ACTIVE FAMILY–Physical activity as a type of medicine that can help us live healthier, longer, more independent lives. Getty Images
Studies from Pitt’s School of Public Health show that physical activity is the gift that keeps on giving
Imagine a day in the not-so-distant future when your doctor writes you a prescription. Only this prescription isn’t for pills. It’s for physical activity. The prescription includes the support you need to begin and continue a life-long health journey, which features better odds for living on your own and actively long into your elder years.
That scenario is what University of Pittsburgh’s Dr. Bonny Rockette-Wagner, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, is hopeful will happen based, in part, on her ongoing research on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and health.
“Our studies are showing that increasing your activity — especially if you’re inactive — is so important when it comes to improving overall physical health, particularly as we age,” she explains.
Based on her findings, Dr. Rockette-Wagner hopes people will think about physical activity as a type of medicine that can help us live healthier, longer, more independent lives.
DR. BONNY ROCKETTE-WAGNER
Viewing exercise as medicine can be an empowering tool for the Black community.
Due to systemic racism and the resulting mistrust of the healthcare community, Black people suffer more from conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and strokes than white people.
The same is true for obesity. Black women experience the highest rates of obesity or being overweight compared to other groups in the U.S. (Office of Minority Health).
Although many people link exercise and weight loss, Dr. Rockette-Wagner thinks this mindset needs to be expanded. Physical activity needs to happen first for its own sake.
“The message is to start moving more,” says Dr. Rockette-Wagner. “If you can do that regularly, other health goals, such as how long and fast you move, nutrition, and weight loss, may be easier to reach.
For example, research shows that physical activity, such as a 30-minue walk each day at a moderate pace, can help to prevent or improve many health conditions.
The challenge for Dr. Rockette-Wagner and other researchers is to learn effective ways to help someone who’s inactive and suffers from high blood pressure, for example, to become more active now and in the future.
“As a healthcare provider, how do you help someone move more who’s never really exercised at any point,” she asks. “How do you do it in a way that’s supportive and affirming? How do you encourage that person to continue moving throughout their lifetime?”
Dr. Rockette-Wagner notes it’s important to be aware of the difficulty many of us face when it comes to finding time to be more active.
“Even when we know exercise is good for us, we have a lot of things that compete with it,” she says. “We have jobs, children, grandchildren, and elders who need care. We make commitments to our churches and neighborhood organizations we must meet. We have daily tasks at home. Exercise falls far down the to-do list for many of us.”
That’s why Dr. Rockette-Wagner’s research is important. She studies how physical activity can help to prevent major diseases and how to get and keep us moving more and longer.
In her current study, Dr. Rockette-Wagner hopes to prove that tools like physical activity trackers, online education, health coaches, and support from PCPs and other healthcare providers — can have a lasting impact on how people get and stay physically active.
“We’re currently studying how this type of intervention can help at-risk people from developing cardiovascular disease,” she says. “We must not only support the participants, but also make sure their healthcare providers are involved, too.
“When doctors have easy access to patient activity data, they can use it to create an individualized healthcare plan for that person,” she adds.
During her doctoral work under Dr. Andrea Kriska, Dr. Rockette-Wagner examined data on sedentary behavior and physical activity from the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).
The DPP was a large, nationwide clinical trial of adults who were at a high risk of developing diabetes. The trial demonstrated that diabetes could be prevented or delayed if participants lost weight and moved more.
With that in mind, Dr. Rockette-Wagner and Dr. Kriska showed that simply reducing the time participants spent sitting lowered their risk of developing diabetes. The same was true for inactive participants who became more active.
Ten years after the original study, these participants continued to be more physically active — sometimes twice as much.
Dr. Rockette-Wagner also worked on additional research with Dr. Kriska on a community-based version of the DPP.
It, too, resulted in similar findings. Participants who made lifestyle changes based on the DPP — including sitting less, moving more, and using fitness trackers — did much better than people who relied on health and nutrition advice alone.
As a result of all her research studying the impact that physical activity has on preventing health conditions, Dr. Rockette-Wagner’s years of experience has produced some surprising data people can use right now.
“The big takeaway is that increasing your physical activity (with your provider’s permission) can help you no matter how old you are, how much you weigh, or what type of shape you’re in,” she says.
“You can begin today, right where you are on your health journey. You don’t need fancy shoes, equipment, or a gym membership. You don’t need a big time commitment. You just need to move more than you did yesterday.
“Whether you move your body while you’re sitting in a chair or standing, just move. Then do it again — or do a little more — tomorrow.”
It seems, then, that physical activity is an investment for our golden years.
“It’s truly one of the best gifts you can give yourself at any age,” Dr. Rockette-Wagner adds.
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