JG
Jason Gelarden
  • Evanston

Jason Gelarden of Evanston Participates in University of Evansville Senior Nursing Project

2012 Nov 14

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 80 percent of adolescents are in excellent or very good health – but 18 percent are obese, 9 percent smoked cigarettes in the last month, and most do not meet recommendations for consuming fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.

Nutrition, fitness, and health risk factors are just a few of the topics about which Jason Gelarden of Evanston, IN, is striving to educate local teenagers as part of the University of Evansville's senior nursing project.

Each year, UE's senior nursing students work with community leaders on a health promotion project. This year's project, titled "I'm Healthy and I Know It!," runs from 3-5 p.m. Thursday, November 15. Students at UE and the neighboring Bosse and Memorial high schools are invited to walk around campus to enjoy free food, giveaways, and activities while learning about important health topics.

Nursing students such as Gelarden, a graduate of Heritage Hills High School, will be stationed at booths around campus, each with the goal of educating attendees about a specific health topic – from healthy relationships to bullying to texting and driving – through activities and games.

"I have been so impressed by the dedication and passion displayed by this senior class in planning their health promotion project," said Amy Hall, the White Family Endowed Professor and chair of the Dunigan Family Department of Nursing and Health Sciences at UE. "This experience will be invaluable to students such as Jason as they embark on their professional careers as nurses. This project has helped the students develop essential community assessment and public health skills and has also provided an opportunity for them to develop leadership skills as they have collaborated with stakeholders and worked together as a team to plan an effective health promotion program."