The goal of the Demonstration and Information Dissemination Project (DIDP) is to educate the lay public and health professionals regarding the antecedents (i.e., risk factors) and consequences of cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and congestive heart failure (CHF). Of special emphasis are: 1) the impact of these diseases on physical functioning, independence, and quality of life; 2) the modification of lifestyle behaviors through exercise and diet to ameliorate chronic disability; and 3) the physiological mechanisms underlying improved functional status in individuals with PAD and CHF. To achieve its goal, the DIDP will feature two major components: one primarily for the lay public, and one for health professionals. To increase the awareness of and disseminate information to the lay public regarding CVD in accordance with the specific aim, we will use an innovative, focused, two-tiered (community and school) strategy to reach racially and ethnically diverse, aging as well as elderly populations. This approach involves a four-step sequence: Infiltrate existing community groups comprised of older adults (tier one) and school classrooms (tier two); Disseminate information about CVD risk factors, complications, and endpoints, the components of a complete cardiac evaluation, and the role of exercise, diet, and smoking cessation as lifestyle modifications in preventing risk factors, reducing the occurrence of disease, or increasing physical functioning and independence in the presence of disease; Locate (identify) CVD risk factors and endpoints across generations; Activate older adults and their families to obtain an assessment of their CVD risk factors and begin lifestyle modifications that positively impact on risk factors and disease. Health professionals, as members of the community, will be part of the target population. However, to provide information with greater scientific breadth and scope to health care providers from diverse disciplines, the DIDP also will offer more traditional educational formats, such as inservice and continuing education programs.
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