Karin Pfeiffer

Associate Professor Michigan State University

  • East Lansing MI

Expert in exercise physiology, with an interest in population-based research

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Michigan State University

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Biography

Karin Allor Pfeiffer is an associate professor of kinesiology and member of the Center for Physical Activity and Health. She is an exercise physiologist with an interest in population-based investigations. Her research focuses on two major areas, both of which are related to physical activity in children and adolescents. Her work spans the age range of preschool through high school (and even addresses college students sometimes). The first major area of research is measurement of physical activity, which she has been investigating since graduate school. The second major area is interventions to increase physical activity, which she has been investigating since her post-doctoral research position at the University of South Carolina. She has been involved with many school-based studies and is interested in incorporating families and communities into her research. She has also been at the forefront of work examining physical activity in preschool children and plans to continue more research in that area.

Industry Expertise

Public Policy
Health and Wellness
Research
Education/Learning
Writing and Editing

Areas of Expertise

Obesity
Physical Activity
Childhood Health

Education

University of South Carolina, Department of Exercise Science

Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Michigan State University

Ph.D.

Michigan State University

M.S.

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Journal Articles

Intervention Effects of “Girls on the Move” on Increasing Physical Activity: A Group Randomized Trial

Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Lorraine B Robbins, Jiying Ling, Dhruv B. Sharma, Karin Pfeiffer

2018

Limited intervention success in increasing and sustaining girls’ moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) underscores a need for continued research. Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a 17-week Girls on the Move (GOTM) intervention on increasing MVPA among fifth- to eighth-grade girls. Methods This study is a group (cluster) randomized trial, including 24 schools, pair matched and assigned to intervention (n = 12) or control (n = 12) conditions. Participants included 1,519 girls in racially diverse public schools in urban, underserved areas of the Midwestern USA. The intervention included three components: (i) 90-min after-school physical activity (PA) club offered 3 days/week; (ii) two motivational, individually tailored counseling sessions; and (iii) an interactive Internet-based session at the midpoint of the intervention. Main outcome measures were weighted mean minutes of MVPA per week post-intervention and at 9-month follow-up measured via accelerometer. Results No between-group differences occurred for weighted mean minutes of MVPA per week at post-intervention (B = –0.08, p = .207) or 9-month follow-up (B = –0.09, p = .118) while controlling for baseline MVPA. Conclusions Research is needed to identify interventions that assist girls in attaining and maintaining adequate PA. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01503333.

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