School of Health and Human Sciences

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Browsing School of Health and Human Sciences by Author "Alamilla, Rafael A."

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    Comparison Between Dance-Based and Traditional Exercise on Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
    (2022) Alamilla, Rafael A.; Dent, Shaquitta R.; Soliven Jr., Robert C.; Holt, Tharon; Kaushal, Navin; Keith, NiCole R.
    Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) includes physical health, cognitive well-being, and the presence of social support. Declines in HRQoL can result in physical impairment, social isolation, and impaired cognition. Regular exercise (EX) participation may lead to better HRQoL among older adults. Dance-oriented group fitness classes (DANCE) can provide participants with structured EX that involves high levels of coordination and social comradery. DANCE EX may be a viable alternative to traditional EX (TRAD) for the maintenance of HRQoL. PURPOSE: To determine whether participation in regular DANCE EX displays higher HRQoL in older adults when compared to those who participate in TRAD EX. METHODS: Twenty-nine older adults (age 69.8 ± 9.6 yrs; 28 females; 93.1% white) enrolled in a cross-sectional study examining those who either participated in DANCE EX or TRAD EX at the time of enrollment. All participants completed the following assessments: the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 subscale for physical functioning (SF-36); the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ); the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE); the Duke Social Support Index (DSSI); and the Senior Fitness Test (SFT). RESULTS: A MANOVA test demonstrated a statistically significant difference in SFT scores between groups (F(2,29) = 3.11 p < 0.02; Wilk's λ = 0.29, partial η2 = 0.17). Univariate ANOVA tests detected a significant different between groups for chair stand (F(2,29) = 18.63, DANCE: 15.38 ± 4.05, TRAD: 9.07 ± 3.69; p < 0.001), 8 ft up-and-go (F(2,29) = 6.57, DANCE: 5.53 ± 1.02, TRAD: 7.87 ± 3.15; p = 0.02), 2 min step test (F(2,29) = 17.09, DANCE: 100.69 ± 19.58, TRAD: 66.47 ± 30.94; p < 0.001), and SF-36 (F(2,29) = 4.14, DANCE: 92.31 ± 5.25, TRAD: 79.31 ± 22.46; p = 0.05). Neither perceived social support nor cognitive function were significantly different between groups (p > 0.05). Weekly MET-mins of moderate (DANCE: 2,487.7 ± 2,226.3, TRAD: 1,752.0 ± 1,734.5) and vigorous (DANCE: 2,870.8 ± 2,829.8, TRAD: 1,920.0 ± 3,301.5) physical activity did not differ between groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: DANCE EX supported higher levels of physical health—and no effect on cognitive well-being and social support—when compared to TRAD EX. DANCE EX may be a viable form of EX to support HRQoL in older adults.
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    Future Directions for Transforming Kinesiology Implementation Science Into Society
    (Human Kinetics Journals, 2023) Alamilla, Rafael A.; Keith, NiCole R.; Hasson, Rebecca E.; Welk, Gregory J.; Riebe, Deborah; Wilcox, Sara; Pate, Russell R.
    Physical activity policy can play a crucial role in ensuring that individuals, communities, and societies can obtain the wide range of health benefits associated with regular physical activity participation. Policies such as Title IX, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and state physical education laws have all increased opportunities for millions of Americans to participate in physical activity. With that said, how policies are developed and implemented vary considerably. The purpose of this manuscript is to contrast an academic conceptual framework with a pragmatic approach for policy implementation. In an ideal world, polices would be developed from foundational knowledge, scaled up to community-level interventions, and implemented in a sequential fashion. However, policy implementation is a disorderly process that requires a practical methodology. The National Physical Activity Plan encompasses strategies and tactics across 10 key societal sectors—and highlights the disorderly process of policy implementation across the various sectors.
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    Reducing Physical Activity Disparities Among Vulnerable Minorities: Methods and Preliminary Outcomes
    (2022) Alamilla, Rafael A.; Georgiadis, Yanoula M.; Kaushal, Navin; Keith, NiCole R.
    INTRODUCTION: Vulnerable minorities experience high rates of chronic disease. Physical Activity (PA) is an effective preventive behavior to mitigate multiple diseases. Vulnerable minorities have low PA participation. Finding ways to engage PA in vulnerable minorities is imperative. PURPOSE: To describe the baseline data from a community-based wait-list pilot PA trial for vulnerable minorities. METHOD: Forty-five participants from a Midwest urban community were randomized to an experimental (EXP) or wait-list control (WLC) group. EXP participants were counseled to engage in regular PA (>4d/wk for >30 mins). EXP participants received a fitness center membership, trainer, and on-site monthly education to help them develop exercise identity and habit formation. The WLC group could engage in PA if desired but did not have the same research resources. Both groups completed monthly surveys assessing exercise identity, social support, and habit formation. Baseline data included one week of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and health-related fitness assessments (measured by accelerometry and fitness tests, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Data show baseline measures did not vary between groups. Moreover, our team experienced difficulties recruiting vulnerable minorities. Participant-stated barriers to participation in our study included: 1) Schedule (work, child’s school, etc.) and conflicting life demands; 2) Fear of getting ill or getting immediate family ill (COVID, flus, etc.); 3) Disruption of routine (e.g., children going on school break); 4) The limited hours of the fitness center; 5) Inflation & rising costs of goods (e.g., gasoline, food, etc.); and 6) Issues interacting with PARCS staff, lack of trust. Next steps include reporting final outcomes and developing refined recruitment methods.
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    Reducing Physical Activity Disparities Among Vulnerable Minorities: Methods and Preliminary Outcomes
    (2023) Alamilla, Rafael A.; Georgiadis, Yanoula M.; Kaushal, Navin; Keith, NiCole R.
    INTRODUCTION: Vulnerable minorities experience high rates of chronic disease. Physical Activity (PA) is an effective preventive behavior to mitigate multiple diseases. Vulnerable minorities have low PA participation. Finding ways to engage vulnerable minorities in PA is imperative. PURPOSE: To describe preliminary data from a community-based wait-list pilot PA trial for vulnerable minorities. METHODS: Forty-five participants from a Midwest urban community were randomized to an experimental (EXP: N = 23; 15 F) or control (CON: N = 22; 15 F) group. Baseline measures are height = 168.5 ± 9.1cm (EXP), and 167.9 ± 7.0cm (CON); weight = 95.8 ± 26.4kg (EXP) and 85.0 ± 19.3kg (CON), age = 39.9 ± 9.7y (EXP) and 48.8 ± 13.2y (CON). EXP participants were counseled to engage in regular PA (>4d/wk for >30 mins). EXP participants received a fitness center membership, trainer, and on-site monthly education to help them develop exercise identity and habit formation. The CON group could engage in PA if desired but did not have the same research resources. Both groups completed monthly surveys assessing exercise identity, social support, and habit formation. Baseline data included one week of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and health-related fitness (measured by accelerometry and fitness tests, respectively). RESULTS: Paired-samples T-test were used to make baseline comparisons. Study participants were 73.2% White, 67.4% employed full-time, 56.1% obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 32.0% earned >300% of the federal poverty level. MVPA was 127.9 ± 69.8 min/wk (EXP) and 174.7 ± 103.1 min/wk (CON). Other non-significant outcomes included body fat % (EXP: 37.1 ± 10.9%; CON: 32.9 ± 12.0%), 8ft-up-and-go time (EXP: 5.01 ± 0.8s; CON: 5.05 ± 1.10s), and 30s chair stand (EXP: 15.3 ± 6.5; CON: 17.5 ± 5.2), 30s seated arm curl (EXP: R =18.9 ± 5.1, L = 19.2 ± 5.1; CON: R = 21.2 ± 5.7, L = 20.1 ± 5.4). Chair sit-and-reach scores for right (EXP: -0.1 ± 8.3cm; CON: 1.0 ± 12.2cm, p = 0.003 ) and left (EXP: -0.3 ± 8.2cm; CON: 0.1 ± 11.4cm, p = 0.01) legs were different. CONCLUSION: Data show baseline measures did not vary between groups and difficulty recruiting vulnerable minorities. Next steps include reporting final outcomes and developing refined recruitment methods.