February is a time when Cupid is hard at work and couples celebrate their devotion to one another. But while love is in the air, February is also Heart month and provides an opportunity to reflect on more than just the romantic wellbeing of your heart. So although Valentine's Day can make everyone's heart a little bigger, it's important to remember that the health of your heart means more than candy and cards.
CIHR experts are exploring the many different aspects of caring for your heart.
Young and in love: Addressing youth dating and sexual health
Published CIHR-funded research: As hormones rage, teenagers often wonder about the mysteries of the opposite sex and the nature of relationships. Curriculum sexual education classes provide information about the anatomy of sex and sexually transmitted infections, but is that really enough? Are students learning what they need to know about relationships and personal health and safety? Giving youth more knowledge as well as the opportunity to discuss relationships could decrease the risk of teen dating violence and unsafe sexual practices. Dr. David Wolfe at the CAMH Centre for Prevention Science and researchers at the University of Western Ontario evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based program discussing adolescent dating risks and sexual health. The trial was published in the August edition of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, and has been selected as one of two programs for a U.S. initiative in comprehensive dating violence prevention.
A family affair: Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease together
CIHR-funded research: Obesity is a growing epidemic in Canada that affects both adults and children, but no matter your age, being overweight can have serious implications on the health of your heart. Research has shown that the household environment can influence children's lifestyle habits that can affect the development of obesity and consequent heart problems. Dr. Mâsse at the University of British Columbia is exploring the factors at the individual and familial levels that can influence overweight/obese adolescents' ability to modify their lifestyle factors contributing to obesity. February 15th is Family Day, so grab the kids to go skating, snowshoewing, skiing, or even enjoy a nice winter walk, and spend some time together improving your health and your heart.
In matters of the heart, men and women are even more different than you think
CIHR-funded research: Heart disease and diabetes are among the leading causes of death in men and women around the world, and the seriousness and impact of these conditions are generally similar in both genders. However, in terms of health lifestyles, behaviors, and concerns, there may be differences. A team of CIHR-funded researchers at McMaster University are exploring the sex-related differences including age, access to health services, and the role of ethnicity and socio-economic factors that influence heart disease and diabetes differently in men and women. Though it may not explain men and women's understandings of each other's hearts in terms of love, it will help us to better understand our own hearts in terms of health!
Forbidden love? The importance of social support networks in same-sex relationships
CIHR-funded research: When it comes to our hearts, whether we admit it or not, the approval of friends and family can often have an impact on the quality of a romantic relationship. For individuals in same-sex relationships, the feedback from social support networks can be detrimental to both physical and mental health if there are high-levels of disapproval and rejection of lifestyle. But what can we do? Dr. Karen Lyndsay Blair at Queen's University recognizes the importance of this issue, and is attempting to understand the risk factors for mental and physical health problems for individuals within same-sex relationships in order to decrease the burden on their heart and health.
CIHR's Mag Alert is designed to provide magazine editors and writers with fresh ideas for health stories. The story ideas are drawn from the body of outstanding, peer-reviewed health research projects being carried out by scientists across Canada with support from CIHR. Within each research project lies the potential to create an engaging, enlightening, and in many cases, uplifting human story. The topics are chosen to accommodate magazine editors who must make editorial decisions well in advance of publication dates. CIHR welcomes the opportunity to work with editors or writers who wish to pursue a story on a specific health topic.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
For more information on any of the story leads above, please contact:
David Coulombe
CIHR Media Specialist
Office: 613-941-4563
Mobile: 613-808-7526
E-mail: mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
