Women in West Virginia will learn to identify and reduce heart disease risks through unique community partnership opportunities funded by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and delivered by the West Virginia University Extension Service Families and Health Program.

The $193,203 grant will fund the Love Your Heart Partnership of West Virginia, a campaign created to educate and motivate women to assess personal and family heart disease risks, reduce those risks and take action to pursue healthy goals.

“In many cases women are the primary caregivers in their homes, but all too often they don’t take time to take care of themselves,” said Elaine Bowen, Ed.D., WVU Extension health promotion specialist and principal investigator. “We want to help change that and provide the resources women need to stay healthy.”

According to Bowen, compared with other states, West Virginia women rank 49th for high blood pressure, 51st for diabetes, 48th for obesity and 51st when it comes to lacking leisure time physical activity. Additionally, many West Virginia women report barriers to a healthy lifestyle including caregiving burdens, no personal healthcare provider and a lack of formal exercise facilities, safe locations, role models and social support.

“The movement is all about inspiring West Virginia women to make heart health a priority,” said Bowen “Research shows we have a lot of work to do to mend women’s heart health in West Virginia, and we won’t stop until we see those numbers improve.”

Bowen will guide nine community partners through Heart Truth Champion Training, an interactive program teaching heart disease facts, resources and network expansion strategies tailored to each partner’s geographic area. Each of the nine community organizations will also host Partner Activities, October 2015 through June 2016, which will include health screenings, educational workshops and dissemination of materials.

The community partners are: WVU Heart Institute, National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, Larry Joe Harless Community Center, West Virginia Community Educational Outreach Service, Christian Help, Inc.., Belington Clinic/Belington Wellness Center, Huntington Internal Medicine Group, Hardy County Health and Wellness Center, and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine/Center for Rural and Community Health.

The grant from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health is part of a public-private partnership with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to promote The Heart Truth�, the NHLBI’s national program for women about heart disease. Funding is provided by individuals and corporations including Home Shopping Network, Diet Coke, Belk Department Stores and Swarovski.

The primary goal of the WVU Extension Service and its 55 offices throughout the state is to connect the people of West Virginia to the University’s resources and programs. WVU Extension’s agents and specialists work to improve the lifestyles and well-being of youths, workforces, communities, farms and businesses through trusted research in the counties in which they serve.

To learn more about WVU Extension programs, visit www.ext.wvu.edu, or contact your local office of the WVU Extension Service.

-WVU-

bd/12/02/15

CONTACT: Cassie Thomas, WVU Extension Service
304.293.8735, Cassie.Thomas@mail.wvu.edu

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