Prince George, BC – If you are over  55, and  involved in regular outdoor activity,  the Fraser Basin Council  needs  you.

A  special health study  is being launched that will focus on participants over a 10 week period.   The study is looking at the health effects associated with regular outdoor physical activity.  To be more  specific, that  “activity”  is  regular  exercise,  such as walking or  cross country skiing,  and not the kind of  activity that would be associated with  a job that  requires you to work outdoors.

Each participant  will have to keep a  daily diary of  their activity,  and   attend a clinic one day a week.  “During that clinic visit they will  undergo some testing before and after their physical activity” says Study Coordinator Melanie Noulett.

Noulett says  they will need about 40  volunteers for the study, just in case some participants  drop out before the 10 weeks are up.

There are some  healthy requirements to take part says Noulett “They have to be non-smokers, and can’t be living with a smoker. They will have to undergo an ECG screening as well.  We aren’t looking for peole who are perfectly healthy,   rather, we are looking for people who are generally in good health.”

She says previous information  gathered on this subject has focused on those who live in major urban centres  and Health Canada would like to have  some better information on what is happening in  smaller communities, such as Prince George.  The  City’s challenges  with  air quality  are not related to the selection of Prince George to be  part of this  study.

There will be a  special information session for anyone  interested in finding out more about  being part of the study.  That session is set for Thursday December 19th at the UNBC Community Care Centre (1310 3rd Avenue) from 6:00–‐7:00 PM.  You are asked to  go to the rear door of that building  and  ring the doorbell.