Gao receives Grant-in-Aid for research on Smartphone Exercise Apps for breast cancer survivors

Zan Gao, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab, was recently awarded a research grant totaling $47,620 from the University of Minnesota’s Office of the Vice President for Research for his work on Smartphone Exercise Apps. He will be collaborating with Dr. Hee Yun Lee from the School of Social Work and Dr. Rui Zhang from the Department of Surgery and Institute for Health Informatics.

Gao’s work is titled, “Improving Breast Cancer Survivors’ Disease Management Outcomes through Smartphone Apps and Online Health Community,” and is designed to examine how utilizing a free, commercially available smartphone app (Polar Flow), capable of uploading physical activity and diet statistics to an online community app (Facebook), along with a Facebook health education community might promote sentiment and quality of life in breast cancer survivors over a 3-month period. Findings from this project will inform the development of innovative and cost-effective mobile device apps and online health communities for disease prevention and management in breast cancer survivors.