Volunteers 35+ wanted for exercise research

Volunteers aged 35-60 years wanted for new exercise research study

Researchers are hoping to recruit overweight people aged 35-60 who are not currently exercising for a new study that will look at the best walking-based ‘exercise prescription’ to motivate them to participate in physical activity.

The study, which will be conducted by researchers from the CDHB’s Diabetes Centre in conjunction with exercise physiologists from the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and CPIT, will look at whether people in this age group will find it easier to exercise if they can do so for shorter periods of time but at a more intense level.

It is hoped the results of the study will be useful for community exercise groups and for use by programmes such as Green Prescription.

CDHB Consultant Physician Dr Helen Lunt said researchers knew one of the main barriers to exercise for people in this age group was finding the time to exercise.

However, taking part in regular physical activity was important to maintain a healthy weight and for reducing the risk of developing health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

“A common reason for low activity levels among this age group seems to be lack of spare time to do exercise because of other commitments such as work and family competing for their time.

“We are interested in recruiting people who want to lose weight and are thinking about doing some exercise to see if they are more likely to exercise if they can do so for less time but at a higher level. We also need to find out whether people in this age group are able to push themselves much harder for shorter periods of time.”

To qualify for the study, participants must be overweight (have a Body Mass Index of more than 28) and want to improve their fitness and lose weight for health reasons. Researchers are hoping to recruit 60 people for the first part of the study, which will begin in the next fortnight.

The three-month programme will use the Diabetes Centre at 550 Hagley Ave as a base and the activity programme will be in Hagley Park. Participants will also undergo a test on an exercise treadmill with a University of Canterbury exercise physiologist before and after the study.

People who are interested in participating in the study should contact Research Nurse Flo Logan on 03 378 6568 or Florence.logan@cdhb.govt.nz

ENDS

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