Resistance Training and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Women
While aerobic exercise is commonly endorsed as a way to prevent cardiovascular disease, resistance training is less-widely promoted. A recent article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology underscores the benefits of including resistance training along with aerobics in exercise regimens for women in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Researchers found that implementing both types of exercise, along with limiting sedentary behavior, significantly reduced risk of CVD in women.
Dr. Chloé Jones has been tapping into the world of resistance exercise since her dissertation phase, and is currently conducting a qualitative study identifying factors that contribute to success for resistance exercise training in order to develop a mobile health app that is culturally adapted for Black women. She has completed formative interviews with her target population, and will soon be moving on to co-design workshops where she will get input on the design of the app. Jones acknowledges that her project is unique in its approach: “It is very novel,” she says, “there aren’t any research-based mobile apps targeting resistance exercise for Black women.”
Once Jones’ app (titled “Together We Lift”) is completed, it will be tested for feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy among participants. The overall goal of the project is to prevent and/or mitigate the onset of CVD in young Black women – which studies like the above suggest will be the outcome given the addition of resistance exercise. Black women are disproportionately affected by CVD, and about 59% of Black women over 20 have some form of CVD, according to the American Heart Association.
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