A newly established Center for Physical Activity, Disease Prevention and Aging at the University of Colorado at Boulder will focus on the role of physical activity in health and aging.
The research center is located in the kinesiology department of the College of Arts and Sciences under the direction of Professor Douglas Seals. A faculty member since 1992, Seals is an expert in exercise physiology, aging and cardiovascular disease.
The interdisciplinary center will involve faculty from life sciences fields at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder and the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Health Sciences Center in Denver.
Seals also directs the department's Human Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, where studies often focus on women, a relatively new emphasis since he established his laboratory in Tucson at the University of Arizona in 1985.
To be known as the CPADPA, the new center1s mission will be to study the role of activity in disease prevention and treatment, and to promote successful aging.
The center will have a community service component that will involve risk assessment for cardiovascular disease and prevention and offer counseling on aerobic fitness, nutrition, weight control, addiction, exercise and lifestyle changes.
The kinesiology department's long-standing Wellness Program of fitness evaluations will be part of the new center. Anyone interested in participating can call (303) 492-3407.
Questions the researchers will seek to answer include:
€Which physical disease processes and aging disorders are influenced by physical activity?
€Does regular activity prevent problems of mental and emotional health? €What types of activity are most effective in preventing disease?
€Are low-intensity activities such as gardening and easy walking just as effective as vigorous exercise?
€How frequently and for what duration does activity need to be performed?
€What strategies are best for getting people to be more physically active?