The Katalyst intervention program was piloted in fifth-grade classrooms at two Appalachian schools during the 2017-18 academic year as a potential educational resource to tackle the rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases in this region. The program consisted of four 60-minute modules, each based on a specific organ system. Each module incorporated hands-on lessons in physiology with an emphasis on preventing chronic disease through diet, nutrition, physical activity, and abstinence from drug and tobacco use. The modules were led by medical students and undergraduate volunteers who completed a two-day training. A 37-item survey assessing knowledge and perceptions regarding healthy lifestyles was administered to 5th grade participants prior to and following the intervention in order to assess the impact of the program. Additionally, educators at intervention schools were given a questionnaire post-intervention to provide feedback on the program. This paper describes the rationale, program design and execution, and conclusion of the Katalyst intervention program. It is anticipated that this program will reinforce current educational standards regarding diet, nutrition and physical activity in order to empower target students to establish healthy lifestyle behaviors and that programs modeled after the Katalyst curriculum may serve as a novel, viable option to health educators.

中文翻译：

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催化剂：开发一种用于健康和科学体验学习的五年级新颖方法。

Katalyst干预计划于2017-18学年在阿巴拉契亚州的两所学校的五年级教室中进行了试点，作为应对该地区肥胖和慢性病发病率上升的潜在教育资源。该程序由四个60分钟的模块组成，每个模块都基于特定的器官系统。每个模块都结合了生理学实践课程，重点在于通过饮食，营养，身体活动以及戒毒和戒烟来预防慢性疾病。这些模块由完成了为期两天的培训的医学生和本科生志愿者领导。在干预之前和之后，对5年级参与者进行了一项37项调查，评估有关健康生活方式的知识和看法，以评估该计划的影响。另外，干预后学校向干预学校的教育者提供了问卷，以提供有关该计划的反馈。本文介绍了Katalyst干预计划的原理，程序设计和执行以及结论。预计该计划将加强有关饮食，营养和体育锻炼的现行教育标准，以使目标学生有能力建立健康的生活方式，而以Katalyst课程为蓝本的计划对于健康教育者而言可能是一种新颖可行的选择。