Report of a Curriculum Used in a Peer-Delivered Intervention to Reduce Obesity of Adolescents in Southern Appalachia and its Relationship to the National Health Education Standards.

Abstract

The Team Up for Healthy Living curriculum was designed for a study examining an academia-community partnership approach using college students as peer facilitators to prevent obesity among high school students in Southern Appalachia. It was created by a multidisciplinary team of researchers/investigators representing the fields of Kinesiology, Medicine, Nutrition, Psychology, and Public Health. Multidisciplinary team members presented updated content and activities to peer facilitators as part of training and solicited peer and researcher/investigator feedback to make the information relevant and appropriate for rural high school students. The curriculum was modified and refined to an 8-week program. The current study showed that the Team Up for Healthy Living Curriculum addressed expectations for all 8 National Health Education Standards. Because these standards are accepted in many states, if also proven effective, this curriculum may be easily transferable from research to action without substantial additional resources. This program may meet the critical community needs for adolescent obesity prevention by engaging higher education institutions and students in service, and fostering within them an ethic of civic responsibility. This could offer a win-win relationship between the community and the academy.