165 Benefits of Indoor Climbing on Well-being of Young Adults: Perspectives among indoor climbers

Faculty Mentor Akiko Kamimura (Sociology, University of Utah)

College-aged individuals establish lifestyle and health behaviors that are important for mental and physical health in the life course. Physical activity positively influences body awareness as well as overall well-being among college students. Indoor climbing has been shown to have therapeutic benefits among children and young adults with mental health issues, increase motivational competence and achievement motivation, and improve cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular endurance. Rock-climbing enhances teamwork because of the necessity of climbing partners to assist each other. Therefore, rock-climbing naturally develops comradery and alliances between groups. Despite the increased popularity of climbing sports among young adults, research on indoor climbing and health promotion on college campuses is lacking. The purpose of this study is to describe benefits of indoor climbing on physical, mental and social well-being of young adults based on perceptions among indoor climbers. Indoor climbers ages 18-25 will participate in this study. The target number of participants is 30. This study is expected to contribute to developing effective health promotion programs utilizing indoor climbing for college students.