Dating Matters
In 2009, nearly one in ten high school students reported being hit or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend at least once in the past 12 months. To address this critical issue and to begin to teach teens about safe and respectful relationships early – before they begin to date – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in partnership with Liz Claiborne Inc. has launched Dating Matters: Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention, a free 60-minute, web-based module. The CDC is offering continuing education credit for those who complete the module.
We’re asking for your help in spreading the message about teen dating violence. We hope you will both complete the Dating Matters module and share it with your colleagues, friends, and family to help them understand the risk factors and warning signs associated with teen dating violence.
We have created six free, interactive, and customized tools so that you can more easily share Dating Matters with your readers and followers. Thank you for your help in addressing this important issue.
- Fun in the Sun 101 is a robust sun protection curriculum for use with tweens
- A printed curriculum kit went to every junior high and middle school in the country
- Health teachers were the primary addressee ( if there was no health teacher listed for a school, a PE teacher was the default)
- The website with a flash section for kids and an html section with additional teacher resources
The GoGirlGo Project is a unique education program that utilizes four GoGirl characters and champion athletes to educate girls about health risk behaviors and life lessons such as body image, bullying, diversity, smoking, drugs and stress. This FREE program also features true-life stories from champion athletes like Brandi Chastain, Lisa Fernandez, Mary Riddell, Jennifer Rodriguez and Teresa Weatherspoon. All materials are FREE and come in GoGirlGo kits (quantities of 12 or 25), containing a GoGirlsTM Guide to Life, a GoGirl Journal, instruction guides for group and peer leaders all in a GoGirl carrying case. To get a GoGirlGo kit please call (800) 227-3988.
The School Health Index (SHI) is a recent publication of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It consists of eight modules inviting your school to conduct a self-assessment of eight aspects of the comprehensive school health program. Module 3 is physical education. One of the suggestions it makes, among others, is that to “meet the standard” there be at least 150 minutes of physical education per week in elementary schools and at least 225 minutes of physical education per week in middle and high schools. The SHI includes a scorecard and rubrics that allows you to self-assess your program to determine where it needs improvement. The SHI is available for free by doing any of the following:
- From their Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/shi/
- Request by e-mail: ccdinfo@cdc.gov
- Call the Division of Adolescent and School Health Resource Room: 770-488-3168
- Request by toll free fax: 888-282-7681
The Smart Spot Web site features information on smart eating and physical activity for adults and children. Also included is a list of Smart Spot products that meet nutrition criteria based on authoritative statements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Academy of Sciences. The Tools for Professionals section includes a variety of reproducible handouts for consumers, such as how to read a food label, monitor serving sizes and choose and use a step counter. Also featured is a Physical Activity Assessment Tool for people over 15 years of age. The Smart Spot program is sponsored by PepsiCo.
Healthy Lifestyle Choices is a nonprofit organization empowering youth, families and educators with the knowledge, skills and tools to make healthier choices for a lifetime. Our work includes advocacy, developing and implementing proven educational programs, the use of media messages to reinforce key concepts and professional development opportunities. Focus areas include obesity prevention through nutrition and increased physical activity, conflict resolution, substance abuse prevention and safety. Our vision is to reduce the incidence of youth risk behaviors, enabling children to live longer, healthier more productive lives. If your school, afterschool or camp is looking for comprehensive, behavioral health curriculum, please consider HLC’s Pre-K through Middle School programming. All of our curriculum is aligned with the National Health Education Standards and is research-based.
Log It invites students, teachers, schools, classes, and parents to record their physical activity steps, miles, or kilometers online! Features include a virtual hike across the United States; feedback about daily goals; compare your progress to others; and you can view your weekly and monthly progress. Teachers must register their school and class first and then they can offer it to their students.
More than 30 national education and health organizations are working together on the Healthy Schools Summit: Taking Action for Children’s Nutrition and Fitness. Healthy Schools Teams are now being formed at the state level. Join leaders in education and health in your state who are working to improve children’s health.
The Scrub Club (www.scrubclub.org) provides a fun way for kids to learn the importance of handwashing to fight infectious and food borne diseases. By watching the adventures of seven soaper-heroes, kids learn the six steps to proper handwashing. In addition to an animated Webisode, kids, parents and teachers can access:
- Interactive games that are fun, yet teach you how to properly wash up.
- Educational music and activities to download.
- Public service announcements.
- Tips for parents on teaching kids how to wash their hands.
- Curriculum guide for teachers.
HealthTeacher is a health curriculum for K-12 teachers. There is a cost to register for this site. Classroom teachers at the elementary school level, as well as middle school and high school teachers who teach health will find the lessons useful, regardless of whether they have professional preparation as a health educator. HealthTeacher targets teachers in the classroom setting, but people involved in home schooling, community based health and mental health centers, and other health education venues have also found it helpful.The HealthTeacher curriculum delineates knowledge and skill expectations that are consistent with the Assessment Framework and National Health Education Standards for each grade level.
This website is all about educating families about nutrition and exercise in a fun way. They provide fun, interactive online games for kids that are designed to teach through animation, exploration, and decision-making. They are partners with the USDA and are listed as a resource on their site. Nourishinteractive.com is the first website to create “matching” nutritional tools, one for the parent and one for the child. These nutrition tools send similar messages to both the parent and child, so the entire family can work as a team to establish good nutrition at home.
ExerciseDaily! is a specialized online tool which offers free access to the latest news in fitness, health and wellness. We offer information in 9 different languages. Articles are from around the world in their original format with contact details for further information. No registration is needed to access our web portal.
International Walk Our Children to School Day
Walk Our Children to School Day is a day when school children from across the world walk to school together rather than taking the bus or getting a ride in the car to school (last year over 300,000 kids walked!) It promotes physical fitness, as well as pedestrian safety.
Kidnetic.com is a Web site that communicates healthy eating and active living information in meaningful and relevant ways to kids aged 9-12 and their families. Kidnetic.com is intended to encourage kids and their families to begin the process of behavior change toward healthy lifestyles. Kidnetic.com is the first component of ACTIVATE, a healthy eating and active living initiative. ACTIVATE is committed to promoting healthy family lifestyles to help prevent kids from becoming significantly overweight and to reduce their risk of suffering from obesity-related chronic diseases as adults.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest introduces a web site designed to teach kids that healthy eating can be fun! This snazzy web site uses games to teach kids (and their parents and teachers) how to eat well and resist the food industry’s marketing campaigns. Kids can see how their favorite restaurant foods stack up, play “true or false” with a food industry spokesman, and “bite back” by asking food companies and government officials to promote nutrition.
One size doesn’t fit all. MyPyramid Plan can help you choose the foods and amounts that are right for you. For a quick estimate of what and how much you need to eat, enter your age, sex, and activity level in the MyPyramid Plan box. For a detailed assessment of your food intake and physical activity level, click on MyPyramid Tracker. Use the advice “Inside MyPyramid” to help you: make smart choices from every food group, find your balance between food and physical activity, and get the most nutrition out of your calories.
The well-organized (and subscription based) Future of Children website contains publications that focus on the well-being of children. Recent publications include childhood obesity, health and wellness, education, and poverty’s impact on children’s lives. This site includes research from Princeton University and the Brookings Institute. The Center for Research on Child Well-Being can also be accessed from this site.
The Dairy Council of California offers FREE Nutrition Education Materials to all California teachers. Our programs are research-based and match core content standards. All of the programs undergo evaluation to demonstrate students’ improvements in knowledge, attitudes and behavior change such as better food choices and increased physical activity. Our programs are available for K- high school teachers to use with their classes. Additionally, we offer resources for parents and students that your PTA, school foodservice and school nurse can order to compliment classroom nutrition education.
National Institute on Drug Abuse: Steroid Abuse
A study last year funded by NIDA revealed a 50 percent increase in steroid use among 8th graders; a 75 percent increase among 10th graders; and a 60 percent increase among 12th graders. While the rates of abuse for adolescent boys and young men remain higher than for their female counterparts, steroid abuse is growing most rapidly among adolescent girls and young women. This site gives information about how to fight this ever-growing problem.
Knowledge Path: Physical Activity and Children and Adolescents
The MCH Library is a virtual guide to maternal and child health information. It offers a wide variety of electronic resources, including the MCH Alert, knowledge paths, publications, databases, bibliographies, and other materials developed for health professionals, policymakers, and families. The MCH Library is located at the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH) at Georgetown University.
This site helps parents, children, and professionals find answers to commonly asked health questions. Topics include the benefits of different types of vitamins, the food pyramid, healthy children’s recipes, how to read food labels, and keeping fit. Children can also submit their own questions. Check out the “Childhood Infections” section under “Parents” for information about appendicitis, meningitis, mumps, and more. For a good laugh, be sure to read the entry for that most common of all childhood afflictions, cooties. A great site but be patient this site may take a little longer to download.
Center For Science in the Public Interest Home page
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a non-profit organization and advocacy organization that focuses on improving the safety and nutritional quality of foods. There are sections that can be used as supplements to health instruction such as nutritional quizzes, health facts, and a kid’s index.
Dairy Council of California (DCC)
This site has relevant nutrition and health content for educators, health professionals, kids, parents and adults. It includes interactive learning tools for assessing diet and physical activity including a: Food Guide Pyramid learning game; Calcium assessment; Personal Nutrition Planner, and; Personal Fitness Planner. The site also contains nutrition education materials, recipes and many other informational and learning tools
This free, web-based prevention program, teaches early adolescents (ages 11 – 14) about the influence of alcohol and other drugs, and strengthens their commitment to avoid taking these substances. This program has been scientifically tested with kids and was shown to effectively improve knowledge regarding the risks of drug and alcohol abuse.
Online CPR, First Aid, AED and Bloodborne Pathogens Review Site
This site allows you to see pictures and review skills needed in emergency situations. It allows you to learn how to handle most injuries appropriately during physical education class, coaching or during recreational activities.
This highly informative site contains information on over 1600 diseases, symptons, medical tests and exams, surgeries and procedures, diet and nutrition as well as access to the latest health news.
This site contains a vast array of information about health, including recent news, information about diseases and conditions, diet and nutrition, medical symptons, drugs and medicine and injuries and wounds. Its large collection of medical images is also helpful in preparing lessons or for student work.
Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center
The Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. The web site provides information and treatment resources for all forms of eating disorders. In addition, general information is offered to the public about the treatment and prevention of eating disorders and they hope to promote social attitudes that enhance a healthy body image and self-esteem.
At this attractive site you can learn how this organization is encouraging North Carolinians to create the policies, opportunities, facilities, and motivation to promote physical activity — and good health. In addition, you can participate in the Be Active Steps Program which allows you to log the amount of steps you take (with a pedometer) on a daily basis and you can have kids take some fun quizzes.
The American Lung Association Home page offers an online resource for information on asthma and other lung diseases, tobacco control, and environmental health. It also provides the latest news, medical and legislative updates. This site will be helpful for students who are researching smoking and tobacco usage.
Whether it is better health, self-esteem or successful goal achievement, we help teenagers make smarter, healthier choices. We are an independent information gathering and research firm specializing in Teen Nutrition & Fitness, linking visitors to a wide variety of effective products, treatments and technologies known to be of Exceptional Quality and Value!
Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures
This web site has very good information for children regarding maintaining good oral hygiene. You will need to register to gain access.
Shaping America’s Youth(r), is an initiative of Shaping America’s Health: Association for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention, a program of the American Diabetes Association. SAY(r) was initially launched in November 2003 in coordination with the office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Academic Network, and the Nutrition Department of the University of California at Davis. SAY exists to unite the efforts of the many groups and programs across the US that are working to improve childhood physical activity and nutrition. By centralizing information on community programs and acquiring grassroots input, SAY is identifying effective approaches for promoting exercise and healthy eating in childhood, and the best ways of putting those approaches into action.
Source: PE Central’s Website: http://www.pecentral.org/websites/healthsites.html
Mary Wenstrom 