Reflections: Week 13 and 14

Week 13:

We met out at Goodwill Industries for our class time and did a bunch of things out there. We first took a tour of the place and found out how big that place was! Then we were spoke to on the recycling process of many different textiles. It's crazy how materials cannot always be broken down to how we need them to be! With that being said, the big blue machine we have here in our Goodwill in Duluth is one of the coolest inventions that will go a long way! We had snack, then had our hunt down in the store with a topic we had to meet. Our group got to do whatever we wanted and we chose to pick out an outfit for prom. We had a $20 budget, and we came out below it! Going to that store was a major eye opener for me because I definitely had stereotypes toward the store and the people that go there as well. I am excited to start going to more places like Goodwill (ie. second hand shops) and not be embarrassed for it! 

Week 14:

This week on Monday we went over our junking projects! It was so fun to see what people came up with and how creative everyone is in their own way! It gave me so many ideas I can do when I go home and decorate my Mom and Stepdad's places I'm very excited. It was a bummer Sue couldn't make it, but I'm very excited to see who she picks for her top 3 choices since she is the junk guru! We had snack and then went around and explained what we learned this semester. I can't type up all the things I learned this semester because it will take me so long, but like I mentioned in class I realized what the term critical thinking is and how I can apply it to so many things in my life! Work, friends, family, sports; you name it and it applies! Learning how I can incorporate environmental health with my degree is very important to me because it gives me a much bigger advantage over those who haven't been exposed to different approaches like this to being fit and healthy. 


Overall Impression:
This was easily one of my favorite courses I ever took at UMD! I learned so much in this class it's exciting for me to pass along to everyone I know and will meet what I know/learned. I was actually contemplating going to the Head of the Department and asking him to make this class an option for Exercise Science majors because I think it is very important for many of those students to take it! Learning how to blog, alone, was a lot! I plan on making a blog for my clients when I get a job/start a career and I'm so excited to do it! I love motivating others and I love helping others become health or healthier and I know a blog is a perfect way to do that! Dr. V was a very cool professor to have and I learned so much from her this semester! Thanks to her and Steve for such a good time in the class!!

Share and Voice 11: A Little Christmas Fun!

I am one to get very excited for the holidays, so I was browsing online and came across this website on mistletoes. It's nothing big, but just something fun to read about. It has a few fun facts about mistletoes, and it's categorized under Environmental Issues. My family never puts mistletoe up at Christmas, but my friends always play pranks on each other with this stuff! Even though the facts aren't as funny as the concept of the mistletoe, it's crazy how people came up with the idea knowing the reality of the leaf. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and don't get stuck under the mistletoe! ;-)

Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities

Advocacy Project: Arthritis Learning Activity

by: Carrie's Environment

She gave these instructions:

After reading the summary, please answer the following questions:


1. True or Fale? Arthritis only affects people 65 years and older?________
2. True or False: Arthritis can affect every day activities such as brushing your teeth?__________
3. True or False: Obese people have a greater risk of Arthritis?________
4. Arthritis Affects the____________
5. True or False? Arthritis is the most common cause of disability?_________
6. True or False? Arthritis is expected to increase by the year 2030?__________
7. What helps prevent arthritis? a) Eating Healthy   b) Exercising c) Yoga d) all of the above 
8. What percent of people with arthritis are not able to work within 10 years of diagnosis? a) 10 b) 20 c) 0 d) 50

My Answers:

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. Musculoskeletal system
5. True
6. True
7. D.
8. D.

I thought this was a really cool topic since my stepdad has this disease. It's really sad to see him struggle with day-to-day activities due to Arthritis. I found a lot of useful information from Carrie's post that I can pass along to him. It's very bizarre to watch him in pain when you can't see what's going on inside his joints. I just wish I could rub out the pain in his hands, but it doesn't work like that!

Advocacy Project: How Safe Are Our Beaches?

by: Danielle's Dandy Environment

She gave these instructions:

INSTRUCTIONS: Read and analyze the three websites listed above and answer the following questions.

1. List at least 3 types of disease-causing germs that can be found in recreational waters.

2. Who monitors the bacteria at swimming beaches in Minnesota?

3. What are some major causes of water pollution?

4. What are ways that we can do our part to prevent water pollution at beaches?

5. Reflect on what you thought about this subject and what it means to you.

My Answers:

1. Giardia, Campylobacter, Shigella, Salmonella, e.coli
2. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
3. Stormwater pollution, sewage spills, natural resources
4. Don't swim when you have diarrhea, don't swallow pool water, practice good hygiene, take kids on bathroom breaks and change their diapers, change diapers in bathroom, wash child thoroghly with soap.
5. I never knew Park-Point was on the list for 5-star beaches! That is so cool! Being from the area and having so many friends with lake cabins I'm used to being aware of getting these types of diseases. The most common one is "swimmer's itch" that I hear about and it's really gross thinking about how you can get something like that! This was a really cool topic to do your project on, and it was a good reminder anyone can be exposed each time they enter the water!

This was a shocker for me! I had no clue Park-Point was a 5-start rated beach in the nation! That is a huge compliment for the midwest considering we aren't on the coast at all. It reminds me of a few summers ago when the beach was shut down because of an e. coli outbreak. I would have never thought to research more on it, but this makes me think twice. Very cool Danielle! 

Advocacy Project: Inform, Crossword Puzzle, Act!

Purpose/Background:
I'm very excited to present this topic to you all, as it is a major topic in our society. The epidemic of obesity has been in the news multiple times over the past couple years, but it seems as though people aren't taking enough action to change it. As a health educator, I'm going to stress a few major points to help advocate on this topic and the importance it has. Our generation may be the first to have their parents outlive them! Scary!!


Instructions:
First, read through the information I have gathered from different sources that I thought may get your attention due to this disease. Second, go through the crossword puzzle and see how much you learned. If you get stuck on a question, go to this link to help you. Third, take some action!!


Sources:

•    "Despite obesity having strong genetic determinants, the genetic composition of the population does not change rapidly. Therefore, the large increase in . . . [obesity] must reflect major changes in non-genetic factors."       (Hill, James O., and Trowbridge, Frederick L. Childhood obesity: future directions and research priorities. Pediatrics. 1998; Supplement: 571.)
• Obesity affects ALL the major systems in the body, not just one. This can result in multiple complications and diseases resulting in more severity. (American Obesity Association)
• There are two classifications of obesity, hypertrophic and hyperplastic. Hypertrophic obesity is excessive weight gain in adulthood, characterized by expansion of existing fat cells. Hyperplastic obesity is excessive weight gain in childhood, characterized by creation of new fat cells. (Development of Obesity)
• 10% of those who undergo bariatric surgery may have unsatisfactory weight loss or regain much of the weight they lost (Weight Control Information Network)
• Those 18-24 and 55-65 years old have increased the incidence of surgery by 726% by the year 2000. (Bio-Medicine)

Crossword Puzzle:

Click on this link to go to my crossword puzzle homepage. 

http://www.variety-games.com/CW/Puzzles/2091751765-puzzle.htm

Act!

Now it's time to help me advocate on this topic! Help me support changing around the epidemic of obesity by becoming a part of Action for Healthy Kids. It doesn't cost anything, all you have to do is go to their website and join the support system. I'm already a member, and it's one simple way to get everyone to take action on this topic. Report how you feel about my project!

Read 'n' Seed 6: Final Review of "Last Child in the Woods"

Overview:
The book as a whole had a very powerful point to address. It was really cool to learn how important it is to have nature in our lives, and the affect it has with our health. Unfortunately, I don't think the book needed to be half as long as it was. The author seems to go on tangents a little too often and it bores the reader quickly. I understand he wants to show references and how much he has researched on the topic, but it got to be repetitive. 


Three Significant Things:
The three most significant things I learned from this book are incorporating nature into your life, promoting this importance to everyone, and to make sure kids grow up surrounded with nature. I know that I'm in my early years of adulthood, but I know it's not too late to start doing more things outside. I can encourage my friends and family to come with me, or to do things on their own by positively supporting outdoors. I will make sure when I have kids they will have the option to do things outdoors as much as I can provide to them.


Recommendation?

If there was a shorter version of this book, I would highly recommend it! Like I previously mentioned, it's too wordy and long to keep the reader interested, in my opinion anyways. I did learn a lot by reading it, so that's why I think it would important for others to read it. I would like to know other people's opinions of this book, though, to see if they agree with me or not! 

Share and Voice 10: Eco Store in Duluth

I don't know how many times I have driven by this place, but never thought twice about the title until I saw the commercial the other day! Eco is a store here in Duluth that supports eco-friendly decorating for residential and commercial buildings! I checked out their website, and there stuff looks really cool and modern! Eco stands for economically conscious options; such a good acronym! Check out their website at http://www.ecolivingspace.com and look through to see if there is anything you can get for your homes right now! 

Check out these screens... I wouldn't have thought that is what this was! I'm excited to see there are places like this since I will be looking for my own place within the next year. I wish I was able to explicate prices between them and other companies to say that you are saving money by going there, but I haven't been inside there yet so I am not much help in that area. But one really cool program they offer is you can go in and make your own decorations using their tools! Of course you have to pay a small fee for whatever it is you are making, but what a good project for the holidays, and you are practicing ways of being environmentally friendly! I wish I would have known about this place earlier because I love making gifts for people! 

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10: Overall Project Reflection

My SMART goal(s):
My SMART goal at the beginning of the semester was that I will use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the grocery store, Target, etc. for the next 15 weeks. However, it did change a few weeks ago to I will tally up my saturated fat intake to see if it is less than 7% of my total daily caloric intake. I chose to change it to become more aware of my diet, and to double check to make sure I am eating well.


Successes and Challenges:
For my first goal, I was very successful with remembering my bags when I went to the store. I think it helped that I live right by the grocery store, so I didn't have a hard time remembering to grab them on my way out the door. I also planned out when I went shopping early in the day, so I remembered to put them in my car if I was running some errands. As for my second goal, I had an easier time tallying up my saturated fat with foods at my house than when I went out to eat. Even though I could find online the nutrition facts for most of the food I ate when I did go out to eat, it was still hard to remember always to jot them down. One thing I have started to do, and will continue to do in the future is to check out the menu at the restaurant prior to going and figure out which options are the healthiest! 


Benefits, What I learned, and Behavior Change:

This project helped lead me to becoming more environmentally aware internally and externally. I learned how to change different things about myself to be healthier and to support going green! I know this will affect my behavior the rest of my life because I found out so many things this semester I didn't know and I feel confident with changing old habits into better eco-friendly habits.


External Benefits:
By reducing the use of plastic bags, I definitely helped the environment! Less amount of litter that could be spread, and not having to recycle plastic as often has a positive impact on our environment. 


Continuing on:
I will definitely keep using my reusable bags when I go to the store! There would be no point in starting this behavior and stopping it for no reason. Plus, I set a good example with using them when I go. I plan on paying attention to my saturated fat intake, but don't need to write it down everyday.


Recommendations:
I highly recommend everyone to making a lifestyle change! Reading everyone's posts about their own shows how happy they are with themselves and doing a good thing at the same time. With the problem of global warming, it is very important to tweak some behaviors so we all can help out our environment. I wish their was more promotion on the news, TV, radio, etc. for everyone to start becoming environmentally sound. It's funny because I don't see a lot of my friends changing, but having taken this class, I know they would!




Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Advocacy Project: Letter to the Public Official or Letter to the Editor

Honorable Congressman Earl Pomeroy,

I am a novice Health Advocate and I am very concerned about the obesity epidemic in our nation.  There are many different approaches that have been taken to help reduce this problem, but very few that have to deal with affording resources.  With that being said, I am pleased to hear about the proposed bill concerning affordable healthy choices.

The act provides health insurance accessibility to all individuals and employers, which shows no bias to any persons. Socioeconomic status and race are two major reasons that not everyone is guaranteed health insurance.  Although health care is a cardinal issue being discussed within our government, it is important to allow health insurance accessibility to the entire nation in order to help alleviate the epidemic obesity.  This disease costs our nation billions of dollars in health care expenses alone, so approving this act will help the US population decrease our governments expenses, as well as, improving  the health of our people.

Personally speaking, this act will mean I can press the importance of health insurance to improve the quality of lives throughout our country.  Statistics show this disease is still on the incline, especially in the youth population.

In the past, you have demonstrated support towards health care strategies.  I encourage you to vote in favor of the Affordable Healthy Choices Act.  If support or any type of assistance is needed, please feel free to contact me at any time. Thank you for your time and support.

Sincerely,
Rita Lerud

Reflections: Week 11 and 12

Week 11

It was quite a challenge trying to define environmental literacy words! Making the definitions understandable to a 10 year old is very tough! It really made me realize how I take for granted the dictionary because it does such a phenomenal job of defining words for most of the population, regardless of age, can understand. When we watched "Story of Stuff" I was shocked to see how different things are really recycled and broken down industrially. The video does a very good job of making the audience understand easily how recycled products are processed. It is sad to see how our society strongly pushes for 'going green' and one way to do this is by recycling. It was a very big eye opener for me, because I realized that just because I am recycling, doesn't mean it is necessarily going through the process correctly. 
Afterward we did a junking activity where Dr. V brought some random objects from home and put us into groups so that we had to come up with different ways to use the object. This was such a good practice for all of us to get ready to think of different ways to junk for our project. I really enjoyed brainstorming!!




Week 12
Blog hopping was fun because I really wanted to see what everyone came up with for their photo essays anyways! I thought everyone did a great job, and it was cool to see what everyone decided to do. I really enjoyed doing that assignment myself because I enjoyed asking my Aunt and Uncle what they use to junk, and I know they had a fun time helping me! Although this took up most of class time, we afterwards when over the proper way to communicate with decision makers and the media. I would have never known there is a certain way to write a letter to the editor or public official had we not gone over it. Granted, I know I would have done most of the stuff we covered in my letter, but I know for sure it wouldn't been the way it should be. I think I will write my letter to a public official for two reasons: one, I don't think I could keep my letter under 150 words to the editor, and two, I feel very strong about my bill I want passed and I feel like it would be the right path to go. We also went over different ways we can do the online learning activity assignment, and I got a few ideas, I just need to sit down and put my thoughts together and spit out one I really want to do!

Share and Voice 9: Shape Your Body the Way YOU Want at Home!

This is a new 'game' that just came out for Nintendo Wii and it's called Your Shape. It has just started being advertised in this area, and it really caught my attention. Many people are too scared or intimidated to go to the gym if they haven't had much experience with working out in their past, but with this program you can do everything at home! How many times do people complain they don't have time to workout? Well even if you have 20 minutes of spare time, you can do exercises at home! The best feature about this program is it is conformed entirely to how YOU want to shape your body. If you want to get 'into shape' you most likely have some areas on your body, specifically, that you want to improve, and you can do that with this program! I give Jenny McCartney a lot of credit for representing this game, because it is a very creative way to get people more active. If you haven't seen the commercial, check out this short YouTube video to get the basics of the program!


Now no one has anymore excuses to get some physical activity! Did you know 63% of Americans are overweight and 31% are obese? There is no excuse for us Health Advocators not to practice what we preach, so why not support programs like this? I just did!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 9: Weekly Update

What and How???
My SMART goal this last week changed AGAIN! I had a test on Monday for one of my classes and some of the material was on factors associated with coronary disease. This covered a lot of fat and cholesterol data, thus sticking out in my head about my diet. I have said in the past I consider myself to be a pretty healthy eater, however, I really wanted to focus specifically on my saturated fat intake and see where I was. My goal ended up being:


"I will tally up my saturated fat intake for one week to see if it is less than 7% of my total daily caloric intake."


Successes and Challenges!!!
Last week I started to try and tally up the saturated fat grams in my head and would guesstimate, but Monday I started to write them down to see my accuracy. With that being said, I know I could have made some improvements last week with the holidays because of the sweets that were everywhere, but once I got back to school, I have been successful! It is hard to remember to write down information like that when you aren't looking to lose weight, rather just trying to be a little more healthy conscious. This will be a challenge for next week as I'm going to keep this as my goal. Another challenge is I eat a lot of cheese, so I will have to make an extra effort to make sure I don't over-consume it!

Feelings =)
I feel healthier by paying close attention to the saturated fat I eat everyday. I don't know if this is more psychological or if it really is making a difference in the way I feel. The only way to determine this is if I continue to see how I do in the next week or weeks.

<----- YUCK!!!!

I learned.....
I learned that even if you are a healthy eater, there is always room for improvement. Whether it's not taking another bite when you are full, or not eating something because it's there. Watching my family chow down on food last week even after they were really full made me a little grossed out! It is OK to indulge every once in a while, but you don't need to consume it all at once!


Plans!!!
My plans for next week are to stick to this goal which is:


"I will tally up my saturated fat intake for one week to see if it is less than 7% of my total daily caloric intake."


Like I have been doing the past few days is writing down my consumption grams and I found that to work best. I'm excited to see what challenges I come across this next week!




Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 9 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

Originally, I wanted to do this project on how much trash is left after sporting events in the stands and on the ground, but since my camera was getting fixed, I didn't have one for the games I went to. Instead, I chose to show creative ways people recycle or reuse items. Since I was with my family over the holiday, I asked my Aunt and Uncle what items around the house they have reused so they didn't have to throw them out. They are very good for doing things like this, so I knew it would be easy for them to show me some items. It's funny how people think to reuse items, and are being economically friendly by doing so. It makes you wonder how much you could come up with on your own. Here are a few they showed me in 10 minutes that I had never seen before... 




This shelf is not a piece of wood they bought; it's an old door from a closet in their house! Way to pinch those pockets!

If you look close, the back of the garage is styrofoam they glued on to keep the garage insulated! 

Instead of buying rags, they use old t-shirts or sheets and cut them up! My mom did this all the time when I grew up, so this was the only one I had seen before.

Now this one is cool! My Aunt and Uncle are great cooks, so to utilize these bottles they used up, they filled them up with oil and vinegar! The bottle on the left is an old wine bottle, and the bottle on the right is an old hot sauce bottle! Could you tell?? Cute tags on them too!

My uncle doesn't have a lot of jewelry, but these old containers are from when he bought watches and now uses them for organizing!

What do you normally do with old loofahs? Well my aunt watched hers up and put a few complimentary color ones together and used them for decoration in the bathroom! So smart!

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."

-Albert Einstein 

Read 'n' Seed 5: Fourth Quarter of "Last Child in the Woods"

Covered Material
I read 3 chapters, which consisted of 48 pages. The first chapter I read was chapter 21. The author focused on the connection of spirituality with nature. For example, people explain nature as it resembles how the Bible is explained to us. Children have an easier time explaining nature through religious faith, simply because that is how they are taught. Parents need to bring their children to nature, just as they were brought to church when they were kids. Chapter 22 was on how the implementation of societal change is positively affecting the environment. For example, in the '60s it was common to toss out an empty soda can and a cigarette butt the window, but now days it's an exception. With the smoke-free campaigns and recycling policies it shows how much we can change societal pressure in one generation. Maybe this could hold true with children understanding the importance of nature with campaigns and policies? Through chapter 23, briefly the author refers to one memory being with his kids on a trip to a cabin and makes a point that he feels confident with the way he raised his kids because majority was in the nature. To sum it up, he personally wants to show that he 'practiced what he was preaching' throughout the book by presenting this example with his family/kids.

I learned
I really liked how the author used the correlation with nature and religion. I never thought twice about how I was taught about nature, but it made sense with his referrals. For example, where did Adam and Eve live? Garden of Eden! Never thought twice about it being a garden, only the name of the place where they lived. I also learned that societal pressure can be a good thing! If our society can change the views on smoking throughout campaigns and policies, then society can pressure a lot of things for change! It's a matter of getting supporting opinions to work together and get the job done. 

Implications
This is important information because it links people to nature without directly going outside. Taking a step back and looking in on a topic from a different angle is crucial, because you see other people's point of views. Nature is critical in everyone's lives and we just need to make it more apparent for everyone!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 8: Weekly Update

What and How
My SMART goal this last week was to use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the store, and to continue to look up products I use to see how hazardous they are. I never went to the store this week, and I couldn't find more products to look up!


Successes and Challenges
My challenge I faced was not being able to find more products I use on the website to see how hazardous they are. That made me decide to quit looking up products right now, but check the website out whenever I buy a new one. 


Feelings
I feel pretty good about my goal, but as I just mentioned, I am dropping the product look up part. It's pretty hard not to feel successful when I don't go to the store, because I know I didn't forget to use my bags!


I learned
Even though I couldn't find more products on the website, I learned that I can use that website any time I buy a new product or use a new one. It's really informational and I can show it to my family members this weekend.


Plans
My plan for next week is keeping my SMART goal the same, but dropping the product look up. My SMART goal for next week is:


I will use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the store.








Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 8 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Introduction:
What is the issue/problem?
Obesity and overweight trends has increased in children and adolescents over the past decade. Statistics show that overall the problem has accumulated by 30%, or one in every three children is overweight or obese (Action For Healthy Kids).
What current legislation has been proposed to address this?
H.R. 3200-America's Affordable Healthy Choices Act


Who is affected by the issue?
Who is affected the most? 
Trends have shown that depending on your socioeconomic status and race will determine your risk. For example, Native Americans and Hispanics have the highest percentage with child obesity, while Blacks, Whites, and Asians have the lowest risk (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Who loses, and what do they lose?
Those with low socioeconomic statuses have shown to have limited resources to healthful dietary choices. It is not a cause and effect relationship, but a correlational interconnection. This can obviously affect their health status because the chances of becoming overweight and/or obese from poor diet choices is high.
Who wins, and what do they win?
Those with high socioeconomic statuses have shown to have more resources to choosing healthful dietary choices. With that being said, they have a better chance of preventing obesity by nutrition alone, and living a healthier life because of those dietary choices.


What are the consequences of the issue?
For the individuals mostly affected? 
Obesity can cause many health related problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, cancer, dyslipidemia, etc.
For their families?
Depending on the degree of the health related problem and the consequences it poses, families may spend their income on medical bills, treatments, rehabilitation programs, etc. In addition, their family members could be at high risk for the disease, especially if someone in the family has it. The offspring of the obese or overweight person can acquire negative side effects, therefore, posing a high risk of obesity in them as well.
For society?
Due to such prevalence with the epidemic of obesity, the US spent 12% of its health care budget in the 1990s, alone (Global Issues). This has an effect on everyone because insurance plans increase, making the population pay for health treatments.


What are the economic costs of the issue?
What are the economic costs of the issue, and who bears these costs?
As previously mentioned, the health care budget has to spend money on treating those with health related problems that have arose from obesity, thus making the nation pay more for insurance to cover these payments. In general, this is one factor that has played a role on our economy as people can't afford to buy extra items they may want because they have to spend more money on insurance. Our economy hasn't been this low for years, so it's important to address the issues that are factoring into why. Families have to pay for their members, or in this case, their children's medical expenses which contributes to health care.
What are the economic benefits of the issue, and who benefits?
Obesity has become a scare to many citizens, so companies have tried to step in and make a positive approach to the issue. A few examples include: fast food restaurants have implemented more salads and low-fat or fat-free choices, Subway advertising for "7 sandwiches with 6 grams of fat or less," and Whole Food franchises have increased in their sales (Pepperdine University-Graziadio Business Report). However, not everyone or children and adolescents can afford foods from any or all of these places, so it benefits those who are able to afford them.


What is the social impact of the issue?
What are the social costs of the issue, and who bears these costs?
For those children and adolescents that struggle with obesity it can negatively effect their self-image, which can influence their social life in many ways. One being how they interact with others at school, or how they interact around others elsewhere (Obesity in Children and Adolescents). Our society is quick to judge and put stereotypes on individuals, based on what's in the media or through word of mouth. A child growing up with negative self-esteem can possess many negative actions, such as suicidal thoughts, thus, effect their health.
What are the social benefits of the issue, and who benefits?
Some benefits that have come about from this issue, which have already been mentioned, are better/healthier food choices at restaurants. Other than the ones already referred to, many restaurants and food chains have tried to adjust their menu to make their foods healthier, or have a section dedicated solely for healthier choices. Everyone can benefit from this, as long as they can afford it.




What are the barriers?
What are the barriers to addressing the issue?
Long-term management strategies is one of the barriers to the epidemic obesity (Barriers to Obesity Treatment). Some people think reversing obesity can be a quick fix with surgery, but actually it's a lifestyle change. Another barrier could be that people don't know the long-term health risks with this disease. To some, it just seems like you get the disease, you get rid of it, and you are better. That is not the case at all! On the whole, educating may be a major hurdle on this topic.
How can they be overcome?
To break through these risks, I think if we start implementing more education on the topic, such as the major health risks, then we will can scare people enough to realize they are putting their lives in danger. A lot of the population knows about the problem and some of the causes of it, but a lot of people ignore the side effects and what can happen later in life due to this disease.




What are the resources?
What resources will we need to address the issue?
Providing research, facts, data, and studies are great ways to supply resources. They are real life, first hand, and non-fictional, therefore, people should have no problem believing what is produced from these resources.
Where and how can they be tapped?
Organizations, universities/colleges, businesses, etc. can all provide real life studies, research, data, and facts. Doing a survey within the an organization is just one way to get some of the information to dig into  getting resources.




What is the history of the issue?
What is the history of the issue in the community?
The history with obesity in children and adolescents is it has been increasing over the years. Parents of this generation are considered to outlive their kids because of this epidemic, which has never been a popular problem in the past. 
What past efforts were made to address it?
A few approaches have been executed to address this issue and some of these include monitoring of foods and beverages sold outside the school meal programs, improving the nutrition of the food at school, increasing more physical activity throughout the day, educating through health courses, and providing books and guides to a healthier way of living (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
What were the results?
There hasn't been enough studies or research showing or proving the results of the approaches to this issue. The media says that obesity is still on the rise among children and adolescents, therefore, it doesn't sound like the approaches have done the job.




Allies and Opponents
Who would support this issue?
People who would support this issue would be health advocates, medical personnel, families with the disease, and the general public. I think everyone would support any approaches that deem successful to decrease this issue.
Who would oppose this issue?
The people who would oppose this issue would be anyone who doesn't want to spend money for prevention or treatment. This could be parents who directly have to pay for their children, or it could be for those that don't have a relative or family member with the disease but have to pay for prevention and treatment programs.




My Recommendation
How do you want policy-makers to vote on this proposed policy?
I want anyone and everyone to vote yes for this policy! It is an approach to make healthier lifestyles affordable for everyone, therefore, there is no reason not to vote for it to go through. Simply vote yes for bill H.R. 3200-America's Affordable Healthy Choices Act!

Reflections: Week 9 and 10

Week 9:

We have done many posts already this semester, but I knew there was one label we hadn't used yet and that was the Advocacy Project. I didn't know at all what to expect from this project, but I really like the introductory assignment to it. Having us go through and find our political representatives was a good eye opener because I have completely been avoiding these people and their significance to my life. Even though I'm not a huge political person, doesn't mean I shouldn't be aware of those affecting my life politically. In addition, I never knew CHES existed, let alone what it is. Although it doesn't have as much of impact on my life because of my degree, it was cool to find out about it. I liked working in groups, too! It was a short class period, but a good start to becoming an advocate. 

Week 10:
I was very excited about the topic we discussed on Monday and the video we watched to go along with the discussion. I remember taking Economics in high school and learning so much about the topic, but it has been many years since then, that I have forgotten most of the information I learned. The video "Unnatural Causes" has a perfect breakdown on the affects socioeconomic status and race in correlation to health. I would like to know the percentage of the nation's population that actually understands how just these two topics affects EVERYONE'S health. To go along with these affects, stress was a significant point brought up and how it affects health. Internally, someone could have no health risks or problems, but if their pituitary gland sends off too much of the hormone Cortisol, then they could result with health problems, regardless of their socioeconomic status or race! I wrote down the equation Dr. V put on the board because I want to use it to explain to my extended family how all of it ties together. That is why I really enjoyed this topic, because every holiday we get together on my dad's side, the issue with taxes always comes up since most of that side is Republican and most of them don't agree. The discussion after the video was important as we went over different ways to approach the topic which is getting us to critically think. This was a good way to guide us into doing the project due on Monday. 

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 7: Weekly Update

What and How
My SMART goal is to use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the store, and start looking up products I use to see how hazardous they are. I went to the grocery store once this week and used my bags, but ended up having to use one plastic bag to get everything back to my place. I didn't look up anymore products this week.

Successes and Challenges

As I walked out my door from my apartment building last week, I realized I had forgotten my bags. I stopped and thought either I could just go without, or take less than 5 minutes and run back in and get them. It was a quick decision as I headed back up to grab my bags. Once I was checking out, I was worried all my groceries wouldn't fit in my bags and ended up being right. I bought quite a few big cardboard items, so it made sense, but I can figure out a way to use my plastic bag I gathered. I didn't look up any more of my products, but it was because I didn't know which ones I should choose. I think I will keep that as a part of my goal only one more week, because I don't know how many more products I could look up that will be on the website. 


Feelings
I felt so good about myself for going back into my apartment and grabbing my bags! I obviously could have just kept going, but I knew that I need to stick to my goal, and continue on being environmentally friendly. I'm not sure what products I should look up this week, because many of them don't come up on the website that I have searched on. I will do some more digging to find more products and see how I feel about it this week.


I learned

I decided to look online for coupons to see if I could find any that work at any grocery store. As it turns out I was right! I stumbled upon the website www.coupons.com that you can print out for free. This was a good way to save money, which in turn is economically helpful! I will be using that website much more often for groceries, as I saved over $5.00.


Plans
My plans for next week are to continue with my goal and that is:


"Use my reusable bags 100% of the time I go to the store, and look up products I use to become more aware of how hazardous they are to my health."


Like I mentioned before, I will look up products only one more week to see if I can get more information to pull up when I search for some of them. I also plan on looking for coupons no matter what the store is!


Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 7 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy