Study on strength training coming to Havre

Havre has been chosen to a participate in a new strength study which will focus on strength and balance exercises to help adults over 50 years of age become stronger and prevent illness.

“The purpose of the study is to gather data in a community setting to see if the Strong People Program can help with prevention or improvement of heart disease and diabetes, as well as overall strength and functional fitness,” Montana State University Family & Consumer Sciences Extension Agent Jasmine Carbajal said.

Strong People Training Program: A Community Based Randomized Trial, often referred to as Strong People, is a research study developed and funded by Cornell University, according to a press release from Carbajal.

Havre is one of six locations chosen to participate in the study, in part because of the town’s relatively large population.

The study will focus on people over 50 years of age who are currently not exercising and those who do not do any strength training or haven’t done any within the last year.

Initial screening for participants will begin Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 6 a.m.

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Physical Activity Guidelines says, “adults need at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like brisk walking or fast dancing, each week.”

The Strong People Program is randomized, which means that once the study gathers its participants, they will be randomly split into two groups. One group will start the program in September and the second group will then join the program in January 2020.

Carbajal said she hopes to have a diverse group of community members over 50 years of age wanting to participate.

“In this study, we will be examining the effects of a twice-weekly strength training program on health, including heart disease and diabetes, as well as the functional fitness of midlife and older adults,” the press release said.

Carbajal has been a trained instructor of the Strong People Program since 2013 and has been wanting to bring the program to Hill County since she became an MSU extension agent for the county. MSU is providing Carbajal the required materials, such as strength-training weights, for free. Even after the study, she said she plans on using the weights to continue the program in the community.

“My goal is that after the study, we can have more community members trained as instructors so we can have various sites, days and times we can offer the class and more people can participate,” Carbajal said.

Community members who choose to participate will receive $60 for participating. During the initial physical screening Aug. 14 they will collect $20 and will collect the remaining $40 once they complete the program.

“I would suggest that community members that want to be a part of this should not think twice about reaching out to me. Aside from the monetary reward, the program will make the participants stronger,” Carbajal said.

People who are interested in participating can contact Jasmine Carbajal at jasmine.carbajal@montana.edu or call her at 406-400-2335.