Informational Video

Pre-Fair Preparation

To give students more time at the fair, we created a video about what to expect at the Let’s Get Healthy! fair.   It is very important that teachers play this video in class before the fair because it provides information about Let’s Get Healthy! being a research study and tells students about their rights as a research participant.  Students will see what they can expect at the fair and can choose whether they would like to participate or not.

Informational Video

The 4 minute video can be found here:

Video script

This can be read to your class if the video is not working properly:

Introduction and Overview.

Hello!  We’re Let’s Get Healthy! from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon.  We are here because we are working on a project with your school.   Let’s Get Healthy! is an education and research exhibit.   We look a lot like a health fair when we are all set up.  People of all ages go through the stations of our exhibit and get personalized feedback about their health based on their own results.  But what makes us so different is that we’re actually a research study, too!

The data are used by scientists studying the relationship among health factors, say for example, how your sleep is related to the foods you eat, or your blood pressure.  We also share the data with our partnering schools and communities who use it to help with student projects, policy decisions, monitoring the health of a population over time, as well as for grant applications.

What is research?

Because we are a research study, there are very special rules that we must follow to make sure that you know your rights when participating in research. In fact, every research study must be reviewed and approved by an “Institutional Review Board” (or IRB).  IRBs make sure procedures are ethical, responsible, and safe.

1. For example, before anyone participates in research, they first must be informed about the research study.  This is why research studies have information sheets, like this one, that explains more about the study and its procedures.  The date stamp in the corner shows when IRB approved it.
2. Everything in Let’s Get Healthy! is anonymous, which means that we will not know your name.  Instead, we use these barcoded wristbands to link data from the health stations that you visit.
3. Each of these stations is voluntary, which means you can choose which of the stations you want to visit.  You can try all, some or none.  You can stop at any time.

What are my options?

Let’s Get Healthy! has many stations from which to choose.  This activity booklet explains more about each station and you can track your progress on the front

For example, you can learn about:

• Your diet – like your fruit and vegetable intake, dairy intake, and how much sugar you’re eating compared to what is recommended.
• Your sleep – including your sleep quality, if you’re a morning or evening person and if you have daytime sleepiness
• Your body composition – where you’ll find out your height, weight, waist circumference, body mass index, and body fat percentage compared to what’s recommended for your age and gender.  Your recommendations change every month until your 20, so this gives a snapshot of where you are today.
• Your memory
• Your skin cancer risk – where you’ll learn your skin type, how well you’re protecting your skin, and there’s even a video game about tanning zombies.
• Your blood pressure
• Your sensitivity to bitter tastes – where you can taste a strip of paper – 3 out of 4 people can taste the bitterness, but 1 out of 4 people can’t taste it at all!  Learn how genetics influences our preferences for food!
• Epigenetics – this is a brand new area of science that explains how our DNA is influenced by the environment and our experiences.  It’s not just about the genes we get from our parents, but how we interact with the world around us, that makes us who we are.

You will have a limited amount of time at the Let’s Get Healthy! fair and may not have enough time to do all of the stations, so you may want to look through the activity booklet to decide out what stations you want to do first.

How do I get started?

At the end of this video, your teacher will pass out the barcoded wristbands that allow you to participate once you get to the fair.  Your teacher will also tell you during what class you’ll be going to the fair.  You can take a wristband now but choose not to participate once you are at the fair.  You can also ask more questions about it before you decide if you want to participate.  We are giving these wristbands out in advance so your class will have more time at the fair.

After the video is over, your teacher will give instructions about writing down your barcode number on your booklet. This barcode number lets you know which booklet is yours without writing your name on it.  That way, in case you mistakenly leave your booklet in a classroom or hallway, your health information stays private.  This booklet is yours to keep.

Once your number is written down, help each other attach the wristband to your wrist and lock it closed.  Be sure it is on your wrist first, because they will not reopen.  This locking to your wrist is important because it makes sure we don’t accidentally re-use a wristband that may have John’s diet information and Kate’s sleep results.  Each person has their own unique barcode number.

When you get to the fair, bring your activity booklet and start at the station you want to visit most.  You will scan your wristband to begin.  The trick is to hold the scanner about 6-12 inches away from the barcode.  When it scans correctly, you will hear it beep and it will prompt you with questions about your age and gender.  These allow your recommendations to be tailored just for you.

You can visit the stations in any order.  Your teacher will tell you when its time to leave the fair.

 After the Fair

Within two weeks of the fair, your school’s summary results will be posted on our website (www.letsgethealthy.org). This website and the Let’s Get Healthy! program is funded by a Science Education Partnership Award from the National Institutes of Health.

Conclusion

We look forward to seeing you at the fair!