![\"\"](\"http:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1853\/2021\/03\/CCEC2B3A-96FE-48AE-8FA6-42BC6D005E37_1_105_c-300x188.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nMission Statement\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The mission of Healthy Teens on Mercer Island is to provide knowledge of healthy eating habits to adolescents of Mercer Island and help them make smart decisions on food choices.<\/p>\n Program Goals<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n How will I achieve my mission? My goal is to use motivational interviewing and social media to help learn and educate adolescents on Mercer Island as to what they are doing today for meals and snacks and teach them how to create healthier goals.<\/p>\n The target of my nutrition education program is teenagers from age 15-19 years old. The \u201cwhat\u201d or nutrition- related behavior I am addressing is poor eating habits such as skipping breakfast and dieting to lose weight. The strongest risk factor to dieting was the perception of being overweight (Van Vliet, Gustafsson, & Nelson, 2016). Key findings with the CDC show,\u00a0Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey<\/strong><\/p>\n I picked the audience of teenagers intentionally because they are a forgotten target group with many issues that should be researched. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, (2020) \u201chealthy eating during adolescence is important as body changes during this time affect an individual\u2019s nutritional and dietary needs. Adolescents are becoming more independent and making many food decisions on their own. Many adolescents experience a growth spurt and an increase in appetite and need healthy foods to meet their growth needs.\u201d My actions will use Social Cognitive Theory and our social-ecological model to help show teenagers that their peers and role models all agree that eating healthy is important and fad diets are not healthy. My study will include face to face interviews and peer group learning.<\/p>\n My impact is helping adolescents feel positive about their bodies despite the social pressure that exists to be thin or muscular. As I mentioned in my outline, socio-cultural environment for boys at these ages is difficult and boys do not express concerns about body image but develop unhealthy eating instead. My goal is to educate all teenagers \u00a0on what healthy eating looks like and make it interactive and fun and the outcome will be they will not skip breakfast and have healthier habits.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reference:<\/p>\n Healthy Eating During Adolescence. (2020). Retrieved from \u00a0https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/health\/wellness-and-prevention\/healthy-eating-during-<\/a>\u00a0Adolescence<\/p>\n <\/p>\n McDow, K., Nguyen, D., Herrick, K. & Akinbami, L (2019) Attempts to Lose Weight Among<\/p>\n Adolescents Aged 16\u201319 in the United States, 2013-2016, Retrieved from<\/p>\n\n
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Studies have shown that adolescence is a period which healthy or unhealthy eating habits develop. From the research Van Vilet, Gufstafsson & Nelson (2016) presented in a cross-sectional study with written questionaires and physical measurements, \u201cdieting to lose weight and skipping breakfast were more common among adolescents than younger boys and girls.\u201d From this research it seems clear that the strongest factor to dieting in both boys and girls was a perception of being overweight and skipping breakfast was associated with a more negative body image (Van Vliet et. al., 2016). Another key determinant was a higher BMI in boys leads to skipping breakfast (Van Vliet et. al., \u00a02016). Findings from a NHANES sample indicate that from 2013 \u2013 2016, 37% of adolescents tried to lose weight. Some ways in which adolescents tried to lose weight were skipping meals which made up 16% of the total adolescents polled (McDow, Nguyen, Herrick, & Akinbami, 2019). According to GAIN health or the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, \u201cThe overall findings are worrying. Across the globe, adolescents do not eat enough fruits and vegetables and consume too much soda and fast food (Beal, 2019). Unhealthy diets among adolescents, along with low physical activity, are contributing to the coexistence of undernutrition, overweight or obesity and noncommunicable diseases, which can harm adolescents now and in later life as well as the next generation\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Population- Narrowing the Problem<\/strong><\/p>\n My audience will be made up of 40 Mercer Island High School adolescents from age 15-19 with an emphasis on boys. Mercer Island is a small town approximately 10 minutes from Seattle, Washington. We have one high school that has 1500 students. Mercer Island is a highly educated community with many professionals and adults with higher education. Most teenagers are concerned about their ability to perform in school with 95% graduating in four years (Washington office of the Superintendent, 2020). Kids are also very concerned about self-image which I have observed in my twenty years of living in the area and raising two teenagers.<\/p>\n I will have motivational interviews with each child and understand their current eating habits. Some questions I will ask will be related to if they skip breakfast, how often they eat fast food or do they drink soda.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Solution<\/strong><\/p>\n My proposed program will be called Nutrition Education Workshops for Teenagers on Mercer Island. The program will consist of 1) a motivational interview to discover needs of teenagers and find out eating habits 2) a series of zoom calls which I will educate teenagers on a healthy diet and the pros of eating breakfast daily 3) a follow up program to track food intake and fast food\/soda intake 4) guest speakers to role model healthy eating and success in business and sports 5) social media ads to encourage eating breakfast and skipping fast foods and sodas. \u00a0In addition, I will look at barriers to action. I will keep the lesson plan fun and age appropriate. \u00a0I will integrate CBT and Social Cognitive Theory to establish self-efficacy in making good decision. 4) The methodology I will use is from University of Minnesota Extension programs in Nutrition. The program I researched works with teens to build self-efficacy. My plan is to have a fun and engaging program to help them learn to love breakfast and make smart choices. In addition, according to the search institute (2017) literature, eight elements of best practices from the University of Minnesota Extension that are proven to work for youth development will be included in my program. They are:<\/p>\n Youth feel physically and emotionally\u00a0safe<\/em><\/p>\n Youth experience\u00a0belonging and ownership<\/em><\/p>\n Youth develop\u00a0self-worth<\/em><\/p>\n Youth\u00a0discover self<\/em><\/p>\n Youth develop quality\u00a0relationships\u00a0with peers and adults<\/em><\/p>\n Youth discuss conflicting\u00a0values\u00a0and form their own<\/em><\/p>\n Youth feel the pride and accountability that comes with\u00a0mastery\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The Opportunity \u2013 What is in it for Mercer Island <\/strong><\/p>\n I decided to use Social Media and Zoom calls in my program due to the fact that teenagers are using social media and computers. A study from the Pew Research Center found that \u201cmore than 50 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds go online several times a day. This quickly increases during the teenage years to over 70 minutes per day, with teenage girls having the highest usage at just over 140 minutes per day. It is important to recognize that non-school related use of the internet and social media is often beheld by teenagers as important for developing their self-esteem, their acceptance among peers and their mental health in general\u201d (Coppes, 2019).<\/p>\n Mercer Island High School has approximately 1500 children enrolled. I have lived on Mercer Island for twenty-two years. We have a an active and engaged student body and PTA with a program called Parent Edge where we bring in speakers in all areas to the community.\u00a0 I will have a 45-minute teenage nutrition education series for the children of Mercer Island High School. The people who benefit the most are teens, parents and teachers. It would be an important addition to our school to embrace how to help teens with health and better performance in school and life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Promise and Gain to Mercer Island <\/strong><\/p>\n According to Carroll (2014), \u201cThe push for school nutrition initiatives traditionally has focused on health outcomes. While these certainly are important, it\u2019s time to shift the conversation to include the academic implications of dietary choices. It\u2019s clear that nutrition behaviors such as eating breakfast impact learning outcomes. Other behaviors, such as adequate fruit and vegetable intake, better diet quality, and lower consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, are supported by a growing body of evidence for their role in academic performance.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mercer Island High School students will have better overall grades and attendance due to improvements in nutrition. What can be gained is a lifetime of healthy eating habits and cost savings to our medical systems with a good preventative plan to nutrition. Mercer Island will be an example to other high schools that are trying to help kids increase awareness of healthy eating.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Reason to Invest in this Program and Why Will it Be Successful<\/strong><\/p>\n Mercer Island prides itself on its education. As stated above, 95% of children graduate high school on Mercer Island and 55% of our teachers have a Master\u2019s degree (Office of Superintendent, 2020). Adolescents at this school strive to be the best at everything as we can see by our level of higher degrees and problems can lead to more chronic issues such as poor grades, lack of vitamins and poor performance in activities. If Mercer Island strives to be the best, it needs to educate its teens on healthy habits.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n References<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adolescent and young adult health. (2021). Retrieved from https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/adolescents-health-risks-and-solutions<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Beal, T., Morris, S. S., & Tumilowicz, A. (2019). Global Patterns of Adolescent Fruit,<\/p>\n Vegetable, Carbonated Soft Drink, and Fast-Food Consumption: A Meta-Analysis of Global School-Based Student Health Surveys.\u00a0Food and Nutrition Bulletin,40<\/em>(4), 444-459. doi:10.1177\/0379572119848287<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Carroll, (2014) Better Academic Performance – Is Nutrition the Missing Link? (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2021,<\/p>\n from https:\/\/www.todaysdietitian.com\/newarchives\/100614p64.shtml<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Contento, I. R. (2016).\u00a0Nutrition education: Linking research, theory, and practice<\/em>. Burlington,<\/p>\n MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Coppes (2019) Teens and social media: When is it too much? Retrieved from<\/p>\n https:\/\/med.unr.edu\/news\/archive\/2019\/coppes-teens-and-social-media<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mccreary, D. R., & Sasse, D. K. (2000). An Exploration of the Drive for Muscularity in Adolescent<\/p>\n Boys and Girls.\u00a0Journal of American College Health,48<\/em>(6), 297-304.<\/p>\n doi:10.1080\/07448480009596271<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n McDow, K., Nguyen, D., Herrick, K. & Akinbami, L (2109) Attempts to Lose Weight Among<\/p>\n Adolescents Aged 16\u201319 in the United States, 2013-2016, Retrieved from<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/data\/databriefs\/db340-h.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n McKenzie, J. F., Neiger, B. L., & Thackeray, R. (2017).\u00a0Planning, implementing, and evaluating <\/em><\/p>\n health promotion programs: A primer<\/em>. San Francisco: Pearson\/Benjamin Cummings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Over a Lifetime, Childhood Obesity Costs $19,000 Per Child. (2020). Retrieved from<\/p>\n https:\/\/globalhealth.duke.edu\/news\/over-lifetime-childhood-obesity-costs-19000-child<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Supportive relationships and environment. (2021). Retrieved from<\/p>\n https:\/\/extension.umn.edu\/building-high-quality-youth-programs\/supportive<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 relationships-and-environment<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Unhealthy adolescent diets: UNICEF report a wakeup call. (2018). Retrieved from<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.gainhealth.org\/media\/news\/unhealthy-adolescent-diets-unicef-report-wake-call<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Vliet, J. S., Gustafsson, P. A., & Nelson, N. (2016). Feeling \u2018too fat\u2019 rather than being \u2018too fat\u2019<\/p>\n increases unhealthy eating habits among adolescents \u2013 even in boys.\u00a0Food & Nutrition Research,60<\/em>(1), 29530. doi:10.3402\/fnr.v60.29530<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cA Rationale for a Workshop for Teens on Mercer Island on Healthy Eating Habits\u201d Lauren Feuerman. Leahy American University Master of Nutrition Education The Problem Studies have shown that adolescence is a period which healthy or unhealthy eating habits develop. From the research Van Vilet, Gufstafsson & Nelson (2016) presented in a cross-sectional […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3610,"featured_media":0,"parent":2,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-97","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":89,"date":"2021-03-26T19:52:28","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T19:52:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/?page_id=89"},"modified":"2021-03-26T19:52:28","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T19:52:28","slug":"references","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/references\/","title":{"rendered":"References"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3610,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-89","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/89\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":82,"date":"2021-03-25T01:43:29","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T01:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/?page_id=82"},"modified":"2021-03-25T01:51:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T01:51:02","slug":"articles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/articles\/","title":{"rendered":"Articles"},"content":{"rendered":" https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db340.htm https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/10863873\/ https:\/\/globalhealth.duke.edu\/news\/over-lifetime-childhood-obesity-costs-19000-child https:\/\/www.gainhealth.org\/media\/news\/unhealthy-adolescent-diets-unicef-report-wake-call<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3610,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-82","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":78,"date":"2021-03-25T01:27:06","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T01:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/?page_id=78"},"modified":"2021-03-25T02:08:21","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T02:08:21","slug":"statistics-on-adolescent-eating-habits","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/statistics-on-adolescent-eating-habits\/","title":{"rendered":"Statistics on Adolescent Eating Habits-"},"content":{"rendered":" <\/p>\n https:\/\/www.euro.who.int\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0006\/303477\/HBSC-No.7_factsheet_Diet.pdf%3Fua%3D1<\/p>\n <\/p>\n YOUNG PEOPLE 15 YEARS OF AGE<\/p>\n 46% of BOYS and 44% of GIRLS EAT WITH BOTH OR ONE PARENT EVERY DAY<\/p>\n <\/p>\n GLOBAL STUDY ON 15 YEAR OLDS WHO EAT BREAKFAST DAILY<\/p>\n YOUNG PEOPLE WHO EAT FRUIT DAILY<\/p>\n BOYS – 15 YEAR OLD- 29%<\/p>\n GIRLS – 15 YEAR OLD 37%<\/p>\n YOUNG PEOPLE WHO EAT BREAKFAST EVERY WEEKDAY<\/p>\n 15 YEAR OLD<\/p>\n BOYS – 62%<\/p>\n GIRLS- 52%<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db340.htm<\/p>\n PERCENTAGE OF ADOLESCENTS AGED 16-19 WHO TRIED TO LOSE WEIGHT 2013-2016<\/p>\n WAYS ADOLESCENTS TRIED TO LOSE WEIGHT<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.euro.who.int\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0006\/303477\/HBSC-No.7_factsheet_Diet.pdf%3Fua%3D1 YOUNG PEOPLE 15 YEARS OF AGE 46% of BOYS and 44% of GIRLS EAT WITH BOTH OR ONE PARENT EVERY DAY GLOBAL STUDY ON 15 YEAR OLDS WHO EAT BREAKFAST DAILY YOUNG PEOPLE WHO EAT FRUIT DAILY BOYS – 15 YEAR OLD- 29% GIRLS – 15 YEAR OLD 37% YOUNG PEOPLE […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3610,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-78","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":28,"date":"2021-03-24T23:40:01","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T23:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/?page_id=28"},"modified":"2021-04-21T16:08:00","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T16:08:00","slug":"lauren-leahy-master-of-nutrition-education-american-university","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edspace.american.edu\/healthyhabits\/lauren-leahy-master-of-nutrition-education-american-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog Post – Lauren Leahy – Master of Nutrition Education American University"},"content":{"rendered":" Smart Teens<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Educate Teens at Mercer Island High School the Importance of Eating Breakfast and Maintaining Appropriate Calories to Fuel a Healthy Day<\/strong><\/p>\n Lauren Feuerman Leahy<\/p>\n American University Master of Nutrition Education<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Goal Statement\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Educate Teens at Mercer Island High School the importance of Eating Breakfast and Maintaining Appropriate Calories to Fuel a Healthy Day.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Do Diets Work?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Studies have shown that adolescence is a period which healthy or unhealthy eating habits develop. From the research of Van Vilet, Gufstafsson & Nelson (2016) presented in a cross-sectional study with written questionnaires and physical measurements, \u201cdieting to lose weight and skipping breakfast were more common among adolescents than younger boys and girls.\u201d From this research it seems clear that the strongest factor to dieting in both boys and girls was a perception of being overweight and skipping breakfast was associated with a more negative body image (Van Vliet, Gustafsson, & Nelson, 2016). Another key determinant was a higher BMI in boys leads to skipping breakfast (Van Vliet, Gustafsson, & Nelson, 2016). Findings from a NHANES sample indicate that from 2013 \u2013 2016, 37% of adolescents tried to lose weight. Some ways in which adolescents tried to lose weight were skipping meals which made up 16% of the total adolescents polled (McDow, Nguyen, Herrick, & Akinbami, 2019). According to GAIN health or the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, \u201cThe overall findings are worrying. Across the globe, adolescents do not eat enough fruits and vegetables and consume too much soda and fast food (Beal, 2019). Unhealthy diets among adolescents, along with low physical activity, are contributing to the coexistence of undernutrition, overweight or obesity and noncommunicable diseases, which can harm adolescents now and in later life as well as the next generation\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Struggle<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n These statistics are concerning to me as a mother of a 16-year-old boy and a 20-year-old girl. We have known that adolescents are very impressionable and take risks that are not always in the best of judgement. Some habits that are unhealthy including fast food consumption and skipping meals are becoming a daily occurrence. According to GAIN health or the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, \u201cThe overall findings are worrying. Across the globe, adolescents do not eat enough fruits and vegetables and consume too much soda and fast food (Beal, 2019). Unhealthy diets among adolescents, along with low physical activity, are contributing to the coexistence of undernutrition, overweight or obesity and noncommunicable diseases, which can harm adolescents now and in later life as well as the next generation\u201d (Beal, 2019).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n https:\/\/www.euro.who.int\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0006\/303477\/HBSC-No.7_factsheet_Diet.pdf%3Fua%3D1<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you don\u2019t believe me yet, here are some powerful statistics.<\/p>\n Key Data Points: NHANES STUDY\u00a0<\/strong>http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db340.htm<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Say No to Fast Food<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why Breakfast Matters<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to recent data, only 62% of adolescent boys who are 15 years of age and 52% of adolescent girls eat breakfast daily.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n https:\/\/www.euro.who.int\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0006\/303477\/HBSC-No.7_factsheet_Diet.pdf%3Fua%3D1<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In addition, 45% of girls who participated in the CDC study between 2013-2016 tried to lose weight in the past year and a staggering 30% of boys tried to lose weight too. We have a large number of young adults trying to lose weight and many of them are not doing it in a healthy and positive manner.<\/p>\n Resolution<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The challenge of changing adolescent behavior should not be underestimated. It is a time in most people\u2019s lives where the flow is against their better judgement. The issue with obesity and teenage weight insecurity is real. We are struggling to help them love their bodies and fill themselves with the healthiest foods in the face of poor self-esteem and a lot of fast-food options. We have learned that self-efficacy is critical in change. Feeling empowered and good about oneself and one\u2019s decisions is critical for this age group. My workshops over zoom and motivational counseling will help them put the pieces together and build a plan that they can believe in and have social support for their journey toward a healthier way of life.<\/p>\n How will I achieve my mission? My goal is to use motivational interviewing, a series of zoom workshops and social media to help learn and educate adolescents on Mercer Island as to what they are doing today for meals and snacks and teach them how to create healthier goals.<\/p>\n The target of my nutrition education program is teenage boys from age 15-19 years old. The \u201cwhat\u201d or nutrition- related behavior I am addressing is poor eating habits such as skipping breakfast and dieting to lose weight.<\/p>\n My program will use Social Cognitive Theory and our social-ecological model to help show teenage boys that their peers and role models all agree that eating healthy is important and fad diets are not healthy. My study will include face to face interviews and peer group learning.<\/p>\n My impact is helping boys feel positive about their bodies despite the social pressure that exists to be thin or muscular. As I mentioned in my outline, socio-cultural environment for boys at these ages is difficult and boys do not express concerns about body image but develop unhealthy eating instead. My goal is to educate them on what healthy eating looks like and make it interactive and fun and the outcome will be they will not skip breakfast and have healthier habits.<\/p>\n Please take a look at my website that is dedicated to my mission\u2026<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Healthy Teens on Mercer Island is a program designed to provide knowledge of eating habits to enhance the health of teenagers on Mercer Island <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adolescent and young adult health. (n.d.). Retrieved from\u00a0https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact<\/a> sheets\/detail\/adolescents-health-risks-and-solutions<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Beal, T., Morris, S. S., & Tumilowicz, A. (2019). Global patterns of adolescent fruit, vegetable, carbonated soft drink, and fast-food consumption: A Meta-Analysis of Global School-Based Student Health Surveys.\u00a0Food and Nutrition Bulletin,40<\/em>(4), 444-459. doi:10.1177\/0379572119848287<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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