The goals of SHE are: 1) to create and test an innovative health strategy that will reflect and support an empowerment model that can be replicated nationally, and 2) to implement and evaluate a process for the empowerment of women and girls that addresses the impact of trauma, builds resilience, and results in the optimization of holistic health.
The island of St. John does not have a public fitness center or exercise facility. Nationally, an astounding 80% of Black, non-Hispanic females are obese/overweight. Last year, 26.7% of adults in the U.S. reported being obese compared to 62.4% of females in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Cultural diets in the Virgin Islands includes foods that are high in carbohydrates and starch, fat (i.e., fried food), and calories. Obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure are common medical conditions.
Sisterhood Agenda will kick off National Women's Health Week with a workshop in May. SHE activities include: 1) learning to take physical activity breaks or energizers, 2) keeping a food diary, 3) establishing an individualized healthy eating plan, 4) trying new healthy foods, 5) time management to incorporate daily physical activity, 6) making healthy breakfast, lunches, dinners, 7) food shopping to assess healthy selection, 8) cooking methods for healthy meals, 9) physical education.
Sisterhood Agenda will implement evidence based activities from the CDC's Make a Difference: Key Strategies to Prevent Obesity publication. Many participants and community members have asked us if we plan to do the event again and we assured them that we would try our best to secure the funding to do so. This unique health event targets women who need it most and is the only one of its kind anywhere in the Virgin Islands.
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