“A jump can tell you a lot.”
That’s how Dr. Kelly Laurson, M.S. ’05, professor in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University, describes a segment of his research.
Laurson specializes in children’s health and helping them, their parents, and teachers identify and be aware of telltale signs of the potential for problems later in life. He conducts research on factors, such as obesity and fitness, that are predictors for future health and wellness outcomes in young people. Integral to this research is measuring children’s aerobic capacity and strength to determine their connection to chronic disease, specifically high blood pressure and osteoporosis.
Appears In“For example, on a recent project we were focused on osteoporosis, low-bone density, which is an issue later for people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s,” Laurson said. “The vast majority of bone density is gained in adolescence, those junior high and high school years. It peaks in the late 20s or early 30s and starts to erode from there. The more you start with, the lower risk of osteoporosis later. We figured out that a person’s muscular power is related to how strong their bones are.”
Laurson’s method for checking for children’s risk factors was straightforward.
“We measured their vertical jump—how high they could jump,” he said. “And we measured them in the broad jump—how far they could jump. My work is mainly on creating those standards; those are the values that define healthy or unhealthy, when a kid is measured.”
In addition to measuring jumping ability, Laurson uses several other tests during his research. He conducts plank testing that is tied to core lean mass; checks cardio metabolic rates; and examines handgrip strength. He will use a treadmill to measure aerobic capacity to determine peak oxygen consumption. And he’s used a bioelectrical impedance assessment to estimate percentage of body fat to determine the risk for metabolic syndrome, which can lead to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other issues.
Each test is designed to reveal information about specific aspects of an individual’s health. Laurson said the science has moved well beyond the days when everyone was required to complete a mile run in physical education (PE) class in elementary school. He praised today’s grade-school teachers who work daily with the youth his work serves.
“I’ve worked with some great physical education teachers,” Laurson said. “We’re hoping that we can offer a teachable moment to teachers to show kids that their muscles are all attached to bones, and the stronger your muscles are, then the stronger your bones will be.”
Laurson said the goal of his research is to create standards so that parents, teachers, and students can get health-related feedback. While he has collaborated with colleagues at Illinois State since he joined the faculty in 2008, he has also worked with researchers in Poland, Hungary, and, closer to home, in Texas. Most of his recent research has been in partnership with The Cooper Institute, a well-known fitness research center based in Dallas. Laurson helped create the modern version of Cooper’s FitnessGram Assessment, a physical fitness battery used to develop new standards for body composition and aerobic capacity standards. These standards are used in physical education classes around the country and beyond, in pediatric clinics, and by researchers who specialize in evaluating the fitness and health of children.
“I don’t just measure kids in the Bloomington-Normal area,” Laurson said. “I’ve done some data analyses from some pretty cool places, which allows me to extend my reach.”
Laurson relies on technology and uses a DXA scanner—also called a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry machine—in his work.
“It’s a low-dose X-ray that enables us to see skeleton and soft tissue,” he said. “We can use it to measure lean muscle mass and fat mass and bone mass. We have one in the department, which is a great research and teaching tool for us.”
In general terms Laurson said his work focuses on childhood fitness and physical activity, adding that there are two pieces to that work.
“Children’s health is the focus, with prevention of chronic diseases being a major part of my work,” he said. “The second piece is the numbers of it, the data analysis.”
It’s been a productive couple of years for Laurson as he’s been a co-author on 10 research studies and journal articles since 2020. He has presented just as many times at conferences in roughly the same time frame.
Dr. Dale Brown, professor of exercise physiology at Illinois State, said Laurson’s work is recognized nationally and internationally. Beyond that, Laurson has demonstrated the ability to connect with his students and his peers.
“Kelly is a great teacher, researcher, and colleague,” Brown said. “His passion for research and scholarship gives him a unique ability to mentor and guide students through the scholarship and research process.
“Students and colleagues seek him out, given his exceptional ability in research design, management of data sets, experience in data analytics and navigating statistical analyses.”
A native of rural Centerville, Iowa, Laurson, 41, played football and tennis in high school. After earning a bachelor’s degree in health promotion and exercise science from Central College in Iowa, he completed a master’s degree in exercise physiology and kinesiology at Illinois State.
“When somebody has spent 40 years developing a disease, it’s pretty hard to get them to change their lifestyle. A person is a lot more malleable at age 8.”
Dr. Kelly Laurson
“All throughout undergrad and into my master’s degree, I was convinced I wanted to be a strength-and-conditioning coach and work with athletes, but I sort of fell out of love with it,” Laurson said. “Once I was done with my master’s—which is so fast, just a year or so—I didn’t know what to do, so I contacted Dale Brown, who had been my advisor, and asked him if there was anything I could do.”
Brown got Laurson involved in a heart rate assessment project that the department was integrating into local schools with the help of physical education teachers. The idea was for PE teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels to learn how to use heart monitors so they could assess their students as part of class. Laurson taught the teachers how to use the heart rate monitors, which were strapped around a student’s chest and hooked up to a watch.
“It’s neat for a child to see their heart rate go up and understand that when they exercise it goes up, and it goes down when they rest,” Laurson said. “My thesis was that heart rates are different during varying athletic activities. For example, running is different on the heart rate than volleyball, which would be intermittent.”
Laurson went on to pursue a Ph.D. in the biological basis of physical activity before returning to Illinois State as a faculty member. He is grateful to work in a supportive environment.
“At a place like ISU, you get to pick your own targets,” Laurson said. “I’m free to pursue the research that I’m most interested in.”
Laurson’s work has been recognized on campus with a number of awards: RISE to the COVID Challenge Recognition in 2020, CAST Outstanding Researcher–Tenured Category in 2015, Jorndt Student/Faculty Research Award in 2014, and the University Research Initiative Award in 2013.
Laurson said the important message to impart when working with children on their physical fitness is that it’s much easier to prevent a disease like osteoporosis at the age of 13 than to fix it at age 60.
“It is possible but not as easy to fix it later,” Laurson said. “When somebody has spent 40 years developing a disease, it’s pretty hard to get them to change their lifestyle. A person is a lot more malleable at age 8.”
