March 28-April 3, 2013, Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
The American Heart Association recently published a study indicating that an alarming proportion of adolescents in the United States are well on their way to developing heart disease as adults due to poor eating habits and a lack of exercise. The study found that 90 percent of males and 86 percent of females in the survey had diets described as “poor” in terms of future heart health. Additionally, only about half of all teens in the survey met acceptable levels of physical activity to maintain heart health. Medical experts believe that about 80 percent of deaths from heart disease can be prevented with healthy habits that include a well-balanced diet and regular exercise. Unfortunately, the study revealed that a disturbing number of American adolescents have already established habits that may contribute to heart disease as they mature into adults. Such diet and lifestyle choices are more difficult to change once they have become habits.
Objective:
The heart is a large, hollow, muscular organ that sends blood throughout the body to carry oxygen and food to all the body’s cells. Disease can strike any part of the heart. Although the death rate from disorders of the heart and blood vessels has fallen, these diseases remain the leading cause of death in the United States and many other countries. For much of human history, doctors knew little about how the heart worked or how disease could affect the organ. In the 1900′s, doctors learned to diagnose and treat many heart conditions that once meant death. Doctors have also learned that people can take important steps to protect the health of their hearts. Most people can greatly reduce their risk of heart disease by exercising regularly, avoiding smoking, and limiting the amount of fat and calories in their diets. Today, much research in cardiology focuses on learning more about the causes of heart disease so that illness can be prevented. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explores the heart, heart diseases, and how we can develop healthy lifestyles to help keep our heart working properly.
Words to know:
- Adolescent
- American Heart Association
- Arrhythmia
- Blood pressure
- Cardiology
- Cholesterol
- Circulatory system
- Congestive heart failure
- Coronary thrombosis
- Diet
- Disease
- Electrocardiograph
- Glucose
- Health
- Heart
- Heart murmur
- Hypertension
- Nutrition
- Obesity
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students to name some ways that people can prevent heart disease. (Students might say to quit smoking; exercise regularly; limit the amount of salt, cholesterol, saturated fat, and calories in their diet; reduce stress; watch their weight.)
2. Ask your students what they think of the study’s finding that 90 percent of male teens and 86 percent of female teens had diets described as “poor” in terms of future heart health.
3. Ask your students to debate, “The government should mandate healthy behaviors.”
4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to create a timeline of the history of heart research. (Students may wish to use the “History of heart research” section of World Book’s Heart article for help.)