Pitt center to target lifestyles

“Pitt is, in essence, marshaling its considerable and dynamic resources toward helping Americans live healthier and happier lives,” said Mr. Jakicic, who will serve as the institute’s founding director. He holds a Ph.D. in exercise physiology.

The institute, he said, will be housed within the school of education, with staff members coordinating research involving different divisions and departments. The institute also plans to develop strategies for better methods to modify behavior and understand more precisely how lifestyle factors impact health.

Ultimately, the institute’s goal is creation of community programs that have a local and national impact on health and wellness.

“The institute also will focus on how best to train health care professionals to use such tools to help patients pursue healthier lifestyles,” Mr. Jakicic said in a statement. “Not only will the institute seek input from various departments but also nonprofit organizations and public schools through southwestern Pennsylvania.”

One hypothetical, he said involves a physician telling the patient to become more physically active.

“Why doesn’t the physician ask, ‘What’s getting in the way of your activity right now?’ ” he said. “You ask people what the barriers are, and target the message better.”

A better approach, he said, would be to ask, “If you have three kids to deal with in the morning, and you have to work all day, why not try this strategy?”

Most people want to make changes, he said.

“Twenty years ago, I did a study that asked people to take either a 10-minute, or a 30-minute walk,” he said. “When you say 30 minutes, that’s hard to do. But if you say 10 minutes, they did it and started walking 15 to 17 minutes. It was a little step leading to a bigger outcome.”

The institute’s ultimate mission?

“How can the work that Pitt does on a national scale begin to impact the very important way that people live in their community?” Mr. Jakicic said.