“Impact of ecological park restoration on health in low income neighborhoods: A natural experiment” (Study of Active Neighborhoods Detroit- StAND)
This study, with Dr. Amber Pearson as PI and Dr. Karin Pfeiffer as co-investigator, looks at the effects of ecological restoration on health. Low-income neighborhoods in Detroit, MI in which abandoned parks are being ecologically restored will be studied, along with matched control parks. They are measuring nearby residents’ physical activity using GPS/accelerometer data, stress by testing salivary cortisol, and cardio-metabolic indicators. The goal of this study is to learn if the ecological restoration of abandoned parks will increase residents’ physical activity, lower their stress, and improve their cardio-metabolic health. The findings of this study can help develop policies to decrease socioeconomic disparities in health.
“Classroom Location, Activity Type, and Physical Activity During Preschool Children’s Indoor FreePlay”
This study, “Classroom Location, Activity Type, and Physical Activity During Preschool Children’s Indoor FreePlay,” investigated whether preschool learning centers or activity types were associated with physical activity (PA) and if preschoolers used the learning centers for their intended purpose. Fifty preschoolers were video recorded and had their PA level measured with an accelerometer during an indoor free-play period. Their location in the classroom and activity type were video-coded and matched with PA level. It was found that the children did not always do the activity the classroom area was meant for, but that this could facilitate PA.
“The CHAMP Afterschool Program (ASP): Promoting Physical Activity & Health in Children”
The Children’s Health Activity Motor Program, or CHAMP, is an evidence-based physical activity intervention. This project, with Dr. Karin Pfeiffer and Dr. Leah Robinson (University of Michigan) as PIs, looks at the effects of CHAMP-ASP on the physical activity, motor performance, perceived motor competence, health-related physical fitness, and weight status of children. In this study, staff members at ASPs with a high minority population in Ypsilanti and Lansing, Michigan are implementing CHAMP-ASP and examining the immediate and sustained effects on health and physical activity of the children involved. The goal of this project is to provide a sustainable, ecologically-relevant, and evidence-based program for early elementary children to improve the health and physical activity levels.
“Guys/Girls Opt for Activities for Life (GOAL) Trial”
This trial, with Dr. Lorraine Robbins as PI and Dr. Karin Pfeiffer as co-investigator, studies the effects of the Guys/Girls Opt for Activities for Life (GOAL) intervention on the health of underserved adolescents in urban areas. The GOAL intervention includes an after-school GOAL Club that focuses on physical activity and healthy eating and cooking, three parent-adolescent meetings to encourage physical activity and healthy eating and cooking, and a GOAL social networking app for parents to help one another with their adolescents’ health. Through this project they hope to learn how much GOAL increases physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness and improves the quality of life of underserved adolescents. The long-term goal of this study is to improve underserved adolescents’ cardiovascular health and to reduce disparities in health.