Add a Wellness Thread to Your Anatomy Class

Add a Wellness Thread to Your Anatomy Class

This year my colleague and I added a wellness thread as one of the projects for our anatomy class. 

Over the years we had seen that as students develop a better understanding of the mechanisms of anatomy and physiology that their interest in health, diet and maintaining health recuperation from injury becomes more acute than when they took a health class freshman year. 

We decided to approach this by creating a "Wellness Project" as part of our anatomy curriculum.  
The project included several parts that would not have been possible without the increased time in class provided by "flipping" much of our content. 

First we viewed and discussed two documentaries, Escape Fire and Food Matters.

   

Escape Fire on iTunes  -  http://bit.ly/1wsCNG0   
Escape Fire Viewing Guide  -  http://bit.ly/1py8ppI  
Food Matters on iTunes  -  http://bit.ly/Ts8cKh

These two documentaries provide an outstanding back drop to our health care system and the role of food and vitamins in our daily lives. 

Next we had did a FaceTime remote with a National Health Policy Analyst who shared the need for our health care system to transition from a "disease management" focus to a "wellness" focus.  We are fortunate in my daughter is currently working in Washington DC on health care policy. 

Next we assigned students to complete five TEDitorials to editorialize TED Talks  that deal with transitions in our current health care model. 

(http://flipped4science.blogspot.com/2014/06/15-teds-to-add-health-and-wellness.html)

The last part of the project was for students to complete an analysis of their diet, exercise and lifestyle for four weeks.  Students used a Fitness Tracker at http://www.onlinefitnesslog.com to create a food and exercise log and to analyze nutritional content. 

Students then presented a two week analysis of their diet and exercise in a Weebly.  Analysis include caloric intake and expenditure, macro and micro nutrients in their diet, and an evaluation of their overall lifestyle.  

As students transition from high school to college it is of vital importance that students are aware of their personal health and the choices they make.  Not only in food and exercise but in dealing with their own health care through the systems that are set up for them.