6 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The Active Older Adults prospective cohort study examines the effects of a park-based fitness program on cardiovascular fitness outcomes for older adults (aged 50 years and older). Duke will perform a secondary analysis of the data collected as part of the Active Older Adults prospective cohort study run by Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation.
The Fit2Lead prospective cohort study examines the effects of a park-based youth mental health and resilience afterschool program on youth participant mental health, resilience, physical fitness, and violence prevention outcomes. Duke will perform a secondary analysis of the data collected as part of the Fit2Lead prospective cohort study run by Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation.
The Fit2Play prospective cohort study examines the effects of a park-based youth physical activity afterschool program on youth participant fitness and mental health outcomes. Duke will perform a secondary analysis of the data collected as part of the Fit2Play prospective cohort study run by Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation.
Purpose and Aims: The purpose of this study is to assess the clinical effectiveness of back and core exercise interventions for low back injury prevention in firefighters. Aim 1. Compare the effectiveness of 2 worksite exercise interventions (supervised, web-based) relative to control to reduce lost work days related to low back injury and illness in firefighters. Relevance: Low back injury is one of the most common and disabling disorders in firefighters. Thus, novel interventions are needed to counteract the adverse consequences of this disorder and its impact on firefighter safety. Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted in career, full active duty firefighters (n = 345) who will be randomly assigned (by fire station) to 1 of 3 intervention groups - 1) supervised exercise (n = 115), 2) web-based exercise (n = 115), or 3) control (n = 115). Participants in the supervised and web-based exercise groups will perform back and core exercises previously tested in our recent FEMA-funded grant (EMW-2009-FP-00418), twice per week for 12 months while on duty, in addition to their usual physical fitness routine - The supervised group will perform exercise under direct supervision of certified exercise specialists, and the web-based group will utilize a web-based exercise system. The control group will not perform back and core exercises, but will continue their usual physical fitness routine and receive brief education on general exercise and physical activity principles. Outcome measures include low back injury and illness data obtained and cross-checked from various sources, other standard clinical outcome measures for low back pain and disability, and validated physical fitness tests. Anticipated Outcomes: We hypothesize that the supervised and web-based interventions will reduce lost work days related to low back injury and illness by 40% compared with control. Assuming positive results, this study will deliver an evidence-based exercise intervention for low back injury prevention specifically designed for firefighters and assessed in a full-scale randomized controlled trial.
Obesity is a serious health problem that is a contributing factor for heart disease and high blood pressure. This study will evaluate a lifestyle modification program that aims to encourage weight loss and improve the health of people with high blood pressure from low income and minority communities.
This project will identify the causative behavioral factors in low-income African American women leading to sedentarism, a major source of morbidity in HABD communities. Working with our partner, WUCN, we will engage with women in HABD housing to develop and (later) deliver a physical activity education program (BeFit) customized for this population.