The West Virginia University School of Public Health has been named to the American Journal of Health Promotion’s (AJHP) Best of 2022. list of health promotion studies. The article, titled “Assessment and Promotion of Physical Activity in Clinical Settings in the United States: A Scoping Review,” highlighted the effectiveness of physical activity in clinical settings as well as the need for continued research.
“I hope that more physicians and health care systems will prioritize physical activity as a cost-effective, non-pharmacological basis for disease prevention, management and overall well-being.” said lead author and Master of Public Health graduate student Kristin Grogg.
Article received in 2022. Michael P. O’Donnell Award for timely subject matter, well-executed study methods, and readability, as well as download and citation rates.
Kristin Grogg is a doctoral student in the Clinical and Translational Sciences Program at WVU School of Medicine and program coordinator for the WVU Honors College Office of Pre-Health Professional Development.
In addition to Grogg, the award-winning research team included Associate Professor Christa Lilly; Professor Peter Giacobbi Jr.; WVU Rural Scholars Program Director Treah S. Haggerty; Professor Peter Giacobbi Jr.; WVU School of Medicine alumna Emma Blair; and Jacksonville University’s Director of Exercise is Carena Winters, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine® and Exercise Science.
“As an intern and postdoctoral fellow, I could not have done my research and written a publishable manuscript without their guidance,” Grogg said.
Professor George Kelley, one of the senior authors of the paper, said this recognition has important implications for future research and practice, not only at the state but also at the federal level.
“This award is an example of the high-quality, timely and impactful physical activity research being conducted by some of our WVU alumni and faculty,” he said.
Grogg’s next step is to pursue the thesis through a systematic review.
“This study will explore how clinicians can use simple monitoring tools from pedometers to accelerometers to monitor and motivate patients to engage in more regular activities to improve their overall well-being,” she said.
To learn more about their work and other winners of this year’s AJHP Papers of the Year, visit their website.
