If you are an English-speaking, African-American who is 18-30 or 65-84 years old, you may be eligible to take part in the ARMS-II Study at Howard University Hospital.
Compensation provided.
Bring your parent(s), child(ren), grandparent(s) or grandchild(ren)! Make it a date!
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Who are we?
We are the 3MAP Lab team members, a diverse group of clinical investigators with experience in physical therapy, kinesiology, physiology, and exercise science. Click here to learn more.
Why are we doing this research?
Think about your last visit with a health care provider. More likely than not, you may have had your heart rate and blood pressure checked. Perhaps you even received advice about the importance of maintaining a healthy diet or reaching an ideal body weight? But has a health care provider ever spoken with you about your “muscle health” or tested your muscle strength? Are you aware that maintaining your strength as you age is important to decrease your risk of falls or maintain your ability to live independently? Muscle health is particularly important for African Americans since a loss of muscle size or strength may affect our ability to keep blood sugar levels under control. Participation in this study will help us to find ways to identify declining muscle health before one experiences a fall or a loss of function due to poor muscle function.
Why should you participate?
You may learn information about your body composition and insulin sensitivity status (how your cells use blood sugar). You may also learn about any loss (or potential loss) of muscle strength or function that could potentially affect your quality of life as you get older. In addition, it is possible that your participation in the study may lead to knowledge that will help others in the future.
What is involved?
The study will require up to 2 visits and you will be compensated for your time (including a parking & food voucher).
We will measure muscle mass using a traditional type of X-ray called a DXA scan, which is a low-radiation procedure. This machine is also commonly used to test for bone loss, or osteoporosis.
Muscle fat will be measured using another form of X-ray called a CT scan.
We will then measure the size of 6 muscles using ultrasound.
You will also complete a blood test to better understand how your body handles dietary sugar.
In addition to the muscle measurements, we will test your general mobility, along with your hand and leg strength.
Finally, we will ask you some basic questions about your level of function and physical activity.