Description/Overview: Overweight/obesity and mental health disorders are two significant public health problems that threaten the health outcomes and academic performance of adolescents. The prevalence rates of obesity and mental health problems are even higher in minority teens, with the two conditions often co-existing. Overweight teens have multiple adverse health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, poor social skills and academic problems. Because of the time that youth spend in learning environments, schools are an outstanding venue to provide teens with skills to improve their healthy lifestyle behaviors, psychosocial skills and academic performance. The purpose of this symposium is to describe an ongoing randomized controlled trial that is testing the short- and more long-term efficacy of the COPE Healthy Lifestyles TEEN (Thinking, Emotions, Exercise, Nutrition) Program, versus an attention control program (i.e., Healthy Teens) on the healthy lifestyle behaviors, psychosocial skills and academic performance of 14 to 16 year old high school adolescents who are predominantly Hispanic in the Southwest Region of the United States. In the first paper, the study protocol and baseline data for the sample will be described. The second paper will discuss the differences at baseline in lipid profiles between the overweight and obese teens enrolled in the study. The third paper will describe differences between the COPE and attention control teens on the immediate post-intervention outcomes for healthy lifestyle behaviors, psychosocial skills and academic performance. Implications for practice and future research will be highlighted throughout the presentations.

Learner Objective #1: Describe major findings from the COPE Healthy Lifestyles TEEN randomized controlled trial.

Learner Objective #2: Discuss the clinical practice and research implications from the COPE trial.