Choose a general health assessment template for the entire class to complete anonymously. If possible, post the assessment within the school for others to take to get a larger sample size. You can find samples assessments online or go to a doctor's office and ask whether you can use their template. A typical form will consist of health perceptions, medical conditions, lifestyle risk factors and willingness to change.
Administer the test to the class. If applicable, have others not in the class complete the posted assessment in a time-sensitive fashion.
Add up the "yes" and "no" answers within each of the categories within the assessments for the whole class. Do the same again by gender.
Create bar graphs to visualize the trends between genders. Place the different categories from the assessment along the X-axis and place your range, based on your sample size, on the Y-axis. Do two different bars for the genders for each category.
Gather probability statistics from the assessments by calculating risk ratios between a lifestyle risk factor for an illness and a particular illness. Do this by gender. First, calculate the risk by dividing the number of those with the lifestyle risk and are ill by the total of those who have that lifestyle risk. Second, calculate the risk by dividing the number of those not with the lifestyle risk and are ill by the total who do not have that lifestyle risk. Finally, calculate the risk ratio by dividing the two numbers just calculated, in that order.
Describe the data in the first graph with the different categories. Force yourself to think about why men or women may have answered yes or no. Look more closely at the health perceptions and willingness to change categories and the different responses. Hone in on these categories and create pie charts for each one showing the difference between men and women.
Use the probabilities calculated and tie this into current events and have students discuss the relevance. If the risk ratio is greater than 1 then chances are the particular lifestyle choice increases the risk of the illness in question. Also, have them spot major trends for men and women and their respective health statuses.