Researchers >
Current Projects

Because of their ease of implementation, EnhanceFitness and EnhanceWellness are often used as the intervention program in research projects. Currently, the following research and special projects are under way:

EnhanceFitness
     Arthritis Benefits of a Physical Activity Program
     Arthritis in Focus
     Fit for Life
     Washington State DSHS Aging & Disability Services Administration Dementia Project

EnhanceWellness
     Cost-effective Health Promotion for Older Workers

EnhanceFitness

Project name: Arthritis Benefits of a Physical Activity Program

Principal Investigator: Dr. Dina L. Jones, West Virginia University

Date: 2006 to 2009

Description: The purpose of this project is to determine if an evidence-based, community-delivered, physical activity program yields benefits for participants with arthritis. The 3-year project will involve:

1. conducting a comprehensive, quantitative systematic review of the literature on evidence-based, community-delivered physical activity and exercise intervention programs (i.e., meta-analysis);

2. implementing EnhanceFitness in the West Virginia arthritis population;

3. evaluating EnhanceFitness; and

4. disseminating the project results to community and public health partners.

For more details about this research study, please contact Jeanne Goodman, MPA, at jmgoodman@hsc.wvu.edu.

Back to Top of Page

Project name: Arthritis in Focus

Principal Investigator: Basia Belza, Ph.D., University of Washington (UW) School of Nursing

Date: 2005 to 2007

Funding source: Northwest Health Foundation

Partners: Senior Services, the UW, and Loaves & Fishes Centers

Description: Arthritis is the leading cause of disability, functional impairment, and activity limitations. Evidence exists that regular participation in physical activity improves the quality of life for people with arthritis and yet the majority of people with arthritis are inactive. Although programs such as EnhanceFitness improve health outcomes, they are not widely translated, disseminated, or adopted in the community. The long-term goal of this proposed community-based observational demonstration study is to improve the health and quality of life of people with arthritis residing in targeted counties in southwest Washington (Clark) and Oregon (Washington and Multnomah) by increasing participation in EnhanceFitness.

For more details about this research study, contact Basia Belza at basiab@u.washington.edu.

Back to Top of Page

Project name: Fit for Life

Principal Investigator: Catherine Sarkisian, MD, MSPH, University of California Division of Geriatrics, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Date:2005 to 2009 (Recruitment ends August 2007)

Description: The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of a multifaceted behavioral intervention aimed at raising walking levels among sedentary older Latinos.

Regular physical activity contributes to the health and quality of life of older adults, but unfortunately only 20% of men and 25% of women aged 65 years and greater meet the minimal national guidelines for physical activity. Older Latinos have higher rates of diseases that are most likely to benefit from physical activity, but have disproportionately high rates of sedentary lifestyle.

To address this major public health problem, this study will implement and evaluate a multifaceted intervention to raise and sustain walking levels among older Latinos. A total of 600 sedentary older Latinos will be recruited from community-based senior centers in the greater Los Angeles region. The specific aims of the study are to test the effect of the intervention on:

1. the change in steps per week measured by digital pedometer from baseline to 1-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up;

2. self-reported physical activity level and intervening constructs (including expectations regarding aging and self-efficacy expectations for physical activity);

3. psychosocial health constructs, physical performance measures, and clinical health outcomes.

For more details about this project, please go to http://cami.med.ucla.edu/modules/wfchannel/.

Back to Top of Page

Project name: Washington State DSHS Aging & Disability Services Administration Dementia Project

Contact: Susan J. Snyder, Director, Project Enhance

Date: 2006 to 2009

Funding source: AoA Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grant

Partners: State, AAAs, and providers

Description: This 3-year special project provides EnhanceFitness at adult day services providers.

The participants have varying degrees of cognitive impairment. EnhanceFitness outcomes data is being collected, which can be compared to other EnhanceFitness community-based sites. Guidelines and training were developed for staff leading EnhanceFitness classes for persons with dementia. Implemented at 3 sites, the classes are provided 2 times per week.

For more details about this special project, contact Susan Snyder at susans@seniorservices.org.

Back to Top of Page

EnhanceWellness

Project name: Cost-effective Health Promotion for Older Workers

Principal Investigator: Susan Hughes, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)

Date: 2004 to 2007

Funding source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Description: The number of workers over age 55 is expected to increase from 19.2 million in 2002 to 31.8 million by 2015 (GAO Report, 2003). Given these projected increases, the development and testing of cost effective health promotion interventions for this population is an urgent national priority. If we can reach older adults while they are still working and engage them successfully in sustained health promotion activities, we may be able to make a major impact on future health care expenditures.

This project addresses this urgent problem by implementing and testing the comparative cost effectiveness of two evidence-based health promotion/behavior change interventions:

1. EnhanceWellness (which has been implemented to date with older adults at senior centers across the country (Leveille et al, 1998).

2. The web-based RealAge program, which is also being tested for older adults at multiple sites nationally and internationally.

Both interventions take advantage of cutting edge technology to administer standardized risk assessments, develop risk appraisals based on those assessments and provide a set of choices for older adult workers with respect to behavior changes. At present the comparative appeal of these two approaches to workers and the comparative cost-effectiveness of the two approaches is unknown. The study addresses this critical gap in our knowledge by piloting, implementing, and testing the comparative cost effectiveness of these two behavior change interventions with staff 50-59 years of age at UIC using a randomized clinical trial design with 450 individuals. Process and cost-effectiveness data are being collected and analyzed in addition to self-report psychosocial and physical function outcomes.

For more details about this project, please go to  http://www.uic.edu/depts/ovcr/hrpc/projects/25.html

Back to Top of Page