Abstract
The Healthy Children Arizona (HCA) program was developed to promote early, positive exposure to cancer-preventive diet, physical activity and sun safety behaviors. Five lessons delivered weekly were evaluated by classroom teachers while pre- and post-curriculum surveys examined increases in students’ understanding of concepts and self-reported behavior. The first and second graders and their teachers in ethnically diverse elementary schools (including Title 1) in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona participated in the curriculum assessment. All 5 interactive lessons were highly rated by teachers in qualitative assessments. Aggregated analyses of pre- (n = 582) and post- (n = 588) comparison tests indicated that the HCA curriculum significantly increased students’ knowledge of each of six measured concepts (p
Highlights
In 2005, the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in partnership with the Cancer Center set out to develop an interactive program to educate primary age school children about the importance ofHow to cite this paper: Plattner, S., McCartney, G., Thomson, C., Balderama, A., Alberts, D.S. and Foote, J.A. (2014) Healthy Children Arizona: Early Intervention for Prevention
The overall goal is to establish healthy cancer preventive behaviors in young children that will become habitual resulting in healthier adult behaviors and potentially lower cancer incidence
The Healthy Children Arizona curriculum was designed by health educators, dietitians and medical professionals in partnership with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Educational (SNAP-Ed) faculty at the University and the Cancer Center
Summary
In 2005, the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in partnership with the Cancer Center set out to develop an interactive program to educate primary age school children about the importance ofHow to cite this paper: Plattner, S., McCartney, G., Thomson, C., Balderama, A., Alberts, D.S. and Foote, J.A. (2014) Healthy Children Arizona: Early Intervention for Prevention. This program called Healthy Children Arizona (HCA), has reached approximately 20,000 students in the metropolitan Tucson and Phoenix since 2006. The overall goal is to establish healthy cancer preventive behaviors in young children that will become habitual resulting in healthier adult behaviors and potentially lower cancer incidence. Cancer is an adult disease for which early lifestyle behaviors influence adult disease incidence This is true for obesity-associated cancers (e.g. breast, colorectal, bladder, and endometrial) [1]. Earlier adoption of healthy behaviors has been suggested to influence decision making related to health behaviors later in life [8] making young children a prime target for early intervention and education to reduce adult cancer risk
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
