Measurement Issues in Aging and Physical Activity

Based on the 10th Measurement and Evaluation Symposium, "Measurement Issues and Challenges in Aging Research," Measurement Issues in Aging and Physical Activity considers research from experts around the world relating to the latest questions, challenges, and techniques in aging and measurement. The reference addresses a range of topics in aging research, including issues from the fields of kinesiology, biology, physiology, technology, urban planning, measurement, and statistics.

Measurement Issues in Aging and Physical Activity breaks new ground with a discussion of multicultural factors related to physical activity promotion and intervention. Ideas include using culture as a catalyst for active living and using culture-based physical activity as an alternative approach to promotion of active living. The reference further examines multicultural issues with a look at alternative medicine, including an account of a demonstration of qi-gong, a traditional Chinese exercise, from the symposium.

-Measurement Issues in Aging and Physical Activity also provides information on
the benefits of and barriers to exercise in older adults;

-interventions to improve quality of life in older adults;

-advanced statistical methodologies, with discussion of structural equation modeling and longitudinal data analysis; and

-issues regarding training of future aging research and measurement specialists.
In addition, a new term, kinesmetrics, is introduced for the field of measurement and evaluation. Kinesmetrics is defined as a discipline for developing and applying measurement theory, statistics, and mathematical analysis to the field of kinesiology.

The groundbreaking Measurement Issues in Aging and Physical Activity explores subjects in a range of research topics. For both veterans and newcomers to the field, this reference will be a comprehensive guide to the latest research on aging in measurement and physical activity.

The 10th Measurement and Evaluation Symposium was supported by the American Association for Active Lifestyle and Fitness (AAALF), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the Measurement and Evaluation Council, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Human Kinetics.

Weimo Zhu, PhD, is currently an associate professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a visiting professor at Guangzhou Institute of Physical Education and Shanghai Institute of Physical Education, both in China. His major area of research is measurement and evaluation in kinesiology.

Dr. Zhu's primary research interests are in the study and application of new measurement theories (e.g., item response theory) and models to the field of kinesiology. His research works have earned him international recognition. He served as the measurement section editor of the Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport from 1999 to 2005, and he is a fellow of the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, American College of Sports Medicine, and Research Consortium, AAHPERD. He is a member of the Fitnessgram/Activitygram Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the editorial board for three other journals and serves on the executive committees of several national and international professional organizations. Dr. Zhu was the chair of the Measurement and Evaluation Council, AAHPERD. Currently, Dr. Zhu is also examining the application of advanced measurement and statistical techniques to several measurement issues in the area of public health. A tangible practical application of Zhu's theoretical work has been his work in the assessment of physical activity, and he is exploring a new idea (physical activity space) and technologies (voice-recognition and automatic scoring) to solve the problems raised.

Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, PhD, serves as both department head and professor of kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Chodzko-Zajko's primary research is in the area of aging and physical activity. For the past 15 years, he has focused on the effects of exercise and physical activity on the health and quality of life in older adults.

Dr. Chodzko-Zajko chairs the Active Aging Partnership, a national coalition in healthy aging linking the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Institute of Aging, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Geriatrics Society, the National Council on the Aging, the American Association of Retired Persons, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He was editor of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity and president of the International Society for Aging and Physical Activity. Since 2002, Dr. Chodzko-Zajko has served as principal investigator of the National Blueprint Project, a coalition of more than 50 national organizations with a joint commitment to promoting independent, active aging in the older adult population.