Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health

Arthur S. Leon, MD, is the Henry L. Taylor professor and director of the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science in the Division of Kinesiology as well as adjunct professor and Chief Cardiologist in the Department of Medicine's Heart Disease Prevention Clinic at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Dr. Leon, who earned his MD in 1957 from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, has studied the effects of physical activity on cardiovascular health for more than 32 years. His research has contributed significantly to recent recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Surgeon General's Report on the health benefits of regular physical activity. A Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, and the Epidemiology and Preventive Cardiology Council, Dr. Leon also is a member of the editorial board for the Surgeon General's Report. He won the AAPHERD's William G. Anderson Award in 1981 and ACSM Citation Award in 1995. Dr. Leon lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with his wife, Gloria. He enjoys jogging and exercise, gardening, and watching University of Minnesota basketball games.

An overview of the field; burden of physical inactivity to the population's health; current issues related to the nature of physical activity and cardiovascular disease; physical activity in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and other CVD risk factors; secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cardiac rehabilitation; successful approaches to adopting and maintaining a physically active lifestyle.