A new study has suggested that adding a mental health component to school-based lifestyle programmes for teenagers could be key in lowering obesity levels, improving grades, alleviating severe depression and reducing levels of drug use.

A total of 779 students participating in the US study were split into two groups. The first set of students attended a control class that covered standard health topics, while the second group were enrolled in an intervention programme called COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) Healthy Lifestyles TEENS (Thinking, Emotions, Exercise, Nutrition).

The group that took part in the intervention process showed a lower body mass index, better social behaviours and higher health class grades, drinking less alcohol than teenagers in the control group.

Symptoms in teens that showed signs of depression also dropped to normal levels when compared to the control group, whose symptoms remained elevated.

The COPE curriculum consists of a blend of 50-minute behavioural skill sessions, nutritional information and physical activity over a 15-week course.

Bernadette Melnyk, creator of COPE, said: “Schools are great at teaching maths and social studies, but we aren’t giving teens the life skills they need to successfully deal with stress, how to problem solve, how to set goals, and those are they key elements in this healthy lifestyle intervention.”