Guest(s)
David R. Bassett, Jr., Ph.D., FACSM
Topic
Walking, Weight Loss and Exercise!
Topic Info
David R. Bassett, Jr., Ph.D., FACSM comes on the show to discuss walking, weight loss and exercise. He will discuss his study on whether we walk as much as other countries, and how Pedometers can help you loose weight.
Guest Info
Dr. Bassett received the Bachelor of Arts degree from Oberlin College (1981), the M.S. degree from Ball State University (1983), and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1988).
Dr. Bassett's primary research interest is measuring physical activity and energy expenditure in humans. He has conducted studies on the validity and reliability of pedometers, accelerometers, and heart rate monitors, in order to improve on existing methods of assessing physical activity in free-living people. In many of these studies, respiratory gas exchange is used to measure Calorie expenditure; this provides a convenient "gold standard" for comparison purposes.
Dr. Bassett has used pedometers to measure walking activity in different populations. He and his students have collected data on groups ranging from school children to sedentary, middle-aged adults to Amish farmers. They are exploring the relationships of pedometer-determined values of "steps per day" to body weight, blood pressure, and other cardiovascular risk factors. A number of studies conducted in our laboratory have examined the benefits of walking and swimming for weight loss, blood pressure reduction, and glucose tolerance.
Dr. Bassett directs the UT Applied Physiology Laboratory within the department. He is co-director of the Obesity Research Center at UT (with Dr. Naima Moustaid-Moussa). More information about this center can be found at: He has served on the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) board of trustees and the science advisory board of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He currently serves on the editorial board of three journals (Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Journal of Applied Physiology, and Research Digest).
Dr. Bassett's primary research interest is measuring physical activity and energy expenditure in humans. He has conducted studies on the validity and reliability of pedometers, accelerometers, and heart rate monitors, in order to improve on existing methods of assessing physical activity in free-living people. In many of these studies, respiratory gas exchange is used to measure Calorie expenditure; this provides a convenient "gold standard" for comparison purposes.
Dr. Bassett has used pedometers to measure walking activity in different populations. He and his students have collected data on groups ranging from school children to sedentary, middle-aged adults to Amish farmers. They are exploring the relationships of pedometer-determined values of "steps per day" to body weight, blood pressure, and other cardiovascular risk factors. A number of studies conducted in our laboratory have examined the benefits of walking and swimming for weight loss, blood pressure reduction, and glucose tolerance.
Dr. Bassett directs the UT Applied Physiology Laboratory within the department. He is co-director of the Obesity Research Center at UT (with Dr. Naima Moustaid-Moussa). More information about this center can be found at: He has served on the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) board of trustees and the science advisory board of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He currently serves on the editorial board of three journals (Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Journal of Applied Physiology, and Research Digest).
Website
Host
Melanie Cole, M.S.
Original Air Date
11 / 9 / 2010
