How Your Child can Participate in Healthy Hearts Healthy Hearts: A Web-based Instructional Module for 5th/6th grade students on Cardiovascular Health http://www.healthyhearts4kids.org Mission: Healthy Hearts is an Internet instructional (e-learning) module designed to teach intermediate grade children about cardiovascular health, focusing on the effects of physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use on their health. Targeted Audience: 5th/6th grade students, their teachers, and parents Overearching Goal: Healthy Hearts aims to assist children in acquiring the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco usage that lead to wise decisions and healthy lifestyles. Unique Features: Healthy Hearts is a school based curricular intervention that encourages youngsters to read, write, and problem solve, while learning to make wise health decisions that will impact them throughout their lifetimes. This interdisciplinary approach helps teachers meet a number of National Standards in the subject areas of health, physical education, science, language arts, math, and technology. Program Impact: From the 2001-02 data, preliminary findings from the knowledge pre/post tests show that the 5th grade users (N=32 classes) made significant gains in knowledge in all four topic areas (about the heart, nutrition, physical activity, tobacco). Preliminary analysis of the attitude-behavior pre/post survey indicate significant attitude changes related to physical activity and nutrition, and significant behavior changes in physical activity and tobacco use. Program reach/participation rate: 1091 WV 5th grade students participated; 2002-03: 1500 WV students projected; 2003-04: 4000 WV students projected, 5000 NY students projected Primary Partnerships: HH partners with the Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities (CARDIAC) Project that was initiated in 1998 in an attempt to reduce cardiovascular disease in West Virginia. The program focuses on identifying early risk factors for CVD in 5th grade children and their families through a school-based screening. In Fall 2002, HH began a collaboration with the New York Statewide Center for Healthy Schools to update the module, develop state-specific features, and implement in NY schools beginning in Fall 2003. How to Gain Access: The instructional module is intended for use as a supplemental tool in the regular school curriculum. Teachers must register their school and themselves before adding students. Teachers can visit the website for complete instructions on registering. Contact Information: Eloise Elliott, PhD, Healthy Hearts Director, Concord University Athens, WV 24712, elelliot@concord.edu or Healthy Hearts at info@healthyhearts4kids.org. For the NY HH Project, contact Gary English, Director, NY Statewide Center for Healthy Schools, Little Falls, NY, genglish@nyshealthyschools.org.