COM students participate in nutrition research project
Three students from the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) spent their summer conducting nutritional research at The University of Southern Mississippi. Steven Bean, Raaga Vemula, and Andrew Van Hersh participated in the Church Bridge Project, a National Institutes of Health grant-funded project with USM nutrition professor Dr. Jennifer Lemacks.
The Church Bridge Project is an innovative program that is new to Mississippi. Church is a vital component in the Southern culture, and Mississippi has the highest weekly church attendance compared to all other states. Mississippi is the top state in our nation for obesity prevalence, and African Americans make up almost 50 percent of the obese population in the state. The Church Bridge project explores church-based interventions and implements technology-based techniques to help participants reach a 10 percent weight loss goal at the end of 12 weeks.
Each Tuesday and Thursday the COM students prepared for education sessions, in which they spoke to participants about various topics regarding exercise, nutrition, stress, and social support; all factors that are needed to help achieve a healthy mind and body. They shared information about macronutrients, vitamins, diabetes, atherosclerosis, preventative medicine, and even showed the participants exercise routines that can be done at home.
“It was a great experience because we learned about our own weight-loss and healthy eating goals, while implementing biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology into the education sessions,” said Raaga.