Teen mentors inspire better choices.

• Position: Obesity

An obesity intervention taught by teenage mentors in Appalachian elementary schools resulted in weight loss, lower blood pressure, and healthy lifestyle changes among the younger students learning the curriculum, according to a study published in the Journal of School Nursing. In contrast, children taught the same lessons by adults in a traditional classroom saw no changes in their health outcomes.

In the study, all instructors taught lessons from a program called Just for Kids! that was developed by the University of California, San Francisco. For one hour after school each week, teen mentors met one-on-one with students in a large gym setting while another group of students was taught in a classroom by school system employees, such as librarians or administrative staff.

When the program ended, only the teen-mentored group showed a greater increase in physical activity and marginal decreases in body mass index and diastolic blood pressure. Kids led by teens also showed slight increases in nutrition knowledge and plans to change their behavior. Children taught by adults showed no improved health outcomes.

Although the study was...