Walking Toward a Better Quality of Life
Nora Miller (left) sets up a walker's pedometer.
Nora Miller believes that health is not simply the absence of disease or disability. More so, health represents a positive state of physical, mental, and social well-being. Miller is a graduate student working with Dr. Scott Strath within the Exercise Physiology Laboratory of CHS’ Department of Human Movement Sciences. Her recent study "Walking Behavior and Quality of Life in Older Adults" took first place at the CHS 2005 Research Symposium, where she was recognized for her scientific methods as well as her research abilities.
Recently, the interest in the promotion of health-related quality of life has increased. This is a concept that represents an individual’s overall satisfaction with life, including cognitive, physical, social, and emotional functioning.
The focus of Miller’s award-winning research was to examine associations between objectively measured walking behavior (determined via pedometers) and health-related quality of life (determined via self-report survey). The research was conducted in a community-dwelling older adult population. Results indicated that those who walked more (i.e. greater than 3925 steps per day) reported higher quality of life than those who walked less. Results further indicated that, irrespective of disease state, physical activity predicted better health-related quality of life.
CHS holds its annual Research Symposium highlighting current research of graduate and undergraduate students, as well as faculty. Students present their research to a panel of expert judges who rank the projects based on criteria including research methodology, strength of study rationale, implications for the scientific and professional communities, and overall verbal and visual presentation. For some students, the CHS Research Symposium is their first presentation in a string of regional, national and international presentations. Many projects are published in their respective scientific and professional journals.
