This study examined the relationships among age, sex, exercise and body-image dissatisfaction in older adults and evaluated the role of body-shape dissatisfaction as a motivation to exercise. A pencil-and-paper questionnaire was administered to 175 older adults (101 women and 74 men) ranging in age from 50 to 98 years (M=72 yr., SD=9) to obtain general information, information regarding exercise participation, motivations for exercise and body-shape perceptions. A body-shape dissatisfaction score was calculated using the difference between the participant's choice for current and ideal body shape from a nine-figure body-silhouette scale. Present study findings suggested that both older adult men and women expressed a desire for a thinner body shape independent of age and current participation in exercise. In addition, the results indicated that body-shape dissatisfaction did not motivate this sample to engage in regular exercise; physical health and physical fitness emerged as the most important motivations to exercise.

A study using 1,008 "lost letters" was designed to test the hypotheses that returned responses would be greater in smaller rural communities than from cities, that addresses' affiliation with a group opposed to physical education in schools would reduce the return rate, and that a person-positivity effect would influence return rates. Community Size and Person-Positivity conditions were not significantly associated with different rates of return even though returned letters from the smaller rural communities were more frequent than those from the cities across addressee conditions. Findings seem to suggest no community bias in the willingness of people to help a stranger in need by returning a lost letter. Person-Positivity conditions did not seem to improve the technique. Both addressee' affiliations alone and community size and addressee' affiliations were associated with significantly different rates of return in smaller rural communities, with rates of return greater in the smaller rural communities than in the cities (except for the addressee opposed to physical education in schools).

Two field studies using 1,004 "lost letters" were designed to test the hypotheses that returned responses would be greater in small towns than from a city, that addressees' affiliation with a group either (1) opposed to physical education in schools, (2) supporting gay and lesbian teachers, or (3) advocating Creationism or Darwinism would reduce the return rate. Of 504 letters "lost" in Study A, 163 (32.3%) were returned in the mail from residents of southeast Louisiana and indicated across 3 addressees and 2 sizes of community, addressees' affiLiations were not associated with returned responses. Community size and addressees' affiliations were associated with significantly different rates of return in the city. Return rates from sites within a city were lower when letters were addressed to an organization which opposed (teaching) health education in the schools than to one supporting daily health education. Of 500 letters "lost" in Study B, 95 (19.0%) were returned from residents of northwest Florida and indicated across 5 addressees and 2 sizes of community, addressees' affiliations were significantly associated with returned responses overall (5 addressees) and in small towns (control, Creationism, Darwinism addressees), but not with community size. Community size and addressees' affiliations were associated with significantly different rates of return in small towns, with returns greater than or equal to those in the city (except for the addressee advocating teaching Darwinism in public schools). The present findings appear to show that applications of the lost letter technique to other divisive social issues are useful in assessing public opinion.

The present program consultation and evaluation examines the use of a martial-arts (MA) program in a middle-school physical education (PE) setting. Prior work and anecdotal reports suggest that MA instruction has the potential to produce both physical and psychosocial benefits for adult and adolescent participants, but rarely has a systematic program been implemented in schools. At the impetus of an MA organization, self-report measures of emotional intelligence and behavior of seventy 7th- and 8th-grade boys and girls who participated in a structured 18-session tae kwon do program as a component of their school’s PE curriculum were compared with those of 45 students who received typical PE class instruction. Participant satisfaction with the tae kwon do program and feedback received from the MA instructors and PE teachers suggest that this sport can be successfully integrated into school-based PE classes; this represents an opportunity to provide a novel programming alternative to students that promotes exercise and continued pursuit of physical activities, nonviolence, and respect of self and others. The project content, process, and challenges in working with a client MA organization to develop the curriculum, gaining entry into a public school, and explaining limitations of the research are discussed.

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