| 2005 |
Zhu, Weimo |
R13Activity Code Description:
To support recipient sponsored and directed international, national or regional meetings, conferences and workshops. |
Agent-Based Modeling of Environmental Correlates of Obesity Epidemic in Il @ University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for obesity, diabetes and individuals' general health. Recently, there is a growing interest in using walking, the oldest and most basic physical activity (PA), to promote PA. Walking has proven to be both a healthful and popular mode of PA because it can be done almost anywhere and requires no special equipment (Lumsdon & Mitchell, 1999; Rafferty et al., 2002). However, according to a recent population survey (Eyler et al., 2003), only 34 percent of respondents were regular walkers (five times 30 minutes walking per week), 45.6 percent were occasional walkers (walked, but did not meet the PA recommendation) and 20.7 percent were never walkers. Similarly, children's daily walking has been significantly decreasing during the past several decades. Further, we only have limited knowledge on people's walking behaviors and related correlates. Many critical walking research questions need addressing, e.g., How many steps should a person walk a day? What is the best way to measure people's walking behavior? What is the impact of environmental changes on people's walking behavior? To address these issues, we are organizing a "Walking for Health" conference focused on measurement and research issues. The conference will provide a forum to update and address critical measurement and research issues, as well as practical concerns, in walking and health research and practice. The conference is an extension and continuation of our 2003 measurement and aging conference, which was a great success. Key information of the conference is summarized below: Title: Walking for Health: Measurement and Research Issues and Challenges Date: October 13-15, 2005 Location: University of Illinois, Urbana, IL Type of participants: PA and health researchers and practitioners. N = 250 are expected. Specific aims: 1. To provide updated and multidisciplinary views on walking and health research and practice; 2. To address critical measurement and research challenges in walking and health research and explore of potentials the latest technology and methods for the challenges; 3. To exchange the latest research progress in walking and health research; 4. To provide a training on measurement and statistical methods and programming skills. Topics covered: Very broad topics will be covered in three pre-conference sessions, two keynotes, 12 conference sections and discussions, and two poster sessions.
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| 2007 — 2008 |
Zhu, Weimo |
R03Activity Code Description:
To provide research support specifically limited in time and amount for studies in categorical program areas. Small grants provide flexibility for initiating studies which are generally for preliminary short-term projects and are non-renewable. |
Guo Lin Qi-Gong Exercise For Long-Term Cancer Survival @ University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): [unreadable] The purpose of this study is to explore the potential health benefits of Guo Lin Qi-gong, a Chinese body-mind exercise, in long-term cancer survival. There are three specific aims in this study: [unreadable] [unreadable] 1. Determine the long-term impact of Guo Lin Qi-gong on quality of life (QOL) and other health outcomes; [unreadable] [unreadable] 2. Determine energy expenditure (EE) characteristics of Guo Lin Qi-gong; [unreadable] [unreadable] 3. Explore the optimal practice of Guo Lin Qi-gong with a focus on frequency, duration and application of different components in different stages of cancer survival. [unreadable] [unreadable] A cross-sectional group-comparison study design will be employed to address these aims, in which a group of long-term (>10 yr.) cancer survivors (n = 40, 20 per gender), who practiced Guo Lin Qi-gong during their survival period, will be recruited from Shanghai, China. Their QOL, body composition, physical activity participation, psychological wellbeing and other related health status will be compared with a matching control sample (also n = 40, 20 per gender; matching variables = age, gender, type of cancer, stage of the cancer at diagnosis, and survival years). In addition, their EE during Guo Lin Qi-gong practices, as well as during a 6-min free-living walk, will be collected and investigated; and finally, their Guo Lin Qi-gong practice and experienced benefits will be examined along with any challenges they may have had. It is expected that, based on the information collected from this study, a more appropriate Guo Lin Qi-gong clinical trial study can be designed and the effectiveness of Guo Lin Qi-gong can be determined empirically. These efforts will establish a strong, evidence-based foundation for the future introduction and promotion of Guo Lin Qi-gong to US cancer survivors. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]
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