1. Kansas State University
  2. »Division of Communications and Marketing
  3. »K-State Today
  4. »Participants needed for kinesiology research study

K-State Today

February 16, 2016

Participants needed for kinesiology research study

Submitted by Stephanie Kurti

The kinesiology department is seeking participants, aged 60 and over who are either active or not currently active for a research study. We also need participants who are active between the ages of 18-35. Active participants must get planned physical activity each week — about 150 minutes per week — while adults who are not currently active would not be meeting this recommendation. 

The purpose of the study is to investigate whether remaining active throughout aging is protective against oxidative stress — chemical entities that cause deleterious health effects — in the airways and systemically. Oxidative stress is associated with most pathologies, and activity level throughout aging may reduce this stress. 

When you arrive at the laboratory, we will take resting blood pressure and heart rate, and then you will get a baseline blood draw with a small needle — only about 3-5 milliliters of blood is necessary — and then you will perform several airway tests. These include standard pulmonary function tests in which you will maximally inhale, forcefully exhale and hold it, and then maximally inhale again. Afterwards we will do measurements of oxidative stress in the exhaled breath. For this test, you will simply sit in a chair and breathe normally for 10 minutes into a tube, which will cool the exhaled breath. The condensate is frozen immediately and stored for later analysis of oxidative stress in the airways. After this, you will perform an exercise test. The test is a cycling test, where the watts will increase every minute by 25 watts until volitional exhaustion. You can stop whenever you want during the test if you feel uncomfortable, or until you reach fatigue and can't go any more. Maximal oxygen consumption is the best measure of fitness level and overall health, and we will discuss your results with you after the session. After a cool down period you will repeat the experimental measures.

Usually this protocol lasts approximately two hours, and we will completely work around your schedule if you still wish to participate. You will also receive a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA scan, which lasts 10 minutes. This test is to measure body composition, including body fat percentage, lean mass, and bone mineral density. Usually this scan is very costly, so although we won't get to pay you for participation in the study, we will discuss all of the results with you.

Contact Stephanie Kurti at stephkurti@k-state.edu if you are interested in participating or would like additional information.