How Can We Stop Cardiovascular Disease From Becoming a Pediatric Illness?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity is considered an epidemic in the United States, with about 17 percent of children ages 2 to 19 considered obese.

A new study finds striking evidence that children who are obese or have high cholesterol show early warning signs of heart disease.

“These findings are potentially consistent with predictions that obesity and its complications would result in cardiovascular disease becoming a pediatric illness,” said Dr. David Ludwig, an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard

YOUR TASK:

Devise an action plan to be presented to a Board of Education or Government Committee, designed to reduce the chances of cardiovascular disease becoming a pediatric illness.

Your action plan should consist of a series of steps, or activities that must be implemented or performed well, for the strategy to succeed.

Include an introduction to your action plan that includes relevant information on coronary heart disease and why your action plan is important in the light of recent studies.

The plan should be targeted at a ninth grade reading level and will need to be shared with your classmates on completion.

A variety of action plan templates can be found on the wikispace. You do not have to use a template but might find parts of them useful

THE LEARNING PLAN

To help you devise your action plan complete the following activities. Refer to the attached rubric for guidance as to how you will be graded. Use the key below to help keep track of your work

·  "#" indicates a written assessment to be completed individually under quiz conditions. Hand in to be graded – include all written assessments on the same sheet. Counts as a 5pt assignment.

o  Submit your individual response.

·  Notes – keep neat notes in logical order for grading. When answering questions include the question in your answer

A. REQUIRED READING

1. Read the following

A.  National Geographic Article on Mending Hearts and

B.  Either the NY Times, or Guardian UK article on Childhood Obesity.

·  Summarize what you learned from one of the newspaper articles.

How can this information help you with your action plan? Add to your brainstorming diagram

B. BLOOD PRESSURE

1. Use the Blood Pressure monitors and iPads to measure your Blood Pressure following the instructions given with the equipment. Take an average of five to eight readings and then visit the nurse during lunch to get a manual reading. If interested get a group of students together and make an appointment with the nurse to learn how to take manual blood pressure readings.

2. Display the automated readings and average, and manual BP in a well constructed data table.

3. What do the two, upper and lower, blood pressure values represent?

4. What is normal blood pressure?

5. Why may a high blood pressure be an indicator of potential heart disease?#

6. Why is exercise such an important component of a healthy lifestyle?#

How can this information help you with your action plan? Add to your brainstorming diagram

C. BLOOD

1. Examine three blood test charts A, B and C. Examine three blood test charts and use the Blood analysis chart here to examine the function of each measured component. Determine the major differences between the charts and use the charts to answer:

2. What can an overall blood analysis tell a physician about a patient’s health?

3. Focus on the Lipid Panel. What are the major differences between the charts you examined?

4. Why is analysis of cholesterol levels, LDL/HDL/Triglycerides so useful to physicians? #

5. Use the Heart Disease Risk Calculator to determine which patient has the highest risk of heart disease. What suggestions might you have to this patient to help lower their risk?

How can this information help you with your action plan? Add to your brainstorming diagram

D. HEART DISEASE STATISTICS AND RESEARCH

1. Choose a country. Sign up for your country on the wiki. Think about one from your heritage or one who’s culture you are interested in.

2. Research your countries recent statistics on heart disease and the reasons behind them.

3. What country in the world has the lowest incidence of heart disease? Can you suggest why? #

4. What areas of the US have the highest and lowest incidences of heart disease? (web link) Can you suggest why?#

How can this information help you with your action plan? Add to your brainstorming diagram

E. HEART DISEASE

1. Examine a series of diagrams on arteriosclerosis and video resources posted on website and summarize the process in their notes. Sequence the stages of the process using the sequence cards.

·  Video 1

·  Video 2

·  Video 3

·  Video 4

·  Diagram 1

·  Diagram 2

·  Diagram 3