Health and Fitness Programs

The top three leading causes of death among African-Americans are heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Other major health related issues that affect the African-American community includes diabetes, HIV/AIDS, homicide, infant mortality, and hypertension.  With less time for leisure activity and increasingly becoming more sedentary and overweight, Americans are looking for more ways to get physically active. There is limited research on how unique forms of exercises and innovative intervention techniques such as animated computer games, attending Afro-American dance classes, and practicing yoga impacts one’s overall level of health and wellness.

Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) has taken on the action of building a HealthPlex, a facility that will host campus and community wellness programming along with an applied health research center. The primary focus of the HealthPlex is to provide health and wellness services that promote positive attitudes, healthily lifestyles, and responsible self-care for the JCSU campus and surrounding community. Student interns and researchers will be encouraged to become active participants in health, sport, and human performance research to gain valuable experience that will enhance their academic career. Programming available to the community will address their needs and concerns regarding health and wellness. Methods will be developed for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of programming and services.

The HealthPlex will give staff, faculty, and students of JCSU free access to a health facility and wellness programming. Programming will address the unique needs and concerns of the JCSU campus and the surrounding community as it relates to health and wellness. Along with programming, staff and faculty will be able to perform research in the fields of health, sport, and human performance that benefit the University and the surrounding community.