Despite the well-documented benefits of physical activity, physical inactivity remains a public health issue, with only 25% of US adults meeting physical activity and public health guidelines.  Furthermore, rural populations face additional disparities in meeting physical activity guidelines including lack of access to resources, geographic distances, and provider shortages.  Rural populations also face higher rates of chronic disease and related mortality rates, some of which may be prevented or managed by physical activity. Thus, it is imperative to find innovative strategies to promote physical activity in this at-risk population. This presentation will provide an overview of physical activity and chronic disease in rural communities and present two research studies where technology was used to promote physical activity. These case studies will focus on the use of virtual delivery mechanisms to promote physical activity in Black women and in caregivers in Eastern North Carolina.

Dr. Bhibha M. Das is a public health and physical activity practitioner and researcher with over a decade’s worth of experience in the field. Prior to joining academia, she spent four years working with communities, including underserved and rural ones to develop, implement, and evaluate physical activity promotion programs and policies. Part of Dr. Das’s transition from practitioner to researcher was to bridge the gap between practice and research. Dr. Das’s research agenda focuses on physical activity promotion as the cornerstone for improvements in quality of life in worksites and underserved populations. After earning degrees in public health and kinesiology from the University of Illinois, Bhibha is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at East Carolina University and is a fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine. In her free time, Bhibha enjoys playing trivia, reading, and being physically active.