Teens take wellness pointers

The routine at his high school is the same every day.

If there is a free moment around lunch time, or before or after school at Olathe North High School “students sit around in the commons and talk,” said junior Rolla Hansen.

“They are on their phones or texting,” Rolla said. “I think they could get up and be more active.”

Rolla was one of 75 Kansas high school students who learned new ideas to help classmates make healthier choices at the Kansas Action for Healthy Kids Teen Wellness PEP Rally held recently in Olathe. PEP stands for Peers Encouraging Peers.

Over two days at Mid America Nazarene University, students were given new ideas for physical activity and healthy snacks and encouraged to spread their knowledge.

Rolla is a “full-time” athlete. It is easy for him to stay active in football, basketball baseball and track throughout the year, he said. But, he understands it is not always as easy for other students as it is for him, he said.

Other students might not like organized sports, but might enjoy hip-hop dancing or yoga. Or they might enjoy a scavenger hunt using GPS systems, like PEP rally attendees.

Students who attended the PEP rally will have the opportunity to apply for a $500 grant to bring a wellness program to their school this year, said Gayle Price, chairwoman of Kansas Action for Healthy Kids. The grants will be awarded in the fall.

“We’re trying to help encourage, educate and motivate students to be an active voice in schools for student wellness,” Price said. “If you make it fun, kids will do it.”

Many of the students who attended the rally are already leaders in their schools who participate in Family Career and Community Leaders of America or athletic programs, she said.

The Centers for Disease Control reports obesity rates continue to be a public health concern. The rate for children and adolescents has more than doubled since the 1960s, according to the CDC.

“This could be the generation where they are expected to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents,” Price said. “We are encouraging students to learn about healthy choices and being active every day and what they can do when they are 20, 30 and 40.”

Over the course of the PEP rally, students went bowling, played laser tag, filmed public service announcements and competed in healthy snack challenges. They were given recipe tips and created their own dishes using fruits and vegetables.

Often, it is not the taste that keeps teenagers from eating healthy foods, it is the inconvenience, Price said. Parents can help their adolescents if they chop up fruits and vegetables, making them as easy to grab and eat as a bag of chips, she said.

“Teenagers are extremely busy,” Price said. “It helps if they find it easy and convenient.”

Olathe North senior Kara Marr said that is one thing she hopes to take back to students at her school. A yogurt parfait recipe became one of her new, easy-to-make favorites during the rally, she said. She hopes to teach other students that daily habits, like parking farther away from a location and walking or getting off the couch and doing yoga can help, she said.

Nona McCain, a freshman from Kansas State School for the Deaf in Olathe, said she hopes to encourage her friends to do the same.

“I want to talk to them about drinking less pop, eating less sugar,” Nona said. “It has been interesting learning what junk food can do to you. You just have to change your habits.”

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