Health Belief Model

Through the introduction of My Plate we hope to bring the issue of Adolescent Obesity to the attention of High School Students. Using the Health Belief Model as a guide, we will help Public High School students become aware of the dangers associated with unhealthy eating. The Health Belief Model is about individual behavioral changes, focusing on why an individual will or will not change his or her behavior.

It is not enough to have intention or desire to change but an individual must BELIEVE that he or she can make a change. (Self-efficacy)

Using informative videos about obesity in adolescents we hope to  "cue action" in the students. 

We will provide different ways that the students can obtain information on the severity of obesity at their age, and how susceptible they are at becoming obese.

Provide fun activities to get them involve and help them to perceive unhealthy eating as a threat to them at their age. 

We plan to help them over come difficult barriers, such as financial issues or time management issues. 

We know that not everyone will be ready to take action, but we hope that we can point him or her in the right direction and get them thinking about making a change.

Reference: Cottrell, Girvan, & Mckenzie. (2012). Pricinciple and foundations of health and promotions and 

     education (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings.

Intervention Goals

      Teenagers are very susceptible to gaining weight during their adolescent years.  High school students may face barriers, such as healthy snack choices, within their schools and households. 

      Our intervention is based on the My Plate guidelines. The goals of this intervention include:

1. Introducing My Plate guidelines to help provide insights on healthy eating

2. Improving overall health of adolescents through nutrition intake

3. Helping to reduce obesity among high school students

4. Educate high school students about the dangers of unhealthy eating habits

5. Increasing the awareness about how to read nutrition labels

7. Encourage students to be an advocate for healthy eating



The tool SuperTracker can help you plan, analyze, and track your diet and physical activities:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/supertracker.html

Intervention Activities

My Plate Intervention Activities

With the implementation of My Plate, we have chosen to hold an intervention in order to get high school students more involved and aware of the changes that will be made. Some of the activities include:

1. Pre-test: Having high school students fill out a survey about the types of food they eat on a regular basis, his or her ethnicity, and how interested they are in eating healthier foods.

a.) This will take place before the implementation of My Plate

b.)Volunteers or teacher can give out the surveys 

2. Post-test: After implementing MyPlate, the post-test will include a survey asking how this program changed the students’ everyday eating habits.

3. Documentaries: Showing real life challenges of adolescent obesity and the detrimental effects it can have on one’s everyday life.

a.) During students’ lunch hours these documentaries can be shown.

b.)Documentaries can be shown during gym/health classes 

4.  QR codes: Since technology is a part of almost every teenager’s life, QR codes will be available to scan. The code will take you to a website that will provide statistics and more information on eating healthy and the dangers of childhood obesity

a.) These will be placed all around schools on flyers and pamphlets 

5.  Before and after videos: We will show individuals who have made a healthy life style change by eating better. It will provide an insight on how one’s lifestyle can change. It will also show students real life examples and hopefully instill a sense of reality.

a.)These videos could be shown during lunch hours or during health/gym class.

b.) Volunteers and teachers may be able to help set up this activity.

6.  Food Drives: For those who may be inspired from the implementation of My Plate and want to eat better at home, providing locations of local food drives and discount fresh food markets will take place. Healthy foods can be expensive so this is an option for students with financial barriers.

a.) Local churches and markets will be notified and flyers will be passed out. 

b.)Teachers and lunch aids will be informed and be able to help out interested students.

7.  Student Involvement: Having students create flyers promoting healthy foods and eating better may increase awareness and get the students involved and excited about changing.  

a.) Teachers can provide extra credit to students who create flyer and pamphlets

8.)  My Plate Lunch Tray: Change the design of normal lunch trays to the MyPlate design. Each meal will be served with the correct serving of each food group. 

The tray would be similar to this design.

About My Plate

My Plate in a nutshell is a quick and easy way for you to monitor how much you are eating. I know you guys remember the food pyramid from elementary school, well My Plate was initiated by USDA to replace the pyramid in 2011. My Plate ensures that you get your daily serving of each food group through out the day. MyPlate  (<= click me) website is a great place to start when learning about My Plate. The website consists of great information to get you started with a healthier lifestyle. Just by click of a button you can see the servings size of each food group plus the amount of calories a person your age should be in taking each day. So lets see, for a typical High School student the normal caloric intake should be 2000 calories, with in that 2000 calories you should include 6 ounces of grains, 2 1/2 cups of veggies, 2 cups of fruits, 3 cups of dairy, 5 1/2 ounces of proteins. The My Plate food plan will also give you advice on varieties of each food group so you can keep things interesting.

To the right is an example of what My Plate looks like, its very simple, you want half your plate to be fruits and veggies, and the other half to be grains and proteins, and don't forget to include a dairy product. Now does this mean, NO FATS, NO JUNK, NO FUN? Of course not, all of those things should just be consumed in moderation. Have fun with it, explore new recipes, try a new fruit or veggie. You will be surprised at how easy it is to eat healthy.

Reference: USDA. (n.d.). Calories. Retrieved from Choose My Plate website: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

MyPlate Intro Video