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RESEARCH
Tracy Dietz, a TCU associate professor of social work who has co-
authored published research with Davis on the effects of animal-
assisted therapy, said working with animals lowers people’s blood
pressure and reduces stress and anxiety.
Dietz knew a course focused on animal-assisted therapy would be a hit
because she incorporates a lesson on animal-assisted therapy into her
Introduction to Social Work course.
“I give students the chance to interact with therapy dogs, and they go
absolutely crazy for it,”Dietz said. “Many students tell me they had never
given much thought to working with animals, and this makes them see
a whole new side of social work. It has opened a lot of doors.”
So the Department of Social Work decided to add the animal-assisted
therapy class as a regular offering.
As his capstone project, Isaacs developed a proposal to use canine and
equine therapy at Camp Care, a weeklong summer camp for children
with cancer run by Cancer Care Services. The agency loved Isaacs’
proposal so much it incorporated the therapy into the camp.
“It was incredible to see all of the kids’ smiling faces in photographs and
know I was able to contribute to such an amazing event,”
Isaacs said.
“MANY STUDENTS TELL ME THEY HAD
NEVER GIVEN MUCH THOUGHT
TO WORKING WITH ANIMALS,
AND THIS MAKES THEM SEE A WHOLE
NEW SIDE OF SOCIAL WORK. IT HAS
OPENED A LOT OF DOORS.”
Getting an accurate measurement of body fat used to require confusing calipers and
impractical water-submersion techniques, but the kinesiology department’s new
dual energy X-ray absorptiometry machine (or DEXA, for short) delivers accurate
results through a 10-minute body scan.
The machine came to campus last year thanks to departmental funding and a gift
from Dr. Steve and Margaret Benz, the parents of TCU alumnus Adam Benz ’10.
“The purpose of acquiring the DEXA device was to use it for three purposes: teaching,
research and service — and that’s what we’ve done,” said Joel Mitchell, chair of the
Department of Kinesiology.
With the power of DEXA, student athletes can receive baseline body composition
reports and track changes throughout their athletic careers, obtaining important
information regarding bone-mineral density and fat-to-lean mass ratios.
Results will help determine if an athlete’s training plan is helping build lean mass and
profess, or if modifications are needed to meet specific goals. In addition, precautions
can be tailored for athletes who register extremely low body fat and/or low bone-
mineral density, which might be indicative of clinical issues that can lead to sports-
related injuries.
Phil Esposito, assistant professor of kinesiology, has been using the DEXA device to
research the relationship between physical activity and body composition in Down
syndrome adults.
Many people with Down syndrome are shorter in stature. They also have metabolic
issues, placing them at a higher risk for becoming overweight or obese. A scan
with the DEXA machine demonstrates how members of this particular population
distribute body fat and how that distribution relates to such vital readings as blood
pressure, blood lipids and blood sugar levels.
In addition, undergraduate and graduate students are using DEXA in their classes to
gain hands-on experience with measuring and assessing body-fat composition.
X-RAY VISIONARY
DEXA MACHINE IS A POWERFUL NEW TOOL
FOR DEPARTMENT OF KINESIOLOGY
By Megan Murphey ‘09
Reprinted with permission from
TCU Magazine,
Spring 2014
FEATURES
Harris College Magazine
- 2014 ·
21