Glen E Duncan
Impact of physical activity on individual and public health. Overview of physiological adaptations to activity, exercise prescription, exercise epidemiology, and prevention of chronic diseases. Public health recommendations for activity in the U.S. population, and the effects of the build environment on activity. Prerequisite: either BIOL 118 or BIOL 220. Offered: Sp.
Course Topics Include: - Physical activity-related terminology - Measurement of physical activity in individuals and populations - Physiological adaptations to activity - Principles of exercise prescription - Physical activity epidemiology - Physical activity in health promotion and disease prevention - Public health recommendations for physical activity in the U.S. - Inactivity and aging/disability - Adoption and maintenance of physical activity - Physical activity intervention settings
Student learning goals
Apply terminology related to the study of physical activity in public health.
Identify the major challenges to physical activity measurement in individuals and populations.
Describe the major physiological adaptations to physical activity and exercise training.
Describe the principles of exercise prescription as related to health and disease.
Understand the relationships between physical activity and health.
Evaluate the scientific literature related to physical activity and chronic disease.
General method of instruction
Because there are many different learning styles, a variety of approaches will be used to enrich the learning experience in this class. The primary method of delivery will be lecture and discussion. Major “bulleted” points, and graphs and charts to illustrate these points, will be presented using PowerPoint. These files will be available to download before each class through the course web site. However, the slides are only meant to serve as a guide and it will be important for students to attend class to “fill in the blanks”. It is recommended that students complete the assigned readings before class. Students will have the opportunity to participate in EPost on-line discussions related to course concepts. The posts will be monitored by the instructor and TA, and select topics will be further discussed at the beginning of the next scheduled class.
BIOL 118 or equivalent coursework.
Class assignments and grading
There will be 3 exams during the course; the exams will be multiple-choice and short-answer format (non-cumulative).
There will be 5 on-line discussion assignments using the E-Post tool; the date of each will be announced about 1 week in advance.
There will be one project consisting of an assessment of self-reported physical activity using a commonly used physical activity questionnaire.
The course grade will be based on cumulative total points, which will be converted to a numerical grade. The total points will be the weighted sum of 3 exams, the 5 E-Post assignments, and 1 project. There will be no extra credit assignments.