Promoting healthy lifestyles does work for high schoolers

Although obesity and mental health disorders are two major public health problems in adolescents that affect academic performance, few studies have been conducted in high schools.

The goal of a study in the October issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine was to test the efficacy of the COPE Healthy Lifestyles TEEN (Thinking, Emotions, Exercise, Nutrition) Program, versus an attention control program (Healthy Teens) on: healthy lifestyle behaviors, BMI, mental health, social skills, and academic performance of high school adolescents immediately after and at 6 months post-intervention.

COPE is a cognitive–behavioral skills-building intervention with 20 minutes of physical activity integrated into a health course, taught by teachers once a week for 15 weeks. The attention control program was a 15-session, 15-week program that covered common health topics.

After six months, COPE teens had a greater number of steps per day and a lower BMI than did those in Healthy Teens, and higher average scores on all Social Skills Rating System. Alcohol use was 12.96% in the COPE group and 19.94% in the Healthy Teens group. COPE teens had higher health course grades than did control teens. The proportion of those overweight was significantly different from pre-intervention to 6-month follow-up, with COPE decreasing the proportion of overweight teens, versus an increase in overweight in control adolescents.

COPE can improve short- and more long-term outcomes in high school teens.