Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application/pdf&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition&blobheadername2=MDT-Type&blobheadervalue1=inline;+filename=2012-AstraZeneca-HealthCare-Foundation-Annual-Report

Engaging Families, Teaching Heart Health
With over 40% of Detroit adolescents overweight,
The Regents of the University of Michigan’s
Project Healthy Schools (PHS) educates lowincome,
underserved African American and
minority middle school students about the
importance of heart health, as well as the effect of
childhood obesity and its long-term health risks.
Focusing primarily on sixth grade students, PHS’s
school-based program aims to stem the tide of
this obesity epidemic by teaching adolescents
healthy habits, developing healthy school
environments, and creating an infrastructure that
supports program sustainability and replication.
Healthy youth who continue to practice healthy
lifestyles will grow into healthy adults with fewer
risk factors for cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
and other chronic illnesses.
Based on an analysis of the results from healthbehavior
questionnaires, students increased
their fruit consumption and decreased their
consumption of fried foods and French fries.
Combined TV/video hours per day decreased, and
there was a noted increase in students’ exercise
frequency. Physiological data also revealed that
students decreased their total cholesterol, blood
glucose levels, recovery/resting heart rates, and
both systolic and diastolic blood pressures,
indicating an improved fitness level from baseline.
Exposure and knowledge related to fresh produce
increased, and 70% of students shared their
health and wellness knowledge with their families.
PHS received two consecutive years of funding
from the Connections for Cardiovascular Health SM
(CCH) program for a total of $426,048.
PHS is dedicated to creating collaborative
projects that emphasize heart-healthy habits
from an early age. By learning these lessons,
these children are improving their cardiovascular
risk factors, which we believe will translate into
lower long-term risk of hypertension, diabetes,
and heart disease.
– Kim Eagle, the Albion Walter Hewlett professor
of internal medicine and a director of the Sam and
Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center, University of
Michigan Health System
SUMMARY
GRANT AWARDEE: The Regents of the
University of Michigan
GOAL: To serve low-income, underserved
African American middle school students.
AREA OF FOCUS: Ann Arbor, MI
TOTAL GRANT AWARD(S): $426,048
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