Luis Columna, PhD

Position title: Associate Professor, Kinesiology

PhD, Texas Woman’s University

Contact Information

1300 University Ave
201B Service Memorial Institute
Madison, WI 53706
608-890-2916
lcolumna@wisc.edu
Promotion of Health Equity and Adapted Physical Activity (PHEAPA) Lab

Research Statement

Luis Columna’s research program focuses on families and children with developmental disabilities (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome). Through my research we attempt to identify ways to increase the participation of families (especially Hispanic) of children with disabilities into physical activity and also my research focuses on ways to better prepare physical activity professionals to work with diverse populations. To address the physical activity needs of children with disabilities and their parents, Dr. Columna developed the Fit Families Program. Fit Families is a physical activity program that brings together children with disabilities (e.g. visual impairments: autism spectrum disorders), their parents, college students and in-service professionals in the fields of adapted physical education, special educators, psychologist, physical education, and exercise science, among others.

Selected Publications

Pubmed

Prieto, L. A., Meera, B., Katz, H., & Columna, L. (2022). A Feasibility Trial for Virtual Administration of the Test of Gross Motor Development-3 for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Adapted physical activity quarterly: APAQ, 39(4), 446–455. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.2021-0183/apaq.2021-0183
Columna, L., Prieto, L. A., Beach, P., Russo, N., & Foley, J. T. (2021). A Randomized Feasibility Trial of a Fundamental Motor Skill Parent-Mediated Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(23), 12398. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312398
Prieto, L., Norris, M. L., & Columna, L. (2021). “Keep Moving”: Experiences of People With Parkinson’s and Their Care Partners in a Dance Class. Adapted physical activity quarterly: APAQ, 38(2), 307–328. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.2019-0125
Columna, L., Felizola, G., Prieto, L., Myers, B., Streete, D., & Lightburn, A. (2020). The experiences of Hispanic families of children with autism spectrum disorder regarding physical activity. Research in developmental disabilities, 107, 103785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103785
Prieto, L. A., Haegele, J. A., & Columna, L. (2020). Dance Programs for School-Age Individuals With Disabilities: A Systematic Review. Adapted physical activity quarterly: APAQ, 37(3), 349–376. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.2019-0117
Tunur, T., DeBlois, A., Yates-Horton, E., Rickford, K., & Columna, L. A. (2020). Augmented reality-based dance intervention for individuals with Parkinson’s disease: A pilot study. Disability and health journal, 13(2), 100848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2019.100848
Columna, L., Prieto, L., Elias-Revolledo, G., & Haegele, J. A. (2020). The perspectives of parents of youth with disabilities toward physical activity: A systematic review. Disability and health journal, 13(2), 100851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2019.100851
Columna, L., Streete, D. A., Rocco-Dillon, S., Hodge, S. R., Prieto, L., Myers, B., Barreira, T. V., & Heffernan, K. S. (2020). Parents’ intentions toward including their children with visual impairments in physical activities. Disability and rehabilitation, 42(5), 667–678. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1505969
Heffernan, K.S, Columna, L., Prieto, L. Keller, A., Pagan, P., DeBlois, J., Revolledo, G., Myers, B.A., Russo, N., and Barreira, T. (2019). Home and office blood pressure assessment in children with autism spectrum disorder: A feasibility study. Artery Research, 25(3-4), 145-149. https://doi.org/10.2991/artres.k.191123.001
Heffernan, K. S., Columna, L., Russo, N., Myers, B. A., Ashby, C. E., Norris, M. L., & Barreira, T. V. (2018). Brief Report: Physical Activity, Body Mass Index and Arterial Stiffness in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Preliminary Findings. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 48(2), 625–631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3358-z