Does your teenager know how to live a healthy lifestyle or what that would even entail?
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth has launched a first-of-its-kind lifestyle medicine course for high school students.
In the 20-hour, self-paced course, students learn about the core concepts of lifestyle medicine: a whole-food, plant-based diet; regular physical activity; restorative sleep; stress management; avoidance of risky substances; and positive social connection to achieve optimal health and prevent chronic disease.
The free certification was developed to encourage students to create healthy habits, backed by science, at a young age.
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The idea for the program came from Aravind Venkatachalam, a 2023 high school graduate from Frisco. During his sophomore year, he created an online program to educate fellow teenagers on healthy lifestyle choices as part of a state health competition.
He then partnered with UNTHCS and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
The course is also a microcredential, which means the student will get a certification and be able to list it on a resume or college application.
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To qualify to take the microcredential, a student should be enrolled in a high school, public, private or home-based, and must have attended school for at least 90% of the time during the fall or spring semester before the application date.
Additionally, the student should have a good academic record, show an interest in lifestyle health, and be willing and dedicated to participating in all training activities.
To enroll in the free "Lifestyle Medicine for Teens" microcredential, visit learningplus.unthsc.edu/courses/lifestyle-medicine-for-teens.
