The Cooper Institute

Company Overview

When Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., published his first bestseller, Aerobics, in 1968, he introduced a new word and a new concept to America. Millions of people started exercising, motivated by his preventive medicine research, persuasive public appearances, and a series of inspiring books. In short, a young Air Force physician who had once been a track star in his native Oklahoma had started a worldwide fitness revolution.

The Cooper Institute was founded on June 22, 1970. Dr. Cooper believed back then that it was as important to try to prevent disease as it was to treat and cure disease. Over three decades, through meticulous research, that basic premise and vision has been reaffirmed and strengthened. What was once looked upon as "opinion" has become scientific reality.

Today Dr. Cooper is recognized as the leader of the international physical fitness movement and credited with motivating more people to exercise in pursuit of good health than any other person, serves as president and chief executive officer of The Cooper Aerobics Center. He holds a B.S. degree and an M.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma as well as an M.P.H. degree from the Harvard University School of Public Health, and he is certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

The Cooper Institute's main office is located on the northernmost section of The Cooper Aerobics Center campus in Dallas. With its Board of Trustees and Scientific Advisory Board, The Cooper Institute functions as a nonprofit, tax exempt public corporation and maintains financial and administrative independence from the rest of The Cooper Aerobics Center companies and divisions. As a result, the Institute relies heavily on the generosity and philanthropic intent of its many friends, benefactors, corporations, and foundations1.

The Institute’s Work

The Cooper Institute has achieved worldwide recognition for its outstanding scientific research and education on physical activity and health.

Significant Scientific Efforts and Educational Achievements2

The Cooper Institute has received more than $10 million over the past decade from the National Institutes of Health to support studies of physical activity, which is more than any other single laboratory for research in this area.
Papers published by Cooper Institute scientists have been instrumental in identifying physical inactivity as an important public health problem, and in setting public health recommendations for physical activity. Research from the Institute is prominently referenced in policy and recommendation reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, American College of Sports Medicine, World Health Organization, and numerous health agencies in countries world-wide.
Cooper Institute scientists have provided leadership for development of national public health policy statements on physical activity issued over the past decade.
Quantified the role of sedentary living habits as a cause of chronic disease, risk for development of functional limitations and reduced longevity.
Confirmed the inverse association of physical fitness and risk of mortality.
Developed and evaluated a lifestyle approach to physical activity interventions.
Influenced the development of several major initiatives on physical activity and public health in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Surgeon General's Office, American College of Sports Medicine, and the American Heart Association.
Provided consultation on physical activity initiatives to public health authorities in England, Scotland, Sweden, The Netherlands, Spain, Singapore, Australia, Northern Ireland, Wales, Japan, Switzerland and the World Health Organization.
Provided training and consultation to all branches of the U.S. military and law enforcement organizations including "Fit for Duty" testing, standards development, and implementation of health promotion and fitness programs.
Transformed approaches for improving youth fitness in all 50 states and several foreign countries by providing FITNESSGRAM, a fitness assessment and reporting software program.
Provided training, certification, continuing education, and consultation to scientists, healthcare and public health practitioners, business leaders, and health promotion and fitness professionals.
Mentored undergraduate and graduate intern students and post-doctoral fellows from academic institutions throughout the world.
Expanded physical infrastructure with research facilities and laboratory equipment to enable current as well as future work.

Personal Trainer Certification

The Cooper Institute educates and certifies fitness and health leaders worldwide with a variety of courses and numerous fitness tools including books and DVDs. The Personal Trainer Certification Exam (CI-CPT) is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies(NCCA)3.

In May 2009, The Cooper Institute launched the first of its online courses, Providing Dietary Guidance, with more online offerings to follow in 2009 and 2010. 4

FITNESSGRAM

FITNESSGRAM was developed in 1982 by The Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas. The objective was to increase parental awareness of children's fitness levels by developing an easy way for physical education teachers to report the results of physical fitness assessments.

Student's are assessed in three general areas of health-related fitness: aerobic capacity; body composition; and muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility. Scores are evaluated against objective criterion standards that indicate a level of fitness necessary for health5.

In 2007, the FITNESSGRAM was selected as Texas' statewide physical fitness assessment tool6

Satellite Location

The Institute’s Oak Cliff Center serves the communities south of the Trinity River and assists community and church leaders in their efforts to improve the health and wellness of their populations. Because the Institute is a 501(c)(3), it relies heavily on private donations and funding from foundations and corporations to fund its research and education programs.

The Institute's Research / Abstracts

A mail survey of physical activity habits as related to measured physical fitness. Kohl HW, Blair SN, Paffenbarger RS Jr., Macera CA , Kronenfeld JJ. Division of Epidemiology, Institute for Aerobics Research, Dallas, TX 75230.
Physical fitness and all-cause mortality. A prospective study of healthy men and women. Blair SN, Kohl HW, Paffenberger RS, Clark DG, Cooper KH, Gibbons LW. Institute for Aerobics Research, Dallas, Tex 75230.
The public health burdens of sedentary living habits: theoretical but realistic estimates. Powell KE, Blair SN.National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333.