WINSTON-SALEM — The Wake Forest School of Medicine will be conduct a research project in Robeson County that will focus on heart disease and stroke prevention in American Indian women.

Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death and disability in North Carolina, and death rates from these conditions are significantly higher for American Indians compared with non-Hispanic whites, according a statement from Dr. Ronny Bell, a professor of Epidemiology and Prevention at Wake Forest and a co-lead researcher on the project.

Researchers will partner with the Healing Lodge and Proverbs 31 Ministries to develop a church-based heart disease and stroke prevention program for American Indian females ages 12 and older. The focus of the program will be on diet, physical activity and tobacco use, three of the biggest risk factors for heart disease and stroke, Bell said.

“The high rates of heart disease and stroke in American Indian communities are alarming, but the good news is that much of the risk associated with these conditions can be controlled or prevented through lifestyle changes,” Bell said. “The church is a natural place for American Indians to receive positive and supportive messages to make these changes.”

The 16-week program will be administered in the following Robeson County churches: Mount Elim Baptist in Red Springs; Saddletree Church of God in Lumberton; Reedy Branch Baptist Church in Fairmont; and Mount Airy Baptist in Pembroke.

For information, contact Rhonda Faircloth at (910) 785-3382 or rfairclo@wakehealth.edu.