Course Description
Health-related aspects of exercise, physical activity, and physical fitness from the perspective of epidemiology. Biological mechanisms for healthy adaptations to physical activity and the behavioral determinants of exercise participation.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Weekly seminar and research paper.
Athena Title
Exercise Epidemiology
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in KINS 4300E or KINS 6300E
Undergraduate Prerequisite
[CBIO 2200-2200L and (CBIO 2210-2210L or CBIO 2210E)] or VPHY 3100 or VPHY 3100E
Graduate Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will be able to: 1. Describe contemporary trends in the prevalance rates of leading risk factors of illness and death in the United States, including physical inactivity according to age, sex, race, region, education level, and disability. 2. Identify behavioral correlates of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in developed nations and explain how exercise, physical activity and physical fitness may influence, or interact with, other known health risk factors to promote health and prevent disease. 3. Describe the methods of exercise epidemiology and the cardinal criteria for establishing causality for health risk factors. 4. Identify and describe major epidemiological evidence that shows an association between habitual physical activity and/or physical fitness with morbidity and mortality. 5. Identify and discuss the disease-specific benefits and risks of physical activity and exercise for cardiovascular disease (i.e., coronary heart disease and stroke), hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer and immunity, anxiety and depression, according to age, sex, race, and disability. 6. Identify and discuss biologically plausible mechanisms whereby physiological adaptations to exercise and physical activity might reduce risks for disease or improve health or longevity. 7. Discuss known personal, environmental, and physical activity characteristics associated with participation in leisure time physical activity. 8. Discuss the key elements of theories used to understand physical activity and guide interventions to increase it. 9. Describe typical interventions designed to increase physical activity and their effectiveness.
Topical Outline
1. Principles and applications of exercise epidemiology a. Morbidity and mortality rates from major causes b. Behavioral risk factors and exercise c. Methods and principles d. Applications and interventions 2. Disease-specific benefits, risks and mechanisms for exercise and physical activity. a. All-cause mortality and longevity b. Coronary artery disease c. Hypertension d. Hyperlipidemia e. Obesity f. Diabetes g. Osteoporosis h. Cancer and immunity i. Depression and Anxiety j. Disability k. Hazards of Physical Activity 3. Behavioral aspects of health-related exercise, physical activity and physical fitness. a. Determinants of exercise and physical activity b. Interventions for increasing exercise and physical activity c. Alternatives to fitness programming
Syllabus