Skipping gym class could actually result in better health for some Trenton Central High School girls.

The school offers a special alternative to gym class for female students called the Teen Esteem program. The 150 sophomore girls who enroll in the program learn about fitness, nutrition and overall health. A program researcher says the girls also learn about high cholesterol and heart disease, and ways to prevent both. Students say they like the variety of the class. Many students add they like that they can talk about health issues without boys.

This is Teen Esteem?s third year at Trenton Central High School. The program results are being used for a study on preventing the early onset of heart disease. It is run by the Rutgers School of Nursing and the Women?s Heart Foundation.