This program provides students with a crash course in the physiology and functioning of their hearts and how to keep their hearts healthy. Animations clarify how the heart works to provide oxygen and nutrients to all the tissues and organs of the body and what can go wrong. The program stresses that even teenagers can show early signs of atherosclerosis and other heart problems. Two cardiologists and a dietitian then pinpoint the main risk factors for an unhealthy heart, including: smoking, abnormal levels of cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and physical inactivity.
The experts and a variety of teens prescribe how to best achieve the many benefits of a healthy heart by not smoking, eating a healthy diet in moderate portions, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising. These are all lifestyle choices that have long-term benefits not only for our hearts but for our health in general.
Includes:
Research-Based video, plus teacher’s resource book, student handouts and pre/post test in digital format
Awards
Bronze Telly Award
Reviews
Teens learn how the heart works, what can go wrong with it, the causes of heart disease, and how to look after it. A young host introduces each chapter, and expert testimony from two cardiologists and a dietician explains how the heart keeps the body functioning and how diet and exercise affect health. The function of the circulatory system and the heart muscle are presented in 3-D animation. The host and experts discuss causes of heart disease, including obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, and diabetes. Students are encouraged to balance what they eat with the calories they burn. Foods containing high levels of sodium, sugar, and saturated fat are discouraged. Teens talk about how diet and activities have helped them maintain good health. The teacher’s guide contains a program summary and objectives, pre- and post-tests, National Health Education standards for grades 6-8 and 9-12, student activities and fact sheets, and more. The curriculum is complete, with little need for additional resources for middle school health classes. High school students who have studied biology or anatomy will find that this program is too basic.
—Ann Weber, Bellarmine College Prep., San Jose CA
School Library Journal
3 Stars Combining vivid visuals with incisive commentary from health professionals, Maintaining a Healthy Heart explores the body’s most depended-on organ, outlining how the heart works (using relevant vocabulary such as “atrium” and “ventricle”), explaining what can go wrong, and looking at risks (such as smoking, high cholesterol, and obesity) that could lead to heart disease. While noting that it may seem premature for young viewers to worry about these matters, the program also points out that making preventative lifestyle choices early on can be the key to a healthy future. Touting good habits such as maintaining a nutritional diet (“watch out for the white stuff,” such as starches), engaging in plenty of exercise, and staying motivated, this is recommended.
—J. Williams-Wood
Video Librarian