PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Crohn’s disease (CD), which affects over 500,000 individuals with CD in the US, is a chronic and uniquely
challenging condition that requires lifelong medications, major surgeries, and health promotion. Physical activity
(PA) is an essential component of many chronic disease and surgical treatment programs, but the potential
benefits of PA in CD are poorly understood as there has been a paucity of research in CD. Identifying factors
that influence PA participation and the extent and intensity regular PA has a therapeutic effect (i.e., inflammatory
biomarkers, mucosal healing) on disease activity in CD is important for developing effective PA interventions
that can be translated to practice. Therefore, the primary objective of this research proposal is to examine the
complex behavioral and biological correlates of PA in CD. This project seeks to compare PA rates between
adults with CD and healthy controls (Aim 1) and examine the psychosocial and clinical influences on self-report
and device-measured PA (Aims 2 and 3) in CD. The central hypothesis is that adults with CD who report lower
levels of self-efficacy engage in less device-measured PA and more sedentary behavior than the general
population, and that the relationship between PA and disease outcomes varies by both volume and pattern of
PA behavior and the aspect of disease activity measured. The public health significance of this study lies in its
potential to develop an improved, theoretically sound understanding of PA behavior in CD and the relationship
between PA and disease activity. These findings could potentially result in better designed, more effective PA
programs for adults with CD that ultimately have the potential to reduce healthcare costs associated with adverse
postoperative outcomes. My ultimate career goal is to lead a collaborative research team that bridges the gap
between evidence-based PA interventions and the translation of this evidence into clinical and community
practice in the context of CD. To better prepare myself for a career as an independent investigator, I am seeking
training in 4 major areas: 1) rigorous research in the CD field, including familiarity with CD clinical patient care;
2) multidisciplinary collaboration with clinicians and scientists; 3) translational research, including clinical trial
design, statistical methods, and interpretation of results for clinical application and future intervention
development; and 4) professional development, including principles of scientific integrity and responsible conduct
of research. Training in these areas is integral to completing the research aims and providing me with a solid
foundation for a successful career as an independent researcher.
