Journey to wellness: a health portfolio for adolescents

Adolescents and their parents have a unique opportunity to learn from one another and encourage mutual pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. Discussing beneficial habits and how to ensure wellness are uncommon topics for student consideration in the classroom and seldom included in education programs developed to assist parents. The purpose of this project is to identify important health concerns for decision making by adolescents. Each topic is presented in a manner that enables students to explore their personal risk factors, gain knowledge through individual surveys, set personal goals, promote conversation with parents and peers, and provide online resources that foster understanding. The protocol includes a statement of the problem; recent statistical information regarding each of the topics, commonly used tools for goal setting, relevant web sites, and questions to promote interaction. These collective sources of guidance are intended to support good health practices, empower students to make wise healthy choices about self-care, and promote reciprocal learning between adolescents and their parents.