Graves County Schools, area health care providers study CARDIAC | Schools

GRAVES COUNTY, KY (KFVS) - Graves County Central Elementary School fourth grader Zachary Lamb waits for results of a blood pressure check Purchase Area Health Education Center nurse Missy Stokes administered.

Studies have shown that checking for heart disease risk factors in children as young as the age of nine can help predict their likelihood of having atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaque in the arteries, in adulthood. In response, the Lourdes Kids Cardiac Academy, associated with the Paducah hospital, is partnering with the Purchase AHEC, Murray State University Nursing students and faculty, local health departments, school nurses, and elementary school family resource center staff to screen children for cardiac risk factors. The project is called CARDIAC, Coronary Artery Risk Detection in All Children, and it seeks to increase awareness of cardiovascular risk factors in youth which include being overweight, having high cholesterol or diabetes and being physically unhealthy.

Central FRC director Juliana Reyes said, “We’re happy to collaborate with these health care professionals. The sooner we can promote healthy lifestyle habits, the better for our students. They are our future.”

Copyright 2012 KFVS. All rights reserved.