARC fitness centers, WOFH, and BirdCoop climbing cave. Would you buy a membership pass? a. No b. Not sure c. I already have a membership pass 27. WOFH exists in the ARC Lower Level Studio – not in the ARC gym. Knowing this, would you still attend WOFH? a. Yes b. No c. I’m not sure 28. Knowing that the WOFH are hosted in the ARC Lower Level Studio and not the ARC Gym, do you believe that it is reasonable for the fitness membership to be $35/term (also includes access to group fitness classes, BirdCoop and ARC fitness centers, WOFH, and BirdCoop climbing cave). a. Yes b. No c. Not sure d. I already have a membership pass 29. A gym in University Village on Campus, Gold’s Gym, costs about $34.99/month (roughly $139.96/term in comparison to UBC Recreation’s membership of $35/term). Knowing this, are you more likely to buy a membership with UBC Recreation? a. Yes b. No c. Not sure 30. What would encourage you to buy a fitness membership with UBC Recreation? [Select all that apply] a. If my friends also buy a fitness membership pass b. If the price was lower c. If I knew more about fitness/weight-lifting d. If WOFH also exist at BirdCoop/outside of the studio in the actual gym space 32 e. If the gym setting were less intimidating f. Other 31. How could the WOFH program be more accommodating or accessible to you? [Select all that apply] a. All women staff b. Increased Hours c. Consistent Hours d. Increased facility space (extension into the gym) e. If WOFH were offered at both the ARC and BirdCoop f. Other 33 Appendix B: Consent Form CLASS PROJECT: Health Promotion and Physical Activity (KIN 464) Participant Consent Form UBC Recreation Women’s Only Fitness Hours Group 12 Principal Investigator: Dr. Andrea Bundon (Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education) Sessional Instructor: Dr. Negin Riazi (School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education) The purpose of the class project: The purpose of this project is to examine the effectiveness of communication regarding UBC Recreation’s Women’s Only Fitness Hours (WOFH) and offer suggestions to improve the awareness and participation of the program across the UBC community. Study Procedures: With your permission, we are asking you to participate in a survey. You may only complete the survey once. With the information gathered, students will critically examine how different individuals understand or engage in health promoting activities or health promotion initiatives. Project outcomes: The information gathered will be part of a written report for the class project. The written report will be shared with campus partners involved with the project. Summaries of findings will also be posted on the following websites. No personal information/information that 34 could identify participants will be included in these reports or shared with campus partners. UBC SEEDS Program Library: https://sustain.ubc.ca/courses-degrees/alternative-credit-options/seeds-sustainability-program/seeds-sustainability-library Potential benefits of class project: There are no explicit benefits to you by taking part in this class project. However, the survey will provide you with the opportunity to voice your opinion on your experiences with health promoting activities or initiatives in a broad sense and will provide the students with an opportunity to learn from your experiences. Confidentiality: Maintaining the confidentiality of the participants involved in the research is paramount, and no names of participants will be collected. At the completion of the course, all data (i.e. notes) and signed consent forms will be stored on a secure electronic drive by Drs. Riazi and Bundon. All data and consent forms will be destroyed 1 year after completion of the course. Risks: The risks associated with participating in this research are minimal. There are no known physical, economic, or social risks associated with participation in this study. You should know that your participation is completely voluntary and you are free to withdraw from the study and there will not be negative impacts related to your withdrawal. If you withdraw from the study, all of the information you have shared up until that point will be destroyed. 35 Contact for information about the study: If you have any questions about this class project, you can contact Negin Riazi by email at negin.riazi@ubc.ca. Research ethics complaints: If you have any concerns or complaints about your rights as a research participant and/or your experiences while participating in this study, contact the Research Participant Complaint Line in the UBC Office of Research Ethics at 604-822-8598 or e-mail RSIL@ors.ubc.ca or call toll free 1-877-822-8598. Consent: Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary and you may refuse to participate or withdraw from the study at any time. By clicking ‘Next’, you are consenting to participate in the study. 36 Appendix C: Program Information UBC Recreation’s Women’s Only Fitness Hours (WOFH) provides self-identifying women students with private studio times, equipment, and supervision by knowledgeable staff who identify as women. WOFH take place in the ARC Lower Level Studio and is open to all UBC Students that identify as a woman. As of January 24, 2022 - April 7, 2022, WOFH take place every: ● Monday from 1:30PM - 4:30PM ● Tuesday from 7:30AM - 10:30AM ● Thursday from 2:00PM - 5:00PM A fitness membership is required to access WOFH. The membership fee is $35/term which provides access to all group fitness classes, BirdCoop & ARC fitness centres, WOFH, and BirdCoop climbing cave. 37 Appendix D: Social Media Recruitment Materials 38 Appendix E: Survey Results Figure 1: Do you identify as a woman? Figure 2: Are you a UBC student? 39 Figure 3: What is your level of study? Figure 4: What is your faculty/school of study? 40 Figure 5: Do you live on campus? Figure 6: How often do you attend the gym? 41 Figure 7: Do you enjoy working out independently or with a friend? Figure 8: Please rate your experience from ‘Very Unsatisfied’ to “Very Satisfied’ 42 43 44 45 Figure 9: Please expand on why you chose your answer for your experience with Mixed-Gender Gyms and Women’s Only Gyms (if applicable); 46 Figure 10: Is it important to you that there are women’s only hours at gyms? Figure 11: Are you aware of UBC Recreation’s Women’s Only Fitness Hours? 47 Figure 12: Have you been to UBC Recreation’s WOFH? Figure 13: Please rate the following questions from ‘Very Unsatisfied’ to ‘Very Satisfied’: 48 Figure 14: How long has it been since you last attended WOFH? Figure 15: If you stopped attending WOFH, why did you stop attending? 49 Figure 16a: Why do you continue to participate in WOFH? Figure 16b: Why do you continue to participate in WOFH [Other]? 50 Figure 17: Would you be interested in using WOFH? Figure 18: Have you seen advertising for WOFH at UBC? 51 Figure 19a: Where have you seen/heard advertising for WOFH? [Select all that apply] Figure 19b: Where have you seen/heard advertising for WOFH? [Select all that apply] {Other} 52 Figure 20: Do you use another gym (that is not a part of UBC gyms)? Figure 21a: Why not a UBC gym (ARC or BirdCoop)? 53 54 Figure 21b: Why not a UBC gym (ARC or BirdCoop) [Other]? Figure 22: UBC Recreation’s WOFH are hosted every: Monday from 1:30pm-4:30pm, Tuesday from 7:30am-10:30am, Thursday from 2:00pm-5:00pm. Are the hours currently provided convenient for your schedule? 55 Figure 23: To access WOFH, a fitness membership is required. This membership costs $35/term which provides unlimited access to group fitness classes, BirdCoop and ARC fitness centers, WOFH, and BirdCoop climbing cave. Would you buy a membership pass? Figure 24: WOFH exists in the ARC Lower Level Studio – not in the ARC gym. Knowing this, would you still attend WOFH? Figure 25: Knowing that the WOFH are hosted in the ARC Lower Level Studio and not the ARC Gym, do you believe that it is reasonable for the fitness membership to be $35/term 56 (also includes access to group fitness classes, BirdCoop and ARC fitness centres, WOFH, and BirdCoop climbing cave). Figure 26: A gym in University Village on UBC Campus, Gold's Gym, costs about $34.99/month (roughly $139.96/term in comparison to UBC Recreation's membership of $35/term). Knowing this, are you more likely to buy a membership with UBC Recreation? 57 Figure 27a: How could the WOFH program be more accommodating or accessible to you? [Select all that apply] Figure 27b: How could the WOFH program be more accommodating or accessible to you? 58 Appendix F: Poster
Report
eng
Unreviewed
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Undergraduate
UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student Report
University of British Columbia. KIN 464
An Assessment of UBC’s Recreation Women’s Only Fitness Hours Program
Text