Teen Diabetes Outreach
Posted By: Patrick Donovan 
Date Posted: April 25th, 2011 Category: Day in the Life
It’s an epidemic that can be stopped with education.
According to the American Diabetes Association, about 2 million adolescents ages 12-19 have pre-diabetes — and what they eat and how little they exercise are two of the contributing factors.
To help tackle this serious issue, BJC School Outreach & Youth Development partnered with Soldan International Studies High School of the St. Louis Public Schools and the BJC Center for LifeLong Learning to educate students about keeping their bodies healthy, learning more about nutrition and preventing Type 2 diabetes. The interactive diabetes education series was introduced in 2009 as part of the Soldan health class curriculum to sophomore, junior and senior students.
Pre- and post-assessments showed that Soldan students pre-tested with 6 percent knowledge about the health impact diabetes could have throughout their lives. By the end of the program, 64 percent of these students were able to identify and articulate their health risks related to diabetes. Instructors focused on a variety of areas to keep the students’ interest and to teach them how to make a difference in their own health through exercise and good nutrition.
The six-session program offers a range of topics focused on prevention of Type 2 diabetes, including:
• Interactive online tour of MyPyramid
• Student self-risk assessment and family history
• Creation of a healthy plate
• Learning about portion control and reading labels
An added element that has proven popular among student participants is a hands-on presentation of healthy and diseased organs, which allows students to observe the impact of poor health choices on actual human organs.
This year, an intern with BJC School Outreach named Rachel wanted to share her experience with the program:
My name is Rachel. I have been interning at BJC School Outreach and Youth Development (BJC SOYD) since the beginning of January. In May, I will graduate from SIU-Edwardsville with a degree in Community Health Education. I am grateful for this internship opportunity to gain hands-on experience – applying what I have learned throughout college!
My time with BJC was spent implementing educational programs, presenting health information to various populations, and gathering resources for their new wonderful website (you should totally check it out at www. bjcschooloutreach .org). I most enjoyed implementing a diabetes education and prevention program at Soldan High School, called DO IT (Diabetes Outreach In Teens).
The DO IT program lasted six weeks and taught a variety of lessons to four health classes every week. The lessons taught were engaging, filled with hands-on activities, and informative. One of the most popular lessons covered was on portion sizes. We taught the students how to ‘eyeball their portion sizes’ using common objects such as a tennis ball for a serving of cereal or deck of cards for a serving of meat. Therefore, the next time students are eating hamburgers or any meat, they will be able to measure the right serving size without getting out a food scale and measuring the meat.
One of my favorite lessons covered media literacy. Our goal was to teach students that we are exposed to billions of advertisements every year, and we need to evaluate these messages instead of letting them influence us in negative ways. The students worked in groups to create advertisements that were truthful. Then they were asked to develop a truthful advertisement. Here are my top two favorites:
“MountainDON’T” and “TWIX: need a minute to workout?” Aren’t they creative?!
I feel that the students learned a lot from this diabetes prevention program. My hope is that they continue to practice the preventative behaviors we taught them.
I would like to thank BJC SOYD for the wonderful experience. I would also like to thank the dietitians for being by our side throughout this entire internship!
For more information about how to bring BJC School Outreach Services into neighborhood schools, call the School Program Line, 314-286-0460, or visit www.bjcschooloutreach.org.