New Program Helps Teens COPE
Written By Savvy Auntie Staff Writers
By: Katie Harrison
Have your nieces or nephews been showing elevated signs of sadness recently, or maybe they’ve been turning to unhealthy foods during times of stress? A new study shows that a new high school health program helping students maintain a healthier lifestyle.
Researchers found that the COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) Healthy Lifestyles TEEN (Thinking, Emotions, Exercise, Nutrition) Program is able to teach teens that their thoughts and thinking patterns are related to how they feel physically and mentally, and to how they behave. It does so by helping teens turn negatives into positives. This helps teens feel better, which in turn helps them engage in a healthier lifestyle. At the end of the 12-month study, researchers found that students had shown lower body mass index. They also found that students who began the COPE program with elevated depression had symptoms in the normal range at the end of the program.
“With COPE, explains Bernadette Melnyk, head author of this research, “any health professional or educator can teach cognitive behavior skills to adolescents. This is huge for schools or community centers. We can really make positive impacts on teens’ lives by teaching these skills to them.” She adds: “It could be used in schools, community centers, and youth organizations to help teens lead healthier, happier lives and perform better academically.”
COPE may be just the program your teen nieces or nephews need to help them engage in a healthier, happier lifestyle.
Photo: Mila May
Published: 24 November 2015