Mapping STEM into Childhood Obesity

Yolanda Hill, SA HHS CommitteeCori Cooper, Southern Area HHS Chair

Friday, May 10, 2013

Objectives

• Review the existing childhood obesity curriculum

• Introduce STEM• Identify STEM

competencies in existing curriculum

• Develop activities within curriculum to support competencies

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History of Childhood Obesity Initiative

• Southern Area Pilot program• The Southern Area’s success in launching this

program gave root to the National Childhood Obesity Initiative– Develop and implement strategies targeted to

the specific health needs of African-American children

– Increase awareness and heighten understanding surrounding the multi-dimensional issues that contribute to obesity in African-American children

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National Childhood Obesity Initiative

• Adoption of the Childhood Obesity Resolution at the 35th National Assembly in 2006

• The Links, Incorporated recognize the need for targeted intervention strategies that address and produce sustained results among African-American children battling obesity– develop an action-oriented agenda for disseminating key

messages that aid in the prevention of childhood obesity among African-American children and to establish approaches that will strengthen collaborative networks regarding obesity prevention to sustain on-going health initiatives

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Can you Imagine Me? Program Sessions

1. Building Better Bodies

2. Making Wise Choices

3. Selecting Healthy Foods

4. Physical Activity5. Healthy Meals6. Celebrating Your

Healthier Family

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Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

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• Started by Judith A. Ramaley, the former director of the National Science Foundation’s education and human-resources division

• Designed to revolutionize the teaching of subject areas such as mathematics and science by incorporating technology and engineering into regular curriculum by creating a “meta-discipline”

What is STEM?

STEM Diagram

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Integration of Curriculum

• Transform the typical teacher-centered classroom by promoting a curriculum that is driven by problem-solving, discovery, exploratory learning, and students actively engaging in problem solving

• Typically, four components taught separately & independently

• STEM philosophy plays an integral part in teaching

• Science, engineering, and mathematics fields are made complete by the technology component, which provides a creative and innovative way to problem solve and apply what has been learned

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National and Area Initiatives

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• Crafted out of The Links, Incorporated’s dedication to ensuring quality STEM education at all grade levels so that youth may be exposed to and prepared to study for STEM related careers

• Through the National STEM Initiative, local chapters work to:• Close the STEM education gap • Integrate STEM educational

programming K-16 • Facilitate mentoring opportunities • Prepare and encourage students to

attend community college and/or a four-year college STEM related program

• Prepare students of color to compete in the global workforce

• Enhance STEM related career opportunities

STEM Education and Career Readiness

MentoringSuccessfully reducesChildhood Obesity

Why Integrate STEM into Childhood Obesity?

• Little emphasis placed on nutrition education in schools• Critical need for minority youth exposure to science,

technology, engineering and mathematics education• Childhood obesity is most prevalent in the African American

community • Racial gap among African American children and other

racial groups in STEM educational initiatives• With Childhood Obesity and STEM initiatives, The Links,

Incorporated can make a significant impact in both areas by aligning nutrition education with STEM

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STEM and Childhood Obesity

• Positive dietary behaviors can prevent the onset of overweight in children and associated negative health consequences.

• The current focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills and concepts in today’s K-12 classrooms demands that nutrition education curriculum align with these competencies.

• Nutrition is an ideal model for teaching and integrating STEM skills and concepts due to the breadth (basic to applied) and ‘relate-ability’ of the discipline.

• A STEM-based nutrition education program designed to improve STEM competencies and academic achievement and food choices and eating behaviors will reduce the risk for overweight and obesity in children.

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STEM and Childhood Obesity

• Gunther, Bomser, Kaye, et al (2010) conducted a study to identify STEM competencies contained within our established nutrition education and behavior change program (Food Fit, FF), targeted to children and successfully implemented in afterschool settings

• To achieve this goal, a STEM map for 1 of the 11 FF lessons ("Choosing lower calorie snack foods”) was developed

• Demonstrated a number of concepts addressed in FF lesson 1 align with national STEM/STEM-based competencies (Figure 1, slide 13). These results indicate that there is potential for FF to serve as a model for developing a STEM-based nutrition curriculum suitable for entry into K-5 classrooms

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STEM Map for Food Fit Lesson #1

Carolyn W Gunther, Joshua A Bomser and Gail L Kaye, April 2010

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STEM Competencies

• STEM competencies are the set of cognitive knowledge, skills, and abilities that are associated with STEM occupations

• Competencies are the knowledge and skills that are necessary to be effective

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STEM Influences: Body Mass Index

Science: Collect data on weight and height

Technology and Calculator Engineering: 1. Measure height and weight 2. Calculate BMI & Determine where they

are on the BMI scale

Mathematics: Graph and Plot on a Map

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STEM Influences Collecting data on Food groups

Science: Collect data on favorite foodsTechnology: Problem SolvingEngineering: Classifying food into 5 food groupsMathematics: Make a table of the groups of favorite food and have a student graph the top (3) selections from each food group

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Methods for integrating STEM competencies

• Science: Observation• Technology: Problem Solving• Engineering: Examine food labels• Mathematics: Graph amount of

carbohydrates, fats and protein of each food in a pie chart

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Methods for Integrating STEM Competencies

• Science: Collect data & Observation• Technology: Calculator, Problem solving,

proportion and ratios of the foods• Engineering: Determine calories from food

labels• Mathematics: Graph and Plot on a Map

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Flow Chart Integration of STEM & Nutrition and Physical Activity

Nutrition & Physical Health

Science

Data Collection Observation

Technology

Problem Solving Calculator

Engineering

Food Choices Nutrients

Mathematics

Calculation Graphing Plotting

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Can you Imagine Me? and STEM

Using Sessions 1—3 as an example

1. Building Better Bodies2. Making wise choices3. Selecting healthy foods

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Childhood Obesity Curriculum & STEM

Session One STEM Session One

Objectives• Describe the goals of the

program• Assess students’ attitudes

about food and nutrition• Establish personal goals for

healthier lifestyles

Activities• Welcome and introductions• Explore food as fuel to provide

energy, comparing the human body with a machine, such as a car

• Photo session and goals

Objectives• Interpret collected data on

perceived overweight• Measure weight and height to

determine body mass index to evaluate weight status

• Set goals to strive for healthier eating by making recommendations for inappropriate nutrient intakes

Activities• Welcome and Introductions• Calculate/Find their own BMI• Students Interviewing each other

and review the foods they each and how they differ

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Session Two STEM Focused COPObjectives• Identify food groups and nutrient

values.• Understand the USDA Food

Pyramid• Demonstrate ability to read labels

and understand nutrient values.

Activities• Learn about calories and number

of calories in carbohydrates, protein and fat.

• Identify food groups from My Pyramid for foods eaten the previous week

• Practice reading labels

Objectives• classify foods into the five food

groups • examine food labels • Perform calculations for total

calories, percent daily intake of carbohydrate, protein, and fat, and cholesterol intake

Activities• Classify foods into their appropriate

food group (Worksheet)• Graph all of the students favorite

foods• Food Group Collage • Read food labels• Determine number of calories in

each label

Childhood Obesity Curriculum & STEM

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Session Three STEM Session ThreeObjectives• Identify nutrient rich foods• Understand serving size and portion• Know how to select healthy snacks• Develop healthy strategies for eating

away from home

Activities• Discuss nutrient rich foods• Practice determining serving size• Examine snacking habits and identify

healthy snacks• Discuss healthy choices when eating out• Demonstrate serving and portion sizes• Determine the amount of sugar and fats

in different foods

Objectives• analyze food choices • evaluate their own eating habits • identify their own and other family

members caloric needs • explain why different people have

different caloric needs

Activities• Building my own pyramid• Analyzing A Food Pyramid

Childhood Obesity Curriculum & STEM

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Mapping STEM into Childhood Obesity

Yolanda Hill, SA HHS CommitteeCori Cooper, Southern Area HHS Chair

Friday, May 10, 2013