The Center for ActiveWV in the West Virginia University College of Applied Human Sciences is pleased to announce the receipt of a $768,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's High Obesity Program. The grant, awarded under a five-year cooperative agreement, will support the growth of CAHS's existing HOP grant and the implementation of the Be Wild, Be Wonderful, Be Healthy: Expanded program.
The Be Wild, Be Wonderful, Be Healthy: Expanded program aims to enhance the capacity and partnerships of CAHS in developing and implementing targeted approaches to improve access to healthy foods and physical activity opportunities for residents in eight counties across three distinct geographical regions of West Virginia. These counties include Clay, Braxton, Calhoun, Logan, Boone, Lincoln, Summers, and Monroe.
The project boasts a multi-disciplinary approach, with involvement from various units across the university. Dr. Emily Murphy, an Associate Professor in the School of Counseling and Well-Being at WVU, is serving as the principal investigator on the project after having served as the PI for the two previous five-year rounds of the HOP grant.
The project's lead evaluator is Christiaan Abildso, an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health's Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, who also serves as the Program Director of Research and Evaluation for the School of Public Health. Peter Butler, Professor of Landscape Architecture in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, and Extension Specialist in Landscape Architecture, will collaborate with community coalitions and the project team to develop comprehensive designs focused on increasing physical activity and healthy food access in the project counties.
Furthering the program's impact, Dr. Treah Haggerty, Director of the Rural Scholars Program for WVU's Family Medicine and clinician in the Medical Weight Management Program, will work with project counties to explore the possible implementation of a Family Healthy Weight Program in partnership with the Medical Weight Management Clinic.
Multiple faculty and staff members from both CAHS and WVU Extension will be play a strategic and significant role in the project.
In addition to the various partnerships within the university, the Mountaineer Foodbank will serve as a sub-contract on the project. The organization will work towards increasing access to healthy foods across the eight project counties by providing education and technical assistance to local agencies. The goal is to implement policies, systems, and environmental changes that promote healthier food procurement and distribution.
West Virginia is one of 16 states that received funding from the HOP in this round. As the lead organization for the project, the Center for ActiveWV at WVU will collaborate with state and national partners to facilitate a range of policies, systems, and environmental changes that can be adopted by the participating counties. These changes aim to make the healthy choice the easy choice in rural West Virginia communities.
The Be Wild, Be Wonderful, Be Healthy: Expanded program represents a significant step towards combatting obesity and improving health outcomes in West Virginia. By fostering partnerships and implementing targeted strategies, CAHS and its collaborators aim to create lasting positive change for the residents of these eight counties.