Kinesiology and Health Education

My research and scholarly interests focus on health and well-being in adulthood and aging. My work has included a focus on psychosocial predictors of health behavior, successful aging, and women’s health. A recent project includes the study of depressive symptoms and smoking outcomes with data from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, including the study of social contextual factors in smoking and the relation of smoking to quality of life and mortality. I have also been investigating factors in physical activity and smoking with the McArthur Studies of Midlife database, and I have conducted studies of successful aging with the Terman Study of the Gifted.

1976 Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin--Educational Psychology (Concentration in quantitative methods, measurement and evaluation)

Holahan, C. K., Holahan, C. J., Velasquez, K. E., Jung, S., North, R. J., & Pahl, S. A. (2011). Purposiveness and leisure-time physical activity in women in early midlife. Women & Health, 51, 661-675.

Holahan, C. K., & Velasquez, K. S. (2011). Perceived strategies and activities for successful later aging.  International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 72, 343-359.

Holahan, C. K., Holahan, C. J., Powers, D. A., Hayes, R. B., Marti, C. N., & Ockene, J. K.  (2011).  Depressive symptoms and smoking in middle-aged and older women. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 13, 722-731.

Holahan, C. J., Schutte, K. K., Brennan, P. L., North, R. J., Holahan, C. K., Moos, B. S., & Moos, R. H.  (2012).  Wine consumption and 20-year mortality among late-life moderate drinkers.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 73, 80-88.

Holahan, C. J., North, R. J., Holahan, C. K., Hayes, R. B., Powers, D. A., & Ockene, J. K. (in press).  Smoking status, physical health-related quality of life, and mortality in middle-aged and older women. Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

• Dean’s Fellow, College of Educatioin, University of Texas at Austin, 2000, 2005
• Fellow, Gerontological Society of America, Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2001
• Fellow, American Psychological Association, Division 20, Adult Development and Aging, 2000
• Mensa Education and Research Foundation Award for Excellence in Research, 1996, 2000
• Fellow, American Psychological Association, Division 35, Psychology of Women, 1986

Depressive symptoms and smoking among middle-aged and older women. National Institute on Drug Abuse (R03). Principal Investigator (with C. J. Holahan, PI and D. A. Powers, Co-Investigator), May, 2009 to April, 2012.

Co-morbidity between depression and physical illness across 10 years. Marchionne Foundation, Health, Behavior, and Medicine Program, Co-PI (with C. J. Holahan, PI, R. H. Moos and R. Cronkite, Co-Investigators), 2007-2008.

Smoking Among Older Adults: Risk and Protective Factors. Pilot project funded by the , Center for Health Promotion Research, The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, Co-Investigator (with C. J. Holahan, PI, C. Taxis & R. H Moos, Co-Investigators). June, 2006 to June, 2007.

Evaluation of WIC Nutrition Education. Bureau of Nutrition Services, Texas Department of Health, Co-Investigator (with N. H. Gottlieb, PI), September, 2002-August, 2005.

Social support and mental health in cardiac illness: A comparison of Hispanic and non-Hispanic white cardiac patients. Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, Principal Investigator. October, 2001-June 2003.

Health and well-being across the life span

Psychosocial predictors of health behavior

Successful aging

Women's health

• Fellow, American Psychological Association (Divisions 20, Adult Development and Aging, and Division 35, Psychology of Women)
• Fellow, Gerontological Society of America
• Fellow, Association for Psychological Science