Oral

The health of adolescents is extremely important, as it is an indicator for their health status as adults. Research in the area of obesity, and factors relating to it, have become increasingly prominent in the health education and promotion literature. In this session, participants will hear presentations on an environmental program focusing on childhood obesity. In addition, presenters will discuss physical activity and perceptions of weight among children and adolescents. With diabetes being a disease co-occurring with obesity, participants will also discuss a program developed to prevent such diseases among Latino adolescents.

Session Objectives: • Discuss strategies to achieve policy and environmental change resulting in a sustainable school based childhood obesity reduction program. • Describe attitudes and experience, as well as variance by race/ethnicity and gender, of adolescents with regard to physical activity. • Describe the association between misperception of weight norms and personal weight status among adolescents.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)