Women's Health and Exercise Across the Lifespan

Catalog description

KINES 454 begins with a review of general principles of research conduct and publication, themes that will be carried throughout all material covered in this class. A review of the historical aspect of women's health research and a review of the state of knowledge in women's health in the wake of the contemporary scientific endeavors such as the Women's Health Initiative will also be explored. Students will learn physiology of puberty, menstrual function and bone health and the impact of exercise on these processes. Students will explore current concepts of exercise related to the female athlete and clinical implications of alterations in normal physiology. The impact of oral contraceptives on health and exercise performance will be also discussed. Students will learn menopausal physiology, alterations in clinical status associated with this life stage, and review current research related to the Women's Health Initiative. Finally, a discussion of the effects of gender differences on health and exercise will be discussed. This course is designed for students who wish to develop a richer understanding of the physiological role of exercise in modulating the health of girls and women during different phases of the lifespan, including but not limited to childhood, adolescence, adulthood and later adulthood. At each step, students will be exposed to relevant research methods issues and introduced to seminal research papers illustrating the concept being evaluated. Students will improve their ability to read and summarize original research literature through in depth presentation and discussion of seminal studies. Moreover, students will develop an understanding of how research has informed the state of knowledge on issues covered in this class and students will develop "language understanding" appropriate for interpreting and reading research papers.