Preserving Mobility and Muscle in Aging Adults Through Engagement in Group-Based Exercise
Principal Investigator
Dr. Julie Rekant, Assistant Professor, UMB School of Medicine
Dr. Isaura Castillo Hernández, Associate Professor, UCR School of Physical Education and Sports; Human Movement Science Research Center (CIMOHU)
This project is dedicated to helping older adults maintain mobility, strength, and independence as they age by improving group-based exercise programs in community settings. Our team at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the University of Costa Rica will work together to learn how group exercise can best support muscle health, balance, and daily functioning in two different cultural contexts. During the grant period, we will visit each other's exercise classes, test measures of movement and muscle quality, obtain feedback from class participants and leaders, and create shared, easy-to-follow playbooks for how these programs are run and evaluated. We will also hold workshops at both universities to build local expertise in healthy aging. This development grant will lay the foundation for a larger future study and support the adaptation of effective exercise programs to diverse cultural settings while preserving the key components that make them successful.