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Written by Michelle Cohen, MPH, CHES who is a Health Educator at the Georgia Institute of Technology
As a health educator who has worked at two major institutions in the Southeast, I have seen many students who have not received comprehensive sex education before college. This lack of education can negatively impact college students’ reproductive health and body image. I define body image as a concept which includes our perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors about our bodies (not only how we look, but what our bodies do for us). Young people must have the skills to evaluate the messages they give to and receive from their peers, friends, and family regarding body image. They need to be able to critically analyze how the media positively and negatively influences body image and their health behaviors. Science-based, comprehensive sex education programs offered from kindergarten through 12th grade can help prepare students for all the challenges, decisions, and opportunities that they will face in the future.
A committee at Georgia Tech (GT) is helping college students explore the many influences on body image and health behaviors. The mission of the GT Body Image Committee is to encourage GT students of all genders to examine their perceptions of body image and to generate discussion of body image issues on-campus.
See what GT students have to say:
What does body image mean to you?
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