Jump In

Exercise and Bone Development of Young Girls, also known as "Jump In," is designed to prospectively assess the effects of weight-bearing exercise on strength and bone macro-architectural structure (mass, density, thickness and shape) in pre-pubertal and pubertal girls after one and two years of intervention.

Jump In is based on the following assertions: (1) osteoporosis is a major public health problem; (2) osteoporosis is in part, a pediatric disorder manifested in old age; (3) both bone mass and structural geometry are important determinants of bone strength and fracture risk; (4) achieving a high peak bone mass early in life predicts a higher bone mass and greater fracture protection later in life; (5) the mechanical environment (i.e. exercise) is the major determinant of bone structural strength; (6) children and adolescents have the ability to modify structural geometry, and (7) the pre-pubertal and peri-pubertal years may present a window of opportunity for bone structural adaptations to exercise that are maintained into adulthood.

For More Information Contact:
Dr. Scott Going
University of Arizona
(520) 626-2639
going@u.arizona.edu