KCW Women's Wellness Pilot Project: Healthy Triad - Smoking Cessation, Weight Loss and Exercise

The Kentucky Commission on Women is requesting funds to support Women's Wellness Pilot Project: Healthy Triad - Smoking Cessation, Weight loss, and Exercise. Goal: To make strides towards lowering heart disease in a population of Kentucky women. Background: According to the American Heart Association website, heart disease is the number one killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. That is approximately one woman every minute! There are risk factors for heart disease we can control: 1. Smoking - increases the risk of heart disease and stroke by 2-4 times. Women who smoke have a 25% higher risk of developing heart disease compared to men who smoke. A lifetime of smoking shortens a women's life by 13-14 years. If a women stops smoking the risk of heart disease and stroke is cut by 50% one year later and contiues to decline to approach that of a nonsmoker. 2. Eating right and exercise helps: a) manage blood sugar b) manage cholesterol c) manage body weight d) improve cardiovascular fitness e) improve mental health Project Design: The pilot program is designed to target the University of Kentucky female faculty and staff. At present, there is not a program at UK that uses all 3 elements of this pilot program to help create a healthier female employee.