Although considerable strides have been made nationally in women’s health research, government and state agencies have only recently begun to recognize the importance of addressing the specific health challenges experienced by rural women. CRWG has been at the forefront of promoting health of rural women, most recently through the US Department of Health and Human Services-funded Coalition for a Healthier Community grant, which aims to improve cardiovascular health in rural southern Illinois women.

Informed by the experiences and knowledge of rural women, CRWG staff have designed, implemented, and evaluated behavioral interventions to reduce risk factors for chronic diseases. The success of those initial efforts provides critical groundwork for planned randomized trials of these behavioral interventions. CRWG is ideally positioned to continue this line of research because of its strong academic-community-government partnerships and its focus on community-based collaborative research. We extend our gratitude to our collaborators at the Illinois Department of Public Health Office of Women’s Health, the Southern Seven Health Department, local health centers, community and faith based organizations.

For more information about our work, please contact Lynda Warner.