We need to explore and understand connections between well-being/nutrition and media communication and technology. Students K-12 should be equipped to be critical viewers of advertising and other media messages about what is "healthy". They need to understand how media communication and technology can be used to target them as consumers and how they can construct positive media messages.

Obesity has affected American children in epidemic proportions. Currently in the United States, one in five children is overweight and therefore at serious risk of both short- and long-term consequences. Overweight children often grow into obese adults who suffer from low self-esteem, depression, heart and lung disease, diabetes and a lower socio-economic status and shorter life span than healthier individuals. Obesity has also become an international public health priority, following in the wake of a rapidly globalized American diet. Research on the efficacy of lifestyle interventions for obese youth - whether diet/nutrition education, physical activity or behavior therapy - has been limited and inconclusive. New efforts to explore and validate solutions to this problem are essential.

The goal of research in this area is to develop safe and effective lifestyle intervention programs for youth - based on the wellness curriculum integration philosophy of the Ross Lab School - which are adaptable to different urban contexts around the world.