Background: In health education, there is a risk of giving overly prescriptive recommendations, potentially activating conflicting in-group norms that reduce message receptiveness. For example, the notion of 'unhealthy youth' is a stereotype which suggests that young people are expected to make unhealthy choices. If such in-group norms are…

Background: Previous research has posited that significant relationships exist between health status and psychological measures of health (e.g., self-esteem). Less is known about the relationship between perceived quality of life (e.g., life satisfaction), weight perceptions, and dieting behaviors, particularly among middle school adolescents.…

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 7, 8, and 9. SUBJECT MATTER: Physical health and nutrition. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into five sections: nutritional states, adequate diet, nutrition in adolescence, the achievement and maintainance of correct weight, and environmental factors which affect nutritional health. The publication…

A weight control program for a group of eighth-grade girls, which included learning disabled students, was developed to change eating, exercise, and behavior patterns. The course included dietary management, physical activity, and behavior modification techniques. Results show that the students participating in the program decreased their weight…

This curriculum guide is designed for teaching health education to eighth graders but can be modified for use with high school students. The curriculum is divided into four units: 1) mental health, 2) physical health, 3) social health, and 4) behavior patterns. The classroom objectives in each unit are accompanied by teaching strategies and…

This kit is designed to be used as part of health, science, physical education, and home economics education at the middle school level. It provides current information about and describes student learning activities in food, nutrition, physical fitness, and ecology. Class plans are offered for five lesson topics: (1) Food supplies nutrients,…