Blood pressure and altitude: UNE undergrads travel to the mountains of Colorado for research

A group of students from the University of New England’s Westbrook College of Health professions are studying the effects of altitude on blood pressure.

The nine students took a special topics class on Altitude Physiology, offered every other year through the Exercise and Sport Performance Department. The class gives students the opportunity to learn how the body adapts to altitude when traveling from sea level. The course begins with introductory lectures and literature reviews on altitude physiology. Then, the students design a research project that compares physiological factors in sea level and altitude.

This year, the class worked with the Altitude Research Center at the University of Colorado in looking at how blood pressure is altered acutely when exposed to altitude. “We were very interested in this particularly because it could be a problem in the older population,” said Applied Exercise Science student Holley Sirois ’19. “Older adults tend to have higher blood pressure, and in a lot of them it's not very well controlled, and many of them also travel. So if they go from sea level to altitude, they might have health problems.”

The Altitude Research Center shipped specific equipment to UNE to be used to assess blood pressure in a person who is laying down, seated, standing and exercising. The research was student-driven, with supervision from Professor Paul Visich, Ph.D., M.P.H., ACSM, C-CEP, chair of the Exercise and Sport Performance department. After completing their baseline research at sea level, the class traveled to Vail Pass, Colorado’s 10th Infantry Cabins, where the same assessments were completed after 24 hours and 96 hours of exposure at 11,237 feet. The students had to hike approximately four miles up to the cabins with their backpacks and the testing equipment had to be transported up the mountain on a snowcat, a specialized enclosed machine designed to traverse snowy and icy terrain.  

Applied Exercise Science student Spencer Bourassa ’19 says despite the hard work, experiencing the altitude for himself and doing hands-on research in the field was rewarding, and unlike any other educational experience he’s had. “Any of the studies I have done have always been in school. To go somewhere and actually do field work, it was a great feeling.” Bourassa says another highlight of the trip happened after the research was completed, when the class, along with Professor Visich and Assistant Lecturer Aimee Vlachos, hiked together up Mount Quandary, a 14,265 foot summit. The journey began at approximately 4 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m.  

With the field work completed, Holley Sirois is now analyzing the data with the support of a WCHP 2018 Summer Research Fellowship. She plans to write a paper with the hope of presenting it at the New England American College of Sports Medicine this fall. She says field research like this is one of the best experiences undergraduate students can have. “When you're doing hands on research and you're running it yourself, with only supervision from the professor, it helps you really get into the research process and learn so much more than you could if you were just reading about it.”

An article about the research experience can be found on page 12 of this edition of the Waterboro Reporter.

To learn more about the University of New England’s Westbrook College of Health Professions visit www.une.edu/wchp

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions