Rowan CHASE Lab

We're back from @sbm.org's conference - stay tuned for details! In the meantime, we're excited to share our new article, which used 6 datasets to test for evidence of "reactivity" to the measurement of physical activity (adults ages 40-60) 🤓 Full: tinyurl.com/mw99vsva Summary: tinyurl.com/ms7kvcym

Can #physical activity (PA)🏃 have an effect on cognitive functioning🧠? This #longitudinal study examines the possibilites of PA having an effect on overall cognitive performance. This study found no signifcant associations between PA and cognitive stability/decrease. tinyurl.com/3pabkmv8

The amount of #women's health information on social media is growing↗️ due to increased awareness. A new study, however, has found that of 472 posts on Instagram, over half were #commercially focused 💸 and promotional. Highlighting the lack of reliable information for women. tinyurl.com/v32yvuvj

🚨New paper alert! Pleased to share these new mixed methods findings - first in a series of work from my NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, focused on physical activity leaderboards for activity promotion among insufficiently active adults 📊 See ⬇️ for resources and stay tuned for more very soon 🤓

Can PA🏃 have an effect on cognitive functioning🧠? #Longitudinal study examines of PA having an effect on overall cognitive performance. Found no associations between PA and cognitive stability/decrease, but associates between positive cognitive performance & PA. tinyurl.com/3pabkmv8

In a study examining the relationship between #sleep 💤 and emotions in #midlife women, researchers found that better objectively measured sleep led to more positive emotions the next day ☺️This was especially true if women didn’t lay awake in the middle of the night 🥱 tinyurl.com/4hz4tnph

Great weeks start w/sharing new research from our team! New paper available now in #DigitalHealth, on perceptions of/responses to physical activity leaderboards. We describe quantitative, qualitative, & integrated findings across 2 studies 🤓 Summary: tinyurl.com/kxatnk6z Full: tinyurl.com/bde6f74t

Menopause can bring changes to both physical AND mental health🧠🩷. This review suggests that low- and moderate-intensity physical activity may help reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms.🏃‍♀️ #Menopause #PhysicalActivity #MentalHealth tinyurl.com/mvdtzzb6

Filling in the gaps; this article investigates what we don't know about midlife women's reproductive health🩺 experiences. 30 semi-structured interviews show what impacts women’s #reproductive health perceptions and that they desire more info about reproductive health. tinyurl.com/5n6cb785

Struggling to stay #active 🏃‍♀️? These are 6 practical strategies to boost #ExerciseMotivation including setting one clear goal, finding a workout buddy, matching workouts to your personality, and focusing on long-term progress. #HealthyAging tinyurl.com/tacyscpz

How can the #menopause transition affect your sleep💤? This study how symptoms of menopause can affect sleep-wake patterns, which can then affect depressive symptoms🧠. Results indicate the need for further focus on sleep patterns in midlife women! tinyurl.com/3hymr98c

Social determinants of health (SDOH) can impact #women's health❤️‍🩹, but little is known about their influence on menopause or the use of hormone therapy (HT). Results found that several SDOH increase the likelihood of HT use, an important consideration for equitable care🩺. tinyurl.com/56vfj28d

Happy Monday! Kicking off this week with a new edition of Meet Rowan CHASE Lab - get to know our Project WHADE coordinator Catriona Galvin, who joined our team in May 2026. Catriona has a B.S. in Biology from Gordon College and is helping us prep our new #WomensHealth study 🤓 tinyurl.com/4y79bdyy

Prior research on the social determinants of physical activity🏃 (PA) and sedentary behavior🧖 (SB) focused on demographic and individual factors. This article describes a mapping approach used to understand the social processes associated with PA and SB within family units. tinyurl.com/bdz7pbk

Feeling burnt out and struggling with physical activity (PA)? You’re not alone! In a cross-sectional study, researchers found that #stress and #burnout reduced quality of life. Burnout was associated with lower PA🏃‍♀️and physical functioning 🏋🏽‍♀️among #midlife women tinyurl.com/45bj5mdb

Creating physical activity👟 (PA) habits? It can be harder than it seems! Researchers emphasize the need for collaboration between healthcare professionals to support and facilitate PA and healthy lifestyle changes in peri- and postmenopausal women👭. Read more here: tinyurl.com/2hzpapzx

"How do we best care for women with unique care needs in #midlife, like women with premature #menopause, HIV, #endometriosis, or female-specific cancers? ⚕️This rapid review 📄shows that women need integrative, multidisciplinary care to support them as they age. tinyurl.com/ycx2eue4 "

Can we have more open and supportive discussions🗣️ about menopause? This article identified #barriers to safer ❣️conversations and found a number of “widespread shortcomings,” such as lack of social support, and negative healthcare experiences as contributors. tinyurl.com/ye3uc3ar

What treatment options are there?💊Physical menopause symptoms are burdensome, yet many women lack knowledge about pharmacological treatment options. This review aims to inform providers🥼 and patients about numerous non-HT treatment options and bridge the accessibility gap. tinyurl.com/4nrw3rv2

How many hats🧢 do you wear? This study found that #social role accumulation, role repertoires, and role contexts all influence sleep in mid-life adults. In addition, several of the relationships between roles and sleep are gendered👫. Read more here: tinyurl.com/m2xjpmnk

This review examines🔍 the influence of overlooked menopause factors: types, symptoms, and interventions, and menopause hormone therapy (MHT) on brain health🧠. Researchers found that MHT has a #positive impact on brain ageing, but effectiveness depends on individual factors. tinyurl.com/yfmp4z8k

The effects of #menopause on cognitive function remains unclear🧐. A longitudinal study examined the impact of reproductive age & hormone levels on 6 domains of cognitive🧠function. Results show reproductive age & hormones may be associated with changes to verbal episodic memory. tinyurl.com/37mnmajm

#Physicalactivity helps improve physical health, but also has #mentalhealth benefits🧠. This recent study found that aerobic exercise, walking, and yoga led to notable improvements in psychological #wellbeing, #qualityoflife, and better sleep💤 among cancer patients. doi.org/10.1080/1354...

Women's and #maternalhealth is a focus and priority😁. Yet, another study found that mothers reported several barriers to healthy eating and activity behaviors🚶. They proposed strategies for maternal obesity prevention: e.g., incorporating health behaviors in daily activities. tinyurl.com/4rmscrtr

The #menopausal transition (MT) affects many different areas of a woman's life, but one area that can go underepresented is the #workplace🏢. Research is conducted to examine how occupational functioning/well-being❤️‍🩹are affected by the MT and symptoms associated in Irish women. tinyurl.com/zfpvn44d

🚨New research findings to share! What can selecting health-related social comparison content tell us about women's broader health information preferences? Are these preferences stable or variable? Read all about it! 🤓 #WomensHealth Summary: tinyurl.com/yc249xff Full paper: tinyurl.com/dkar3ksh

Low-income, Black and Latinx populations face disparities in accessing mental health 🧠(MH) resources. This qualitative study found that stigma, provider-related concerns, and negative past experiences were barriers🚧 to MH treatment for midlife women in these populations. tinyurl.com/bddy5h8h

Women in #midlife are experiencing many different changes, but one one huge change during this time is CVD risk❤️‍🩹 In this study, research was conducted to see if changes in lifestyle through education would have an affect on #physical activity💪 in midlife women🚺. tinyurl.com/4unj6d6s

Do our personal experiences affect our #cardiovascular health❤️‍🩹? This cohort study researchers the possible risk between adverse childhood experiences and poorere CVH in midlife women🚺. Results show that #PA may be a factor between these adverse childhood experiences an CVH. tinyurl.com/5e3nehah

Happy Friday! We're delighted to introduce Angelina Stagliano, an undergraduate research assistant who is pursuing a B.S. in Psychological Science at @rowanuniversity.bsky.social. Read more about her interests in #WomensHealth, her learning process, and her career goals: tinyurl.com/jjjhr6fn

Happiness😆 looks different for everyone, so how can we define it? This systematic review examined happiness across cultures and countries🌎 and found that there are three main determinants of happiness; “health,” “hope,” and “harmony.” Read more here: tinyurl.com/47sc3h2w

Did you know that women👭 experience pain differently than men👬? This narrative review explores #pain management strategies to address the physiological and psychological factors that cause women to experience greater acute and chronic pain compared to men❤️‍🩹. tinyurl.com/yc79jtrn.

How common is #Metabolic Syndrome during midlife🤔? This study explores how peri/postmenopausal changes in midlife women can affect the prevalence of MetS. This study also researches how difference levels of #PA💪 can affect MetS risk. tinyurl.com/565er6v7

Changing hormone levels during menopause are associated with increased risk of osteoarthritis🦴(OA) and cardiovascular disease❤️‍🩹 (CVD). This article explores the influence of hormone therapy (HT) on disease risk and the interplay of menopause-related physiological changes. tinyurl.com/3a4c6xxe

Although #menopause is becoming a more discussed topic, there is still a long way to go with giving the proper amount of menopause knowledge to women🚺. This study involves interviewing women with intellectual disabilities about their knowledge/views on menopause😀. tinyurl.com/3ef46u65

Why do so many women💃 struggle to acheive consistent #physical activity (PA)? This article examined the barriers women face, specifically to at-home physical🏡 activity, and classified them into three main categories: personal, social, and environmental. Read more here: tinyurl.com/2t9xbz3s

💜 For many people with PMDD, the hardest part isn't just the symptoms. This Australian study found that delayed diagnosis, symptom dismissal, limited clinician awareness remain major barriers to care. Better recognition = better outcomes. 🩺✨ #PMDD #WomensHealth #MentalHealth tinyurl.com/yc7pk6s8

Promoting long term physical 💪activity (PA) adherence is a goal of many PA interventions. This study found that the social aspects, health benefits/improvement, and supervision were the most prominent factors in sustained #PA engagement👏 for aging adults. Read more here: tinyurl.com/2n7xskst

Midlife is a period of many shifts for women, including sexual health and well-being (SHSW). This systematic review found that health inequalities, poor knowledge, and stigma were barriers to SHSW whereas intergenerational learning🫂 and women-only services were promoters. tinyurl.com/w33ttwhf

Covid-19 threw a wrench🔧 in a lot of things, including #physical activity (PA). This study found that menopausal symptoms decreased and quality of life increased for post-menopausal women during the pandemic, despite interruptions to PA💪. Read more here: tinyurl.com/3pya3w98

Privacy is a concern for users📱 of menstrual tracking and reproductive apps, which often collect identifiable information. This article found that EU- and US-based apps do not meet user expectations of privacy🔒, underscoring the need for transparency about data usage. tinyurl.com/bdxys6f8

#Leaderboards don't affect everyone the same way🏆. This study suggests motivation for physical activity follows a U-shaped pattern: people at the highest⬆️ and lowest⬇️ ranks may be more #motivated than those in the middle. tinyurl.com/4p72s99y

Those with mental disorders often engage in high📈 levels of #sedentary behavior, which also contributes to physical morbidities. This study assesses the role of socioeconomic factors in various countries to better promote active🤸 lifestyles for those with mental illnesses. tinyurl.com/3u89nnat

Social determinants of health (SDOH) can have a big important on #CVH❤️‍🩹, but SDOH isn't the focus of many studies☹️. This study's goal is to see how SDOH is associated with less than ideal CVH, and how interventions can be impemented to positively affect CVH😄. #womenshealth tinyurl.com/58jufhba

This paper focuses on #intergenerational communication of menopause between Chinese women♀️, and how mother-daughter conversations regarding #reproductive health/menopause affects the overall menopausal experience for these women 💞. tinyurl.com/bdcrd9ky

How does #caregiving👫burden affect health🍎? This systematic review found that although informal caregivers had lower mortality, they experienced higher occurrences of chronic disease and mental health disorders compared to non-caregiving counterparts. Read more here: tinyurl.com/8vdm49sv

Can #physical activity🏃 have any benefits towards congitive ability in midlife? This longitudinal study📚 focuses on the possible relationship between PA levels & cogntiive decline. Results of this study explain that there may not be a relationship between PA & memory. bhttps://tinyurl.com/32f3fxvk

Is technology really changing the game? This article found that digital health technologies📱 (DHT) provide increased accessibility, self-care care, and self-monitoring which is positively impacting women's health empowerment💪 and gender equality✨. Read more here: tinyurl.com/yc57ty3v

August has been busy for us so far! Some exciting news coming soon. Today, we're delighted to share a new edition of Meet @rowanchaselab.bsky.social - meet Shreya Sankar, a medical student at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine who works on Project PACE. #WomensHealth tinyurl.com/3c2w2ppk

#Hormone Therapy (HT) is commonly used to manage menopause symptoms❤️‍🩹, but that’s not all! This article found that a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome is associated with menopause, but HT may be protective against the development of this disease. Read more here: tinyurl.com/mttvwzsp

In a mixed-method design of quantitative and qualitative study about physical activity💪 and menstrual cycle🩸 it was found menstrual cycle impacts physical performance 🏃‍♂️due to increase in body temperature when exercising in luteal phase and lower fatigue resistance. tinyurl.com/3pum5xwt