Research

College of Medicine researcher awarded grant to study office exercise

Liza Rovniak, assistant professor in the College of Medicine, has been awarded $450,000 from the National Institutes of Health to study the use of a low-cost pedaling device at the office.

The average weight gain among U.S. adults is one pound per year, which raises risk for cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cancer. Rovniak is researching if using a low-cost pedaling device while completing office work is a feasible way for adults to exercise without requiring extra time. The research will evaluate if a person can still be productive at their desk while using the compact pedaling device.

This research study will be a collaboration among Penn State Hershey’s departments of Medicine and Public Health Sciences, and the College of Engineering at University Park.

Rovniak has studied the use of a pedaling device in the past. For more on her findings, visit http://news.psu.edu/story/301016/2014/01/21/research/small-elliptical-exercise-device-may-promote-activity-while-sitting.

Last Updated January 9, 2015