The psychology behind getting people to be more physically active - mainly, how to get adults with obesity moving more - is the focus of Seungmin Lee's teaching and research.
An assistant professor in the Division of Health and Wellness Studies (HWS) at Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Lee joined Binghamton University in September 2021, adding his expertise in kinesiology, health and human performance to the division's roster.
It's an interest that goes back to Lee's childhood playing sports. As a high schooler in South Korea, he was an avid bowler and hoped to turn that passion into a career.
"I wanted to be a professional bowler, but my performance was not up there," he says.
Lee went on to earn a bachelor's degree in leisure and sports at Dongseo University and a master's degree in physical education at Seoul National University. He came to the U.S. to earn a second master's degree and a doctorate in kinesiology (the study of physical activity) at Michigan State University.
Two (or more) heads are better than one
Binghamton's reputation as a top research institution drew Lee to the University two years ago.
"This university supports and encourages research activity, particularly interdisciplinary research," he says. "I also felt I could complement the research and teaching in the Division of Health and Wellness Studies."
Lee believes collaboration is the key to effective research: "Studies are more powerful and meaningful when they bring together experts from multiple research areas."
His work is an example. He is the principal investigator of a team developing a theory-based online intervention to promote physical activity in adults affected with obesity. The project includes Associate Professor Lina Begdache, PhD '08, from HWS; Associate Professor Kenneth Chiu from Computer Science; Artist in Residence Andrew Horowitz '89 from Theatre; Kevin Lahoda '98, a former faculty member from Art and Design; and Eldad Einav, MD, a community partner from Lourdes Hospital.
The project aims to use a web- based tool to encourage engagement in regular physical activity by providing capability-enhancing opportunities designed to boost users' self-confidence.
"There is strong evidence that an individual's physical activity is associated with psychological aspects such as their belief in their ability or confidence," Lee explains. "Unfortunately, many people still do not engage in physical activity. To address that, we plan to combine behavior theory and technology to give people easy access to ways to increase their physical activity."
The University's Transdisciplinary Areas of Excellence program awarded the project an $18,000 seed grant for 2023-24. Lee's team is creating the online intervention and expects to conduct a feasibility study at the end of the year. If the results are positive, the intervention could be scaled to include additional participants.
Lee also has conducted contemporary quantitative research in the psychology of physical activity by using latent variable modeling, which refers to a group of statistical procedures that use one or more unobserved (latent) variables to explain and explore relationships between a more extensive set of observed variables. For example, if a study participant completes a survey, latent variable modeling would not consider the participant's self-reported responses to be a valid score of feeling or behavior but instead would assume there are measurement errors.
Great students, great possibilities
Lee is impressed by students in the two courses he teaches: Psychology of Sport and Exercise, and Measurement and Evaluation of Health and Wellness.
"Binghamton students are very serious about learning; their attitude is great," he says. "This university is well known for undergraduate research, and the students are enthusiastic to participate in research activities."
HWS delivers a broad range of courses to undergraduates across the University. No degree programs exist in HWS, but a popular minor is available. However, Decker College is exploring adding undergraduate and graduate programs in health sciences, which could result in a larger course load for Lee.
"I think I would be responsible for courses with psychological components, especially human behavior, and also for those with statistical/ quantitative aspects," he says.
