Author: Jennifer Gay

UGA recently published a story, “Physical activity may curb health care worker burnout”, that has been picked up by a number of media outlets. This work is based on a recent publication of Dr. Wolff’s dissertation research highlighting the positive mental health effects of physical activity on work stress and burnout. You can check out the UGA story here.

The PACE Lab joins UN World Oceans Day in celebrating the oceans and all the life and livelihood they support. For more information on World Oceans Day, visit https://unworldoceansday.org/.

Sports and physical activity contribute to physical and mental health, can bulid positive character traits, and are associated with better academic outcomes. Sports and physical activity also are opportunities for inclusion. We have so much work to do so everyone feels safe and welcomed.

The Active People, Healthy Nation initiative wants to get 27 million Americans more active in the next 6 years. Their website shares resources for individuals and community leaders on how to implement this initiative in your community. Check it out!

Dr. Jennifer Gay and Chantal LaFlamme (graduated) partnered with the UGA Department of Kinesiology to establish the reliability and validity of radio frequency identification as a passive measure of physical activity inside buildings. Their paper is published in Applied Ergonomics. Great work team!

Former PACE Lab member Dr. Marilyn Wolff has had another paper from her dissertation accepted, this time in the American Journal of Health Promotion. This study, “Associations Between Occupational and Leisure-Time Physical Activity with Employee Stress, Burnout and Well-Being Among Healthcare Industry Workers”, found that greater participation in leisure-time physical activity was associated with lower job stress and burnout. There were mixed findings suggesting occupational physical activity may be associated with worse job stress. A deeper investigation into differences by job type is warranted. Many congratulations for a banner month Dr. Wolff! Stay tuned for the online first version.

Dr. Marilyn Wolff, former PACE Lab student, has published research from her dissertation. Her study, Associations With Job Stress, Burnout, and Well-Being Between Types of Healthcare Workers, was accepted for publication in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. A key finding from this study is that healthcare workers who have direct care responsibilities have different social support profiles than healthcare workers who do not directly interact with patients. More here. Congratulations Marilyn!