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Examining Factors Influencing Ultra- Processed Food Consumption Among Liberty University Students Aged 18 And Older
No full textUltra-processed foods (UPFs) are widely consumed among college students and are linked to adverse health outcomes including obesity, poor mental health, and cardiometabolic disease. Despite their rising prevalence, limited research has examined psychosocial and behavioral factors influencing UPF intake within Christian university settings. This study investigated demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial predictors of UPF consumption among Liberty University students, guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM). A cross-sectional survey of students aged 18 and older (N = 337) was conducted. After excluding incomplete or invalid responses, 276 cases remained. The 25-item survey assessed UPF intake, HBM constructs, and demographics. Descriptive statistics summarized consumption patterns, and ordinal logistic regression identified predictors of higher UPF intake, with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: Among the 276 valid responses, 30.4% of students consumed UPFs multiple times daily, despite 80.2% reporting familiarity with the term “ultra-processed foods.” Students who consistently tried to limit UPFs had lower odds of high consumption (OR = 0.047, 95% CI: 0.005–0.455, p = 0.008). Predictors of higher intake included male gender (OR = 24.17), age 21–23 (OR = 3.10), academic stress (OR = 7.03), and frequent fast-food reliance (OR = 13.08). More than 80% of participants cited convenience, affordability, and stress as barriers to healthier eating. UPF consumption among Christian university students is shaped by demographic, psychosocial, and environmental factors. Findings underscore the need for targeted, multidimensional interventions that address barriers, enhance self-efficacy, and promote healthier dietary practices. The application of the HBM provides a valuable framework for faith-based health promotion strategies that unite public health priorities with Christian principles of stewardship and wellness
Staying Connected to the Vine as a Means of Leading Worship in a Christ-like Manner
No full textWith a society focused on performance-driven worship, most worship leaders today have difficulty maintaining a God-focused, Christ-centered, and Spirit-filled worship experience during worship services. Worship leaders are having difficulty leading worship because they do not follow Christ daily to produce fruit that will help the leader effectively lead worship that honors God. This qualitative research explores the Bible, explicitly using John 15:1-11, Galatians 5:22-23, and 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 as the foundation for the worship leader to remain in Christ to produce the fruit of the Spirit and lead with Godly wisdom and understanding. Worship and leadership textbooks and dissertations covering the subject matter supplement the Bible. The results demonstrate a compelling relationship between remaining in Christ and being an effective worship leader. Daily prayer, meditation on the Word of God, and reliance on the Holy Spirit are the spiritual disciplines consistently practiced by worship leaders who show the fruit of the Spirit in their personal lives and the ministry. Those who fail to practice spiritual disciplines daily cannot model leadership like Christ and cannot maintain an atmosphere of true worship. The research demonstrated that staying in Christ drives personal growth and worship leadership. The study emphasizes the need for ministry leaders to be connected to the Vine to produce good fruit, which affords the leader the opportunity to grow personally and spiritually and enables the leader to be faithful to God\u27s purpose
Additive Mindfulness: A Systematic Review and Thematic Analysis
No full textMindfulness is a state of present moment-focused non-judgmental awareness, the purposeful practice of which has been shown to promote psychological well-being by alleviating past-oriented rumination, future-focused worry, and experiential avoidance. Because the most widely adopted mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) were developed based on Buddhist meditation practices, there have also been developed various religiously modified iterations of mindfulness–especially those tailored to Christian clients who are wary of engaging with Buddhist-derived practices. While secular and Buddhist MBIs promote non-judgmental awareness for the sake of mere nonattachment to external and internal experiences, Christian mindfulness promotes detachment from these things in order that one may more fully attach or attend to the presence of God; there is an additive component to these alternative iterations, in comparison to the mere subtractive nature of traditional mindfulness. There have also been attempts to integrate traditional mindfulness with existential therapy. These interventions orient one’s attention to internally held worldviews, or ontological core schema. I thus broadly characterize these alternative, philosophically modified MBIs (i.e., religious, existential) as being qualitatively distinct from traditional mindfulness with respect to their aim of attachment-directed detachment. A mixed methods (systematic and thematic) literature review was conducted via the PsycInfo, Medline, and SocIndex databases, evaluating the effects of these additive worldview components in light of effect sizes and identified themes. Search terms included ‘Christian [accommodative] mindfulness,’ ‘existential mindfulness,’ ‘meaning-centered therapy randomized controlled trial,’ and ‘centering prayer,’ plus a variable ‘RCT,’ ‘themes,’ or ‘mixed methods’ after each of these.’ Findings supported the proposed construct of additive mindfulness, with worldview-oriented MBIs demonstrating larger effects in spiritually and existentially aligned domains. These results underscore the population-specific value of alternative MBIs
Generation Z and the Church: A Phenomenological Study of Perceptions, Barriers, and Opportunities for Church Engagement
No full textThe purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions, barriers, and opportunities that shape the relationship between Generation Z and the Christian church, with particular attention to how these factors influence patterns of engagement. Recent trends indicated a significant decline in church engagement among Generation Z, contributing to the erosion of vital resources necessary for the sustained vitality of contemporary Christian congregations (Barna, 2020; Braddy, 2021; Earls, 2020). The study was guided by three research questions: 1) What Generation Z variables did the church need to focus on to attract and retain Gen Z (e.g., social concerns, leadership opportunities, community, need for identity, talents, etc.)? 2) How did Generation Z believe the church perceived them? 3) What was Generation Z’s perception of how the church might incorporate the values and characteristics they hold dear to find expression in the church? A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed using semi-structured interviews conducted in the natural settings of participants. The study drew on a purposive sample of ten young adults born between 1997 and 2006, all residing in San Antonio, Texas (Creswell & Creswell, 2023). Findings revealed that Generation Z perceived the church as often judgmental, exclusionary, and dismissive, particularly toward individuals who did not conform to traditional Christian norms. Participants expressed a strong desire for recognition of their unique talents and for meaningful opportunities to contribute to church and community life regardless of race, background, or sexual orientation. Despite prevailing negative perceptions, the findings suggested that effective engagement with Generation Z was attainable through intentional changes in church culture, leadership practices, and community inclusivity
Impact of Trauma-Informed Care on the Restorative Justice Ecosystem
No full textCreated and titled as the ARTIC Project (Activating Restoration through Trauma-Informed Courts), this research addresses the gap between industrial/structural realities and relationship/nurturing realities within Substance Use Disorder (SUD) recovery and restorative justice paradigms. Grounded in Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), the project emphasized that sustainable behavioral change requires balancing connection with correction (KPICD, 2022). Through a biblical lens, the researcher posits complete healing only comes from our Heavenly Father and occurs on an individual level. With this in mind, TBRI research affirms that organizations do not change people - people change people (KPICD, 2022). This intentional relationship between God, Creation, Others, and Self reflects Myers’ (2011) theological vision that interconnectedness sustains transformation. The collaborative partner for this study was the Enotah Accountability and Treatment Courts - along with community mental health organizations - engaging in trauma-informed training that integrated biblical principles, neuroscience, and TBRI strategies. Data collection included pre- and post-training ARTIC surveys with Likert-scale measures and qualitative responses. Findings revealed significant shifts in trauma-informed beliefs and practices. Participants moved from moderate agreement with the misconception that “trauma is an excuse for poor behavior” (M=2.8) to stronger disagreement (M= 2.0). The largest shift was rejecting the belief that trauma-informed care diminishes accountability (M decreased from 2.73 to 1.60). Additional gains appeared in recognizing disrupted attachment (M=4.87 to 5.47) and in co-regulation skills (M=3.87 to 5.20). Overall, the ARTIC Project demonstrated biblically grounded, trauma-informed interventions could transform accountability courts into environments that uphold justice while fostering restoration
Event Conclusion
No full textThe Sport Leadership Summit (SLS) provided emerging sport professionals an opportunity to engage with industry leaders. Participants learned to identify best practices and applied relevant research while developing meaningful relationships with other sport professionals. Speakers came from a variety of organizations and addressed current industry topics. The SLS included panel discussions, keynote speakers, research presentations, and professional development sessions focused on equipping students for the next phases of their career development
Balancing Pressure and Support - Examining Burnout and Mental Health in Teenage Athletes
No full textAnalyzing the relationship between coaching styles and athlete burnout. It is an important and interesting topic because over the last few years participation in youth sports has dropped, this is an issue because sports teach valuable lessons. The topic is plausible because it can survey athletes and use that information to help
The Shifting Landscape of NCAA Recruiting - NIL\u27s Impact on Division 1 Football in Mid-Major Schools
No full textThis study examines how Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies have reshaped recruiting outcomes at mid-major NCAA Division I football programs. The rationale is to understand how mid-major schools can leverage NIL opportunities to compete with Power Four institutions by building local partnerships and customized athlete branding, despite having fewer resources and less media exposure
Optimizing Fleet Management: Evaluating the Feasibility of Electric Vehicles and Leasing Strategies at the UTRGV Police Department
No full textThe purpose of this applied dissertation was to improve readiness and cost discipline in a campus public-safety fleet and to assess the feasibility of electrification and leasing. A qualitative case-study design triangulated semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, administrative records (maintenance, fuel, costs), and telematics from eight vehicles to characterize duty cycles and constraints. Key findings were: stakeholders endorsed a phased, evidence-gated approach that relies on vehicle- and role-level analytics and coaching-based idle management; cost analysis supported availability-weighted replacement paired with warranty-anchored leasing to stabilize maintenance exposure and smooth appropriations; and telematics revealed role-differentiated patterns—administrative vehicles converted engine-on time to distance efficiently with comparatively low idle share, whereas marked patrol/public-safety officer units exhibited higher idle fractions intrinsic to mission. K-9 deployment was judged contingent on dual-season climate-control performance and validated safeguards. The study concludes that early electrification is feasible for administrative roles, while high-idle roles should emphasize platform-agnostic idle-reduction practices and disciplined measurement. The dissertation presents an actionable implementation and evaluation plan—with quarterly evidence gates, privacy-respecting data governance, and scenario-based budgeting—intended to improve availability, clarify costs, and maintain welfare and compliance standards in a campus public-safety setting