Amanda E Paluch

• PhD
• PostDoc Position at Northwestern University

This study aimed to determine if 24-h movement behaviors (sedentary time, physical activity, and sleep), considered independently and together, were associated with declarative memory and hippocampal volume in late early childhood. Observational data were obtained from preschool-aged children (timepoint 1: n = 35 children, 3.9 ± 0.5 years; 6 months...

Background Type 2 diabetes (T2D) results from a complex interplay between genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors. Both genetic susceptibility and unhealthy lifestyle are known to be associated with elevated T2D risk. However, their combined effects on T2D risk are not well studied. We aimed to determine whether unhealthy modifiable health beh...

Background/Purpose: Frailty is a significant health challenge for the aging population, increasing vulnerability to adverse health outcomes such as chronic disease, falls, disability, and mortality. Early detection and monitoring of frailty are critical for effectively managing frailty. Daily steps, as a measure of physical activity, hold valuable...

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute convened a virtual workshop in September 2022 to discuss “Optimal Instruments for Measurement of Diet, Physical Activity, and Sleep.” This report summarizes the proceedings, identifying current research gaps and future directions for measuring different lifestyle behaviors in adult population‐based stud...

Although it is clear that the bioenergetic basis of skeletal muscle fatigue (transient decrease in peak torque or power in response to contraction) involves intramyocellular acidosis (decreased pH) and accumulation of inorganic phosphate (Pi) in response to the increased energy demand of contractions, the effects of old age on the build-up of these...

Physical inactivity is a growing societal concern with significant impact on public health. Identifying barriers to engaging in physical activity (PA) is a critical step to recognize populations who disproportionately experience these barriers. Understanding barriers to PA holds significant importance within patient-facing healthcare professions li...

Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) volumes and patterns may be useful in identifying individuals who are at elevated cardiometabolic risk. Identifying individuals at risk will facilitate early interventions for prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this project is to identify important free-living physical activity...

Introduction: Frailty is a significant health challenge for the aging population. Older adults with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) tend to be physically inactive and have a high risk of frailty. Little is known about the relationship between diurnal movement patterns and frailty and whether this association differs in older adults with and without C...

Introduction: Steps are an easily interpretable metric that could be used in patient-clinician communication regarding the health benefits of physical activity for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, most studies are conducted in younger populations with daily steps goals (e.g., 10,000 steps) that may be unsuitable for older adults. Hypothesis:...

The oldest-old adults (aged 80+ years) are most impacted by sarcopenia, a progressive loss of muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. Physical activity (PA) can slow progression of sarcopenia. However, this population is highly sedentary due to physical limitations and comorbidities. Replacing sedentary time (ST) with light-intensit...

Background Taking fewer than the widely promoted “10 000 steps per day” has recently been associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality. The relationship of steps and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk remains poorly described. A meta-analysis examining the dose–response relationship between steps per day and CVD can help inform clinical and pub...

Background: Although 10 000 steps per day is widely promoted to have health benefits, there is little evidence to support this recommendation. We aimed to determine the association between number of steps per day and stepping rate with all-cause mortality. Methods: In this meta-analysis, we identified studies investigating the effect of daily st...

Achieving recommended levels of physical activity is important for optimal cardiovascular health and can help reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Emerging evidence suggests that physical activity fluctuates throughout the life course. Some life events and transitions are associated with reductions in physical activity and, potentially, increases in...

Introduction: The goal of 10,000 steps/day is widely promoted. There is limited evidence, however, of the number of steps/day associated with risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hypothesis: We hypothesize a dose-response association between higher device-measured steps/day with lower CVD incidence. Methods: The Steps for Health Collabo...

Objective : Diet quality is a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) development given its substantial influence on important downstream CVD mediators such as weight. However, it is unclear if there are additional pathways between diet quality and incident CVD independent of weight. We sought to determine if higher diet quality was...

Importance Steps per day is a meaningful metric for physical activity promotion in clinical and population settings. To guide promotion strategies of step goals, it is important to understand the association of steps with clinical end points, including mortality. Objective To estimate the association of steps per day with premature (age 41-65 year...

Importance: The American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology pooled cohort equations (PCEs) are used for predicting 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. Pooled cohort equation risk prediction capabilities across self-reported leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) levels and the change in model performance with...

Background Better cardiovascular health (CVH) scores are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, estimates of the potential population‐level impact of improving CVH on US CVD event rates are not currently available. Methods and Results Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011 to 2016 (n...

Background Long-term risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) according to levels of cardiovascular health (CVH) have not been characterized in a diverse, representative population. Methods and Results We pooled individual-level data from 30 447 participants (mean [SD] age, 55.0 [13.9] years; 60.6% women; 31.8% black) from 7 US cohort studies. We def...

Background: Daily step counts is an intuitive metric that has demonstrated success in motivating physical activity in adults and may hold potential for future public health physical activity recommendations. This review seeks to clarify the pattern of the associations between daily steps and subsequent all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (...

Background: The present study examined, among weight-stable overweight or obese adults, the effect of increasing doses of exercise energy expenditure (EEex) on changes in total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), total body energy stores, and body composition. Methods: Healthy, sedentary overweight/obese young adults were randomized to one of 3 gro...

Introduction: Quantifying the potential impact of achieving optimal cardiovascular health (CVH) in US adults could aid researchers, clinicians, and policymakers in developing and implementing strategies to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hypothesis: CVH is suboptimal in US adults. Attaining an optimal level of CVH in all US adult...

Introduction: Step counts are an easy way for individuals to quantify their physical activity; there is limited data relating accelerometer-derived step counts with the onset of cardiovascular risk factors. We hypothesized that steps/day are inversely associated with type 2 diabetes, stage 2 hypertension, and obesity 10 years later. Methods: Data a...

Easterlin et al¹ provide evidence in support of making sport participation inclusive and accessible for adolescents with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Their conclusions are based on a longitudinal observational study of adolescents who reported ACEs in grades 7 through 12 from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. A...

Introduction: Non-white minorities are at higher risk for chronic kidney disease than non-Hispanic whites. Better cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with slower declines in estimated glomerular filtration rate and a lower incidence of chronic kidney disease. Little is known regarding associations of fitness with racial disparities in chronic...

Introduction: Ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with intermediate and poor CVH. Quantifying the associations of ideal, intermediate, and poor CVH with lifetime risk of CVD can improve estimation of future population disease burden. Hypothesis: Individuals with ideal CVH have low...

Introduction: Modifiable healthy lifestyle factors have been associated with lower risk of developing heart failure (HF). However, the role of dietary patterns in relation to lifetime risk (LR) of HF and years lived free of HF is not established. We hypothesized that better diet quality scores would be associated with lower risk of HF and more year...

Introduction: Moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) is associated with lower cardiovascular (CV) disease risk. Cross-sectional studies has shown beneficial associations of morning MVPA with CV risk factors. We hypothesized that participants aged 38-50 yrs accumulating a greater proportion of MVPA earlier in the day will have lower...

Introduction: Adherence with the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for physical activity (AHA-PA) may reduce the risk of heart failure (HF). However, the association of AHA-PA in relation to sex and race-specific lifetime risk (LR) estimates of HF and years lived free of HF is not established. Therefore, we sought to examine the associati...

Background: Quantifying the associations of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) with years lived free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) allows for contextualization of the population burden and provides a metric for clinician-patient communication. We hypothesized that individuals with lower levels of MVPA during middle age will h...

Excessive sedentary time is related to poor mental health. However, much of the current literature uses cross-sectional data and/or self-reported sedentary time, and does not assess factors such as sedentary bout length. To address these limitations, the influence of objectively measured sedentary time including sedentary bout length (i.e. <30 min,...

Background and objectives: Type 2 diabetes and associated CKD disproportionately affect blacks. It is uncertain if racial disparities in type 2 diabetes-associated CKD are driven by biologic factors that influence propensity to CKD or by differences in type 2 diabetes care. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: We conducted a post hoc a...

Introduction: Racial and ethnic minorities are at higher risk for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) can reduce the risk of a rapid decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and incidence of CKD. Little is known regarding how CRF contributes to racial disparities in CKD. Hypotheses: We hypoth...

Background: This study examined how life event occurrences and stressfulness influence objectively measured light through vigorous physical activity (PA) among young adults. Methods: Every 3 months over a 12-month period, 404 healthy young adults completed questionnaires on the occurrence and stress of 16 life events and wore an accelerometer fo...

Background/objectives: Metabolic disturbances, such as reduced rates of fat oxidation (high respiratory quotient (RQ)) or low energy expenditure (low resting metabolic rate (RMR)), may contribute to obesity. The objective was to determine the association between a high RQ or a low RMR and changes in body weight and body composition over 1 year. S...

Background: Previous studies suggest that appetite may be dysregulated at low levels of activity, creating an energy imbalance that results in weight gain. Objective: The aim was to examine the relation between energy intake, physical activity, appetite, and weight gain during a 1-y follow-up period in a large sample of adults. Design: Partici...

Determine if individuals with poor sleep characteristics (i.e., late sleep onset or wake times, short sleep duration, long sleep latency, low sleep efficiency, high wake after sleep onset) have greater body mass index (BMI = kg/m(2)) or body fat. Data for these cross-sectional analyses were from the Energy Balance Study (University of South Carolin...

Subjective measures of moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) rely on 'relative' intensity while objective measures capture 'absolute' intensity, thus fit individuals may perceive the same activity differently than unfit individuals. Adults (N=211) wore the SenseWear Armband (SWA) for ten consecutive days to objectively assess sedentary tim...

To determine whether moderate cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) or moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is associated with elevations in resting metabolic rate (RMR) similar to findings previously observed in endurance athletes. Using a cross-sectional design, we measured CRF, RMR, body composition, energy expenditure, and time in MVPA via a...

Subjective versus objective estimation of time spent in sedentary, moderate, and vigorous activity among young adults Nicole C. Gribben 1, Robin P. Shook 1, Gregory A. Hand 1, Amanda E. Paluch 1, Steven N. Blair 1 ,2 1 Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA 2Depar...

The Energy Balance Study (EBS) was a comprehensive study designed to determine over a period of 12 months the associations of caloric intake and energy expenditure on changes in body weight and composition in a population of healthy men and women. EBS recruited men and women aged 21 to 35 years with a body mass index between 20 and 35 kg/m2. Measur...

Background: African American (AA) adult females have a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity compared to their Caucasian (Cauc) peers. Lower resting metabolic rate (RMR) values, a hypothesized contributor to higher levels of adiposity, have been observed among AA women. However, it is unknown whether cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associa...

Conversion, utilization and storage of energy in the regulation of energy balance is poorly understood. These misconceptions arise from confusion related to energy balance and its impact on body weight and composition, and can bias the interpretation of findings that are important for the development of policies addressing the obesity epidemic. PUR...

Successful aging encompasses more than just the prevention of disease and disability; the truly well-lived life is demonstrated by a sense of vitality and independence, freedom from bodily pain, and the continued involvement in meaningful activities. While physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors accelerate the aging process, deliberate exercise...

he vast majority of the nations’ children and ado-lescents attend school (K–12). As such, educational milieus are a logical and economically sensible setting to deliver health promotion programming. Nev-ertheless, such is not a schools’ primary mission. the United states Department of education’s mission is “…

Physical activity improves health. Different types of activity promote different types of physiologic changes and different health outcomes. A curvilinear reduction in risk occurs for a variety of diseases and conditions across volume of activity, with the steepest gradient at the lowest end of the activity scale. Some activity is better than none,...