UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State students who are interested in promoting health among their peers can apply to participate in HealthWorks, a student peer education and outreach program within University Health Services (UHS). Membership applications will be accepted through March 1 for the 2013-14 school year.

Eating certain foods can increase your risk for heart disease, and though it is often difficult to change dietary habits, eating "heart healthy" is very important for your long-term health. According to a diet and health study from the National Institutes of Health, there is growing evidence that eating lots of fruits, vegetables, olive oil and fish offer some level of protection from health problems.

Jason Fragin, cardiologist at Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute in State College, offers tips to get started, or simply fine tune, a heart-healthy diet.

Osteoarthritis is a progressive joint disease that affects approximately one third of individuals age 65 and older. The disorder causes gradual loss of joint cartilage and bony degeneration while simultaneously creating new bone formation, or bone spurs.

"Unfortunately, there is no cure for osteoarthritis, so our goal in treatment is to slow disease progression while minimizing pain and disability," said Peter Seidenberg, a primary care sports medicine physician with Penn State Sports Medicine in State College, part of Penn State Hershey Bone and Joint Institute. In this edition of The Medical Minute, he offers information about standard and nontraditional treatments.

Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute in partnership with the American Cancer Society, Pennsylvania Division, South Central Region, will host the ninth annual public forum Reducing Cancer in Our Community on Saturday, March 9, at the University Conference Center.

Women across central Pennsylvania are invited to attend the Go Red for Women "New Year, New You" day at Macy's at Harrisburg Mall. It will take place on Saturday, Jan. 26.

Penn State Hershey Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion (CNAP) will launch Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition! (We Can!) Energize Our Families, a national education program from the National Institutes of Health to prevent obesity among youth ages 8 to 13.

The Pediatric Trauma Injury Prevention at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital will hold a Safe Sitter class for 11- to 13-year-olds from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 18, at the Hershey Center for Applied Research Building on Bullfrog Valley Road, across from the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine campus. Program cost is $30 and includes a student manual and lunch. Call Leigh Brown at 717-531-7422 to register.

The Department of Humanities' next First Friday presentation will be held at noon on Friday, Feb. 1, in the Anesthesia Conference room (C2860) on the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine campus. The Kienle Drama Group will present "Follow Your Heart," a stage reading by Dr. Richard Selzer, followed by an audience discussion with members of the cardiac transplant team. The event is free and open to the public, and no preregistration is required. For more information, call 717-531-8778.