Students educate community about health

Fri, July 18, 2008 |

Valparaiso University nursing students are teaching young people and adults in the community this month how they can lead healthier lives through proper exercise, nutrition, sleep and stress relief.

Cheryl Slack, adjunct clinical instructor in nursing, is teaching the community nursing course that prepares students to provide their patients and the community at large with information that helps them maintain and improve their health before experiencing a health problem. As part of the course, more than three dozen nursing students are working in teams on health promotion activities designed to help people take a proactive approach to their health.

“The service learning health promotion teaching project the students complete is an introduction to health education, which is a major component of nursing care today,” said Slack, especially given the rising cost of providing care for acute health conditions.

During the Valparaiso Parks Department Junior Triathlon this Saturday, July 19, two groups of students from Valparaiso’s College of Nursing will talk to 6- to 14-year old children and their parents about healthy activities that can help prevent childhood obesity. The students have made posters with A-to-Z ideas for staying active, a matching game about nutritious foods and planned a variety of interactive games.

Over the next two weeks, students also will present sessions for Spring Valley Shelter on the effects of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs; for Greenwich House on using positive thinking and the benefits of a comprehensive exercise plan; for Caring Place on planning personal safety; and for First United Methodist Church’s summer childcare program on the importance of hand washing. Nursing students have already completed sessions at Spring Valley Shelter on making healthy choices about sleep, nutrition and exercise, and at the Caring Place and Greenwich House on stress relievers and stress management.