Fifteen Ohio University students are taking their classroom skills to the arms of university faculty and staff. Trained in blood pressure screenings, the volunteers are working to make Ohio University a heart-healthier campus by promoting the importance of preventive measures through the What's Your Number? campaign.
The campaign began in January to screen the blood pressures of the University's faculty and staff and provide result-specific information. The campaign sponsor, WellWorks Wellness Center, has reached a third of its target audience and hopes to increase the number of people screened during spring quarter.
In addition to giving Ohio University faculty and staff peace of mind, the screenings give students from many programs in the College of Health and Human Services an experiential learning opportunity.
"This is a great opportunity for me as a community health major," said Marlene Diers. "I spend most of my time in the classroom learning concepts. Screening blood pressures allows me to get out into the community and provide a service that promotes healthier lifestyles."
The student volunteers were recruited from dietetics, exercise physiology, community health and physical therapy majors. Volunteers went through five rigorous training sessions led by WellWorks staff. In the sessions, volunteers not only became skilled at taking accurate blood pressures but they also learned how the heart works, how to identify hypertension, how to interact with faculty and staff regarding their current blood pressure reading and how to encourage healthy behavior. During screening, students also discuss the importance of lifestyle changes or choices regarding exercise, healthy eating, stress reduction and smoking.
WellWorks encourages all faculty and staff to be screened on a regular basis. Even if employees are currently receiving medical care to manage their blood pressures, it is important to have occasional screenings to assure the accuracy of their home monitoring equipment and to verify that their efforts are effective.
What's Your Number? volunteers are visiting more than 40 locations on campus to make the screenings more accessible for employees. A calendar of locations, dates and times is available from WellWorks.
