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CQU researcher gets to the heart of health with NSW school kids

02 October 2023
A woman in a black and red floral print dress stands before a television screen depicting healthy foods. In the foreground school children in yellow uniforms are seated and holding up red and gree paper hearts
CQU physical activity research Dr Stephanie Schoeppe addresses school children from the the Warialda Public School

CQUniversity physical activity researcher Dr Stephanie Schoeppe has literally hopped, skipped and jumped alongside hundreds of school children to promote the National Heart Foundation’s (NHF) Jump Rope for Heart program.

Dr Schoeppe, a Research Fellow from CQU’s Appleton Institute, was recently invited by NHF to give a presentation on heart health at the Warialda Public School.

Her presentation, Move for a Healthy Heart, was also a way of acknowledging the school’s significant fundraising achievement.

“For participating in the NHF Jump Rope for Heart Program and raising donations for the NHF, the Warialda Public School children won ‘an experience you can’t buy’ as a thank you prize,” Dr Schoeppe said.

“I gave a talk and learned skipping exercises from the kids who eagerly practice and show off their skipping skills. 

“My talk was about the human heart and how we can keep it healthy with regular physical activities, healthy foods and breaking up prolonged sitting time. 

“I had asked the kids several true/false questions and they put up green hearts for ‘true’ and red hearts for ‘false’ during my interactive presentation. 

"We also did a sitting break (as prolonged sitting is detrimental to heart health) which was a dance on the spot to the famous Bluey show song Dance Mode. 

“This community engagement of research was also a way to ‘give back’ to the Heart Foundation that has funded my research on promoting physical activity in children as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow for many years.”

NHF-funded researchers are often asked to give presentations in communities about their research and to help promote heart health. 

The Heart Foundation’s Jump Rope for Heart program has been running for over 40 years in Australian primary schools and is a hugely popular skipping and fundraising program. 

Over the last 40 years, student 'Heart Heroes' have skipped their way to $111 million in donations. Those funds have helped support innovative heart research and programs that are transforming Australian lives. 

The Jump Rope for Heart program also encourages kids to have a positive attitude towards exercise, healthy eating and heart health while raising vital funds to fight heart disease.