$1.3 million grant will fund study of physical activity

Rod Dishman

Workers may be taking more exercise breaks than snack breaks in the future if a team of UGA exercise and health researchers finds that workplace fitness programs are effective.

Despite evidence that physical inactivity is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cancers, only a third of adults in the United States regularly participate in recommended levels of either moderate or vigorous physical activity. Federal health officials have identified workplaces as important settings for fitness programs to increase the physical activity level of the general population, but the effectiveness of such programs has yet to be determined by sound research.

The UGA team, led by Rod Dishman, a professor of exercise science, has received a $1.3 million grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week physical activity program.

Five university faculty members are recipients of this year’s Brooks Awards
Five faculty members received the prestigious D.W. Brooks Awards for Excellence Oct. 18.