Great Posture, Great Health

This project promotes community health through postural movement to demonstrate strong physical and mental health benefits. Specifically, Great Posture, Great Health will address two of the top five priorities of general health concerns: 1) obesity and 2) mental health. First, obesity is on the rise although more individuals are meeting or exceeding the current federal physical activity guidelines based on the data provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services (2020). Obesity is a common problem in adults with all socioeconomic status and all races, except Asians. In fact, Asians have low rates of heart disease, asthma, cancer, and a longer life expectancy than other races, potentially due to health behaviors, environment, and stress coping strategies (Acciai et al., 2015). Therefore, we should not overlook the importance of stress coping strategies practiced in Asian countries on obesity. It is becoming more evident that chronic stress (such as elevated cortisol levels) and steroid-based medications are strongly associated with obesity and chronic diseases. It is critical to develop and validate community health strategies to address both priorities. Great Posture, Great Health will introduce one of the most common mind-body postural exercises practiced in Asian countries to a large and diverse population.

Inclusion criteria

• Participants must be physically capable (defined as easy to moderate physical activities daily at least 60 minutes).
• Participants also must have a normal (18.5-24.9kg/m2) or overweight BMI (25-29.9kg/m2).
• Participants must be able to speak, listen, read, and understand sentences written in English.

Exclusion criteria

• More than two risk factors for coronary artery disease (high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol level (LDL), family history (a close relative with heart disease), diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease
• History of falls, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, or orthopedic or neurological conditions (i.e., stroke)
• Medications that cause dizziness or slow movement
• Smoke
• Body mass to height squared ratio greater than 30kg/m2 or less than 18.4kg/m2, blood pressure greater than 140/90 mmHg, or a history of heart conditions.
• Individuals with progressive cognitive, neurologic disorders, cancer treatment, chronic heart failure, or unstable medical conditions