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Last updated on Wednesday, October 26, 2016
(BEDFORD) - Thanks to a substantial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant, Purdue Extension - Lawrence County will work closely with Purdue University health experts to develop ad implement community wide strategies to address a high incidence of adult obesity in Lawrence County.
Tim Gavin, professor and head of Purdue's Department of Health and kinesiology, received the two year, $1.15 million grant for "reducing obesity in Indiana through community involvement to increase prevention." The grant covers efforts in Lawrence and Jackson counties.
Gavin will partner with Purdue - Extension Lawrence County to implement the Community Champions for Healthy Indiana model, which is designed to build community leadership and support resources to address local health needs.
"Obesity is a serious public health concern and fixing the problem begins with understanding and supporting each individual community's needs," Gavin says. "The Purdue Extension - Lawrence County office is a trusted community resource that gives us a foundation to build on as we work together to create long-term solutions for this public health problem."
Katie Zuber, Health & Human Sciences Educator for Purdue Extension - Lawrence County will be Gavin's main point of contact in Lawrence County. Also collaborating on the project are Donna Vandergraff, a Purdue Extension nutrition specialist; Willie Burgess, managing director of Purdue's Discovery Learning Research Center; Weiling LI, assessment specialist at the Discover Learning Research Center and Joni Muchler who is a Health & Human Sciences educator for Purdue Extension - Jackson County.
The Discovery Learning research Center will evaluate the success of interventional strategies implemented through the grant, which runs through October 2018. The Department of Health and Kinesiology is part of Purdue's College of Health and Human Sciences.
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