Assistant Professor, Kinesiology and Community Health

Biography

Dr. Aguiñaga is committed to advancing the scientific knowledge that addresses health disparities in cognition and dementia-related diseases through community-based physical activity research. She received an Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship to Promote Diversity grant for a study of sitting time, activity, and dementia in underserved populations in central Illinois and Chicago. She also has investigated relationships among cognitive function, lifestyle, and exercise after cancer treatment. Through her research, she hopes to increase diversity in dementia-related research and reverse growing disparities in physical activity and dementia-related diseases, with the ultimate goal of creating culturally appropriate physical activity interventions for racially and ethnically diverse older adults with cognitive impairment and dementia-related diseases.

Additional Campus Affiliations

Associate Professor, Kinesiology and Community Health
Associate Professor, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Recent Publications

Canton, I., Jakachira, V., Blackman, D., Rose, H., & Aguiñaga, S. (2025). A culturally tailored community gardening approach to improving physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and psychological health among African American women: A pre-post feasibility study. Health Promotion Perspectives, 15(2), 122-137. https://doi.org/10.34172/hpp.025.43243

Choi, S., Chen, J., Sebastião, E., Aguiñaga, S., & Haegele, J. (2025). Codesigning a Home-Based Exercise Program With and for People With Visual Impairments: A Needs Assessment. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 42(2), 173-192. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.2024-0045

Alam, R. B., Singleton, C. R., Aguĩnaga, S., Chodzko-Zajko, W., Jahan, N. A., Oke, A., & Schwingel, A. (2024). Is acculturation associated with the cognitive performance of older hispanics? In Handbook of Intervention and Alzheimer's Disease (pp. 650-659). IOS Press. https://doi.org/10.3233/AIAD230120

Canton, I., Guzman, J., Soto, Y., Selzer Ninomiya, A. L., Morales, D., & Aguiñaga, S. (2024). Isotemporal Substitution of Sedentary Time With Physical Activity Among Middle-Aged and Older Latinos: Effects on Episodic Memory. American Journal of Health Promotion, 38(5), 607-614. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171241233404

Guzman, J., & Aguiñaga, S. (2024). The COM-B model: a cross-sectional survey assessing capability, opportunities, and motivation to follow the MIND diet among informal female caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Frontiers in Dementia, 3, Article 1451310. https://doi.org/10.3389/frdem.2024.1451310

View all publications on Illinois Experts