General Information
In The News
Computer games tempt to keep children fit
January 10, 2006 - Professor and Chair Dr. Kyle McInnis featured in Irish Times. view article
Advancing Cancer Prevention through Diet and Exercise: Department of Exercise and Health Sciences to Participate in U56 Grant:
Professor and Chair Dr. Kyle McInnis and faculty from the Department of Exercise and Health Sciences (EHS) will begin ground breaking research as part of a collaborative study with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) as part of the UMB-DFCI U-56 grant.
According to Dr. McInnis, "This study responds to an urgent need to develop, test, and implement cancer prevention interventions for physical activity promotion and weight management, particularly among ethnically diverse and low-income populations." The study will test newly developed electronic health promotion (e-health) strategies to determine if they are effective in promoting healthy weight control by supporting participant's efforts to improve their fitness level and adopt better eating habits. According to Dr. McInnis, "The primary aim of the study is to determine the feasibility of developing and implementing an interactive electronic diet and physical activity monitoring and feedback system (eSolutions) to promote improvements in diet, exercise, and weight loss that can be delivered at low cost through the internet or in-person at a community recreation center." The National Cancer Institute has identified physical inactivity, poor diet, and unhealthy weight as important challenges to preventing the most common types of adult cancers.
Faculty Excerpts from CNHS Newsletters:
December 2005 Newsletter Professor Laurie Milliken has published "Depressive Symptoms and Changes in Body Weight Exert Independent and Site-Specific Effects on Bone in Post-Menopausal Women Exercising for One Year" in The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.
December 2005 Newsletter Professor Heidi Stanish: Recently, I received a research grant from the Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Fund, which supports innovative and collaborative research to improve the quality of life of children with disabilities. It is a one-year grant for $80,000.
The project I will conduct is a pilot physical activity intervention for children with intellectual disabilities, ages seven to twelve years. Approximately 30 children will participate. The aim is to examine the effect of a 14-week, community-based physical activity program on the health-related physical fitness, perceived physical competence, and physical activity patterns of the children. The program will be conducted at a community center in Dorchester four days per week for one hour and will include games and sports aimed at promoting health and fitness. The great thing about the project is that it meets two key goals: 1) to examine the effectiveness of a community-based physical activity intervention, and 2) to offer children with intellectual disabilities a free, accessible program in their own neighborhood. Children with disabilities are often left out of after-school opportunities, so this program will allow them to participate in a safe and comfortable environment with trained instructors.
I have been conducting both research and community-based physical activity programs for the past seven years. I coordinated a swim-gym program for children with various disabilities at Washington State University in 1998-99. I went on to initiate five community physical activity programs in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, that served several populations, including older adults, adults with mental illness, adults with intellectual disabilities, and an after-school program for children aged three to eighteen years, with various physical, intellectual, and sensory impairments. While studying toward a Ph.D. at Oregon State University, I majored in Exercise and Sport Science with a focus in Movement Studies in Disability, assisting in several adapted physical activity programs for people with disabilities.
Most of my previous research has focused on physical activity patterns and interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities. I am very excited to focus on children and help to address the issue of inactivity in this segment of the population. The Noonan Fund has given me this opportunity!
May 2005 Newsletter: Prof. Kyle McInnis continued to be popular with the news media this year, with interviews in a number of media outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Men’s Health, Prevention magazine, USA Sunday Magazine, and local TV news stations.
May 2005 Newsletter: “Physically active lifestyle improves chances of winning the lottery— story at 11.” By Prof. Kyle McInnis:
Well, maybe that might be an exaggeration, but scientific evidence continues to mount demonstrating that regular exercise provides just about every other benefit imaginable, so maybe improving your chances of winning the lottery may not be that far-fetched. The problem is that many Americans—70%, to be specific—are not heeding the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine to incorporate even modest amounts of physical activity into their lives. Unfortunately, our modern lifestyle is characterized by technological conveniences, hours behind the wheel or on public transportation, and eating too much processed and energy-dense fast foods.
This, of course, is taking a hefty toll on the health of millions of Americans of all ages, from youth through older adulthood. The burden is financial as well, with sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, and obesity driving up unnecessary health care expenditures—estimated to be over $100 billion annually, a cost that even exceeds the impact of cigarette smoking. The problem of inactivity and its impact on health are being taken seriously by faculty and student researchers in the Department of Exercise and Health Sciences. Innovative research by our faculty has been recognized within our own profession and has contributed to raising the level of recognition and reputation of UMass Boston.
As our research paves the way for furthering our mission of improving the health of individuals and communities, we continue to stay grounded in our core mission of excellence in teaching. We remain committed to revising our curriculum to best reflect the rapid advancements in exercise science and physical education research. I will look forward to updating you on curriculum advancements in future correspondence.
Before closing, I want to acknowledge the admirable work that is being done by our many alumni working in schools, hospitals, community wellness programs, worksite and public fitness centers, and many other areas. We want to hear about the fantastic work you are doing, and we are committed to establishing an effective means for communicating with you.
On behalf of the current EHS faculty members, I want to pay tribute to those faculty who have built the foundation for current and future success and have recently retired. In particular, we are grateful for the enormous contributions and lifelong dedication of Professors Carmen Bazzano, Jacquelyn Haslett, Alfred Roncarati, Gordon Webb, Margaret Musmon-Pappalardo—and, of course, Professor Gail Arnold, who was chair of the Department for 25 years and retired in December 2003. There are very few people of whom the term “legend” can be used appropriately, but it certainly applies to Gail. We wish her all the very best for a happy and healthy retirement.
Maybe winning the lottery will someday be added to the growing list of why people should exercise. In the meantime, you can count on faculty, students, and alumni to continue their work to promote physical activity and health for youth, adults, families, and communities across Massachusetts and beyond for many years to come.
May 2005 Newsletter: Prof. Laurie Milliken of the Exercise Health Sciences Department has co-published “Exercise and Osteoporosis Prevention” in Menopause Management (in press). She also has published (in press), “A Community Nursing Center for Health Promotion of Senior Citizens. Based on the Neuman Systems Model,” Nursing Education Perspectives.
May 2005 Newsletter: Prof. Heidi Stanish recently co-published (2005), “Physical Activity Assessment Using Pedometer and Questionnaire in Adults with Mental Retardation,” Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 22: 2, 136–145. In addition, Dr. Stanish has article (in press) in Mental Retardation entitled “Walking Habits of Adults with Mental Retardation. She will be presenting twice in July at the International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity in Verona, Italy.
May 2005 Newsletter: Prof. Kyle McInnis has published “Physical Activity Compared with Coronary Stenting in Stable CAD,” Am J Med Sports 2004 (Nov/Dec), 219-220. And he has also co-edited the third edition of the textbook Health and Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines. This book is the most widely used resource on this topic among health clubs, colleges/universities, and legal experts.
May 2005 Newsletter Professors Kyle McInnis, Laurie Milliken, and Debra Wein received a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to develop and test an innovative behavioral physical activity and healthy eating program for middle-school-aged children in five Massachusetts cities. The project, which concludes June 2005, will serve as the basis for a larger statewide program to be developed in conjunction with the MDPH efforts aimed at curbing the obesity epidemic in youth.
December 2004 Newsletter: Prof. Kyle McInnis and colleagues at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute were awarded $150,000 by the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center to support a study of weight control, physical activity, and cancer-risk reduction among racially diverse women. Responding to what the National Cancer Institute has described as an urgent need to develop, test, and implement cancer-prevention interventions, this behavioral/ lifestyle program involves studying new motivational interviewing techniques and computer technology to promote healthy eating and exercise in urban populations. This project—in which CNHS’s Dr. Jacqueline Fawcett has also been a key participant--is part of a growing collaboration between the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and UMass Boston. McInnis also received $55,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control to develop data on obesity for the “Massachusetts Partnership for Healthy Weight.”
December 2004 Newsletter: Supported by a $100,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health and a Shannon Award from the National Institute for Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, ESPE Associate Prof. Laurie Milliken continues work on her study “Factors Affecting the Bone Response and Non-Response,” investigating the impact of exercise on the prevention of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. Analyzing findings from the Bone Estrogen Strength Training Study, which includes data from more than 250 women, Milliken is exploring factors that may explain why some women respond to an osteogenic therapy and others do not. Dr. Milliken has also engaged in recent novel approaches to enhance physical activity in youth through participation in resistance training.