Newswise — Northeastern University Associate Professor of Nursing Sue Jo Roberts has received a grant to support her groundbreaking research in the field of lesbian health. Roberts' project, titled, "Attitudes, Beliefs, and Practices Related to Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction among Lesbians" is being funded by the Lesbian Health Fund (LHF), a program of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA).
"Studies suggest that lesbians may be more likely to exercise less, be overweight, suffer from hypertension and smoke, putting them in danger of developing cardiovascular disease," says Roberts. "This grant will allow us to better understand their attitudes and beliefs when it comes to these risk factors, and will set the stage for creating culturally sensitive intervention programs."
Roberts' study is currently in the process of conducting focus groups in the Massachusetts area. She hopes that the resulting interviews will give researchers a better picture of how lesbians view health risks associated with heart disease and what interventions to decrease risk would be most culturally acceptable to them.
"Based upon other research, it seems that lesbians may feel less of a need to fit the stereotypes most heterosexual women tend to adhere to when it comes to body image," says Roberts. "Homosexual women may be more accepting and less critical of the appearance of themselves, their partners, and other women. Therefore they may not worry about health risk factors as much."
The "Attitudes, Beliefs, and Practices Related to Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction among Lesbians" project will run through the spring of 2007. Roberts and her colleagues are currently recruiting homosexual women with risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, overweight or lack of exercise, from across Massachusetts for upcoming focus groups. If you are interested in participating, please contact her at [email protected] or at 617-373-3130.
About the Lesbian Health FundLHF, a program of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), was established in 1992 to define, study, and educate lesbians and their health care providers about lesbian health issues. LHF's mission is to improve the health of lesbians and their families through investigation and research.
About Northeastern Northeastern University, located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, is a world leader in practice-oriented education and recognized for its expert faculty and first-rate academic and research facilities. Northeastern integrates challenging liberal arts and professional studies with the nation's largest cooperative education program. Through co-op, Northeastern undergraduates alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, giving them nearly two years of professional experience upon graduation. The majority of Northeastern graduates receive a job offer from a co-op employer. Cited for excellence four years running by U.S. News & World Report, Northeastern has quickly moved up into the top tier rankings " an impressive 35 spots in four years. In addition, Northeastern was named a top college in the 2006 edition of the Princeton Review's annual "Best Colleges" issue. For more information, please visit http://www.northeastern.edu.
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