Assignment Topic: Nutritional Trends and The Relationship Between Nutrition and Physical Activity

Rationale: Research shows that nutrition education can teach students to recognize how a healthy diet influences emotional well-being and how emotions may influence eating habits. Nutrition education equips students with important skills they can use to improve their health throughout life. Given the important role that diet plays in preventing chronic diseases and supporting good health, this assignment will allow you to explore current nutritional trends that impact you and others on a daily basis, as well as understand the relationship between proper nutrition and regular physical activity when it comes to maintaining good health. Understanding the importance of these healthy behaviors will help you make better choices when it comes to your health and the health of those around you.

Objectives:

• Student will be able to compare and contrast current nutritional trends that exist in society and the media, and analyze how those trends are impacting consumers.
• Student will be able to analyze the relationship between physical activity and proper nutrition, and determine how the two health behaviors impact one’s weight.
• Student will be able to develop a promotional resource to encourage others to participate in regular physical activity and proper nutrition.

Standards:

• 2.2.12.N.1: Compare and contrast the nutritional trends, eating habits, and the impact of marketing foods on adolescents and young adults nationally and worldwide. 
• 2.2.12.N.2: Determine the relationship of nutrition and physical activity to weight loss, gain, and maintenance. 

Directions:

Part 1

Using trusted internet sources, social media, and/or your own knowledge, research current nutritional trends, eating habits, and food marketing that impacts consumers. Write a 1-paragraph summary of your findings, which should consist of at least three current trends, as well as how those trends are impacting consumers. 

Part 2

Research the various benefits of proper nutrition and regular physical activity. Create a table (format of your choosing) to display this information. You should include both short-term and long-term benefits. You also may want to include a section in your table that shows an overlap of the two (benefits that arise from both proper nutrition and physical activity).Then, research the relationship between physical activity and nutrition, and how the two play a role in one’s weight - that is, weight loss, weight gain, and maintenance of one’s weight. How do the two help someone reach their weight-related goals? What are different reasons why a person may want to achieve each of the weight-related goals (loss, gain, maintenance)? Write a 1-2 paragraph summary of your findings.

Part 3

Time to get creative! Using the information found from your research, as well as your own personal knowledge/experiences, you will create a resource to help others understand the importance of both quality nutrition and regular physical activity, and help encourage others to engage in these healthy behaviors. You may choose one of the following formats: 

• Create a public service announcement (PSA) video (either using real people or animations)
• Develop a promotional flier (using Google Doc, Canva, or another creative platform)
• Create a slideshow with audio voice overs

Part 4

Show your PSA, flier, or slideshow to three family members/friends/classmates and ask them for feedback. How effective is the advertisement/promotion? Is it aesthetically pleasing to the eye? Does it instill in others to want to improve their health? Write a short paragraph summarizing the feedback you gathered. Provide a list of your resources along with the above tasks in a comprehensive document.

Grading: Your assignment will be evaluated on the following:

• Completion of all assignment requirements.
• Use of accurate and up-to-date information.
• Creativity – formatting, aesthetic, and design.
• Submission of the assignment to your teacher’s email by Friday of the week assigned.

Based on the above items, your grade will be placed in the gradebook in lieu of your “participation” for the week.