WAYNE, N.J., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare is introducing a fitness program to help children ages 7-12 and young adults ages 13-16 with hemophilia A live active lives. “Living Fit! A Joint Effort” is a unique strength training, fitness and wellness program created to increase awareness of the importance of exercise and nutrition among this population and their caregivers.
Fitness and healthy eating are especially important because strong muscles and a lower body weight may help maintain joint health, an important consideration for people with hemophilia A. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rates of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents with hemophilia are similar to those among the general population, which are currently at epidemic proportions(1).
Living Fit! is designed to help protect and maintain joints before they become damaged from repeated bleeds. The program offers videos, information and resources, available at www.livingwithhemophilia.com/webapp/livingfit, designed to promote a healthy lifestyle and engagement in appropriate types of exercise. It focuses on four pillars of health: general wellness, nutrition, cardiovascular exercises and strengthening exercises.
Living Fit! was inspired by Corey Pierce, a 24-year-old with hemophilia A and a former participant in the Bayer Hemophilia Leadership Development Program.
“I am thrilled to be able to introduce Living Fit! to help people like me maintain a healthy body and healthy joints as we continue to grow and develop into adulthood,” Pierce said. “It is my hope that the program can be a valuable, relevant resource for future generations of young people living with hemophilia.”
A Living Fit! symposium is being held at November’s annual meeting of the National Hemophilia Foundation to further encourage members of the hemophilia community to embrace fitness. The symposium will feature the Season 5 at-home winner from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser®,” Bernie Salazar, and nutrition expert Rebecca Scritchfield, RD, who will be there to help motivate attendees.
Living Fit! also offers FactorTrack, the first free, personal and interactive mobile application that helps make it easier to track and record factor infusions. Living Fit! also includes downloadable fitness guidelines, designed by a team of physical therapists who work with people with hemophilia A. FactorTrack and the guidelines are available at www.livingwithhemophilia.com/webapp/livingfit. In addition, a Living Fit! Patient Kit, including educational materials and a DVD with demonstrations of the program’s components, are available through Bayer Hemophilia Account Executives.
For more information about Living Fit!, please visit www.livingwithhemophilia.com/webapp/livingfit.
About Hemophilia A
Hemophilia A, also known as factor VIII deficiency or classic hemophilia, is largely an inherited bleeding disorder in which one of the proteins needed to form blood clots in the body is missing or reduced. Hemophilia A, the most common type of hemophilia, is caused by deficient or defective blood coagulation proteins, known as factor VIII. Hemophilia A is characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the muscles, joints, or internal organs. Approximately one in 5,000 males born in the United States has hemophilia.
About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals business of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a subsidiary of Bayer AG. Bayer HealthCare is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, and combines the activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. As a specialty pharmaceutical company, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals provides products for Diagnostic Imaging, General Medicine, Hematology, Neurology, Oncology and Women’s Healthcare. The company’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
BAYER and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer. Living Fit! A Joint Effort and FactorTrack are trademarks of Bayer.
(1) http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hemophilia/data.html -- accessed 10-04-2010
SOURCE Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
