AMBER VERMEESCH
LAN YAO
PhD, FN, FNP-C
PhD, RN
Associate Dean for Research
Professor
Associate Professor
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
Increased Physical Activity
for Adolescents
Physical Activity for a Healthier
Latina Community
Tai Chi as Fall Prevention for
Elderly Demented Patients
Research indicates that physical
activity helps to maintain a healthy
weight, improves cardiovascular fitness,
builds lean muscles, and reduces body
fat while promoting strong bone, muscle,
and joint development. Robbins is
conducting a school-based intervention
to help inner-city middle school girls
overcome perceived barriers to physical
activity and to recognize the benefits
of getting the federally recommend 60
minutes or more of physical activity each
day. Data also indicates less than 12% of
middle school boys are reaching these
federal recommendations for physical
activity, signifying a need to develop an
intervention aimed specifically at boys.
The long-term goal of her research is to
increase moderate to vigorous physical
activity as a means to address the high
overweight and obesity prevalence
among adolescent girls and boys, thus
improving cardiovascular fitness, body
mass index and percent body fat.
According to the CDC, an estimated
30% of Latinas in the United States
are obese while only 15% of Latinas
participate in regular physical activity.
Regular exercise is critical to good health
and can help to maintain a healthy weight.
Vermeesch’s research works to determine
physical activity motivators and barriers
among Latinas. Her research aims to
identify predictors of physical activity
as well as the relationship between
motivation types, self-determination,
and acculturation that will lead to a
healthier Latina community.
Adults with dementia, such as
Alzheimer’s Disease, experience a threefold increased risk of falling compared
to non-demented adults. Falls are the
leading cause of injury-related death
as well as the most common cause of
nonfatal injuries among older adults.
Tai Chi, a Chinese form of physical
exercise characterized by a series of
slow and smooth body movements,
is one of the fall prevention exercises
recommended by the American Geriatrics
Society. Yao is studying the effects of
caregiver-assisted Tai-chi in older adults
with Alzheimer’s disease. The long-term
goal of her research is to reduce the
incidence of falls and improve exercise
participation, mobility, mood, and
health-related quality of life for both the
Alzheimer’s patient and their caregiver.
Potential for Exercise to Resolve
Peripheral Neuropathy
Neuropathy affects 1–2 percent of
Americans; however peripheral neuropathy
is more common in cancer patients.
Common causes of peripheral neuropathy,
nerve damage outside the brain or spinal
cord, in cancer survivors includes radiation
injury, chemotherapy, or cancer itself.
Studies have found that physical activity
reduces symptoms and helps to manage
nerve damage. A leader in exercise
physiology, Smith has successfully obtained
funding from the National Institutes of
Health, industry and various foundations for
nearly 30 years. Throughout her research
career she has focused on exercise to
help adults and children with chronic
conditions or risk factors for HIV, breast
cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease,
and Parkinson’s disease. Smith’s current
intervention aims to study the potential of
exercise to resolve peripheral neuropathy in
cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Research interests include:
• Exercise Physiology
• Exercise to Resolve
Peripheral Neuropathy
• Safety and Efficacy of Exercise
for Symptom Management
• Exercise in Adults and Children
with Chronic Conditions
• Exercise to Improve Health for
Patients with Breast Cancer
• International Nursing to Build Global
Nursing Capacity
Research interests include:
• Physical Activity Motivators
and Barriers among Latinas
• Health Disparities
• Minority Populations
• Health Promotion
Research interests include:
• Youth Physical Activity Participation
• Computerized Individually Tailored
Counseling Interventions
• School-based Physical Activity
Interventions
Research interests include:
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Dementia and Alzheimer's
Behavioral Intervention
Tailored Exercise/Physical Therapy
Caregiving in Alzheimer's Disease
Trans-cultural Comparisons
of Nursing Care in Older Adults
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RESEARCH
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