Grant to study the benefits of exercise on the sick

School of Medicine Greenville To Study ‘Exercise Is Medicine’

Just how much does physical exercise improve chronic health conditions? That’s what a $3.4 million study will reveal.

The National Institute of Health has awarded the USC School of Medicine Greenville with a research grant to study and enhance a program that harnesses the benefits of physical activity to treat chronic disease and promote health.

The $3.4 million, five-year grant supports research led by two doctors, one local and one working abroad.

Dr. Jennifer Trilk is a Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the School of Medicine Greenville and Director of Lifestyle Medicine Programs.

Dr. Mark Stoutenberg is a Professor of Public Health and Co-Director of the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Well-Being at Durham University in the United Kingdom.

The research project focuses on increasing the number of eligible patients referred to community-based physical activity programs through a new model for primary care providers. The model is called Exercise is Medicine Greenville.

The program leverages the resources of a medical school (SOMG), health care system (Prisma Health), and community organizations (YMCA of Greenville and Foothills Area YMCA) to identify, refer, and enroll eligible patients in programs designed to increase their physical activity as a way to prevent, manage and treat their chronic diseases.

The work by Trilk and Stoutenberg, and their research team, will examine referral rates and patient enrollment, using the Exercise is Medicine Greenville model, at 24 Prisma Health primary care clinics in the Upstate.

Trilk will lead on-the-ground research and coordinate with physicians and the YMCA.

Stoutenberg will work remotely to co-lead the project and compile and assess data. As a United States citizen, he has worked with Trilk since 2019 and consults on similar research projects worldwide.

The one-of-a-kind model, Exercise is Medicine Greenville, was built by Trilk, SOMG, Prisma Health, YMCA of Greenville and Foothills Area YMCA, Stoutenberg said.

The goal is to determine how to engage as many Prisma Health patients as possible so that they can achieve the mental, physical, and emotional benefits of being physically active, he said.

The research will identify strategies to increase the number of patients receiving referrals, provide insights into the cost-effectiveness of incorporating physical activity into health care, and determine the effects of the program on blood pressure, cholesterol, and body weight.

“Consistent physical activity prevents, treats, and even reverses chronic diseases,” Trilk said. “It literally can be a prescription for health. This research is a big step toward helping health care systems promote physical activity in communities where our patients work, live, pray, and play.”

The study will also help health care providers refer patients to programs outside of hospitals or doctors’ offices, she said.

Exercise is Medicine Greenville launched in 2016. It is modeled after a global initiative developed and led by the American College of Sports Medicine.

Lifestyle Medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary treatment for chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

The program is also designed to help patients who cannot afford to participate in physical activities or have unique challenges, said Dr. Meenu Jindal, Medical Director of Internal Medicine Clinics at Prisma Health.

YMCA of Greenville strives to deliver programs equitably, through scholarships to those who need them.

The program includes behavior modification resources and feedback to providers about patients’ participation and progress, Jindal said.