Dr. Yong Gao joined the faculty of the Department of Kinesiology at Boise State University in 2008, after earning a Ph.D. in Measurement & Evaluation, Department of Kinesiology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She also holds an M.Ed. in Health and Exercise Science from Shanghai Institute of Physical Education, and a Diploma in Medicine from the Medical College of Wuhan University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China. Dr. Gao's research includes: (1) the evaluation of measurement issues in health and physical activity research, (2) the evaluation of existing tools and instruments using advanced measurement methods, and (3) the development of new, more culturally sensitive and accurate measures and methodologies to assess physical activity and health outcomes among minority groups. In addition to publishing, and presenting her findings, Dr. Gao has served on an expert panel for the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity at the Center for Disease Control (March, 2011), as Member-at-large of the Executive Committee for the International Chinese Society for Physical Activities and Health (ICSPAH), and in various capacities for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Articles
Determining Intensity Levels of Selected Wii Fit Activities in College Aged Individuals (with Joshua D. Griese, Lynda Ransdell, and Shawn R. Simonson), Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (2012)
To determine intensity of Nintendo Wii Fit games using indirect calorimetry. Twenty-five college students completed...
An Examination of Current Practices and Gender Differences in Strength and Conditioning in a Sample of Varsity High School Athletic Programs (with Monica Lynn Reynolds, Lynda B. Ransdell, Shelley Lucas, and Linda M. Petlichkoff), Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2012)
Currently, little is known about strength and conditioning programs at the high school level. Therefore,...
An Examination of the Effectiveness of an 8-Week Bikram Yoga Program on Mindfulness, Perceived Stress, and Physical Fitness (with Zoe L. Hewett, Lynda B. Ransdell, Linda M. Petlichkoff, and Shelley M. Lucas), Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness (2011)
Previous research reports positive effects of yoga on health. The physical and psychological outcomes of...
Differential Item Functioning Analysis of the 2003-04 NHANES Physical Activity Questionnaire (with Weimo Zhu), Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (2011)
Using differential item functioning (DIF) analyses, this study examined whether there were any DIF items...
Identifying Group-Sensitive Physical Activities: A Differential Item Functioning Analysis of NHANES Data (with Weimo Zhu), Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (2011)
Purpose: To identify subgroup sensitive physical activities using differential item functioning (DIF) analysis.
Methods: A...
Presentations
Measurement in Physical Activity Interventions: An Overview, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance National Conference (2011)
Correlates of Stress in College Students Using the ACHA Sample (with Caile Spear and Lynda Ransdell), American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (2011)