TIPH

            My example of public health is of a recycling bin in a classroom of the pharmacy building on campus. This recycling bin is an example of public health because it promotes people recycling plastic bottles rather than throwing them away in a regular trashcan. Recycling is a tool to help our environment, and thus an example of public health.

            I chose this example of a recycling bin, because I think they are a great and inexpensive way to help our school campus move forward with cleaning up our environment and furthermore, our planet. It is important for others to consider this an example of public health because it helps our surrounding living situation by conserving energy and saving landfill space. Recycling plastic bottles reduces the amount of energy it takes to create the plastic itself. You don’t even need to go out of your way in order to do good for our environment- just simply throw your bottle in the green bin on campus rather than the black one. 

By: Meagan Will

Healthy Relationships Reflection

The topic we discussed today in class was healthy relationships in college and beyond. We learned a lot about how what constitutes a healthy relationship, how to handle fights with a partner, and how to spot sexual violence.  This is a particularly interesting topic for me because I have been in a long-term relationship for quite some time. It is nice to know how to make my relationship healthier.  This topic impacts my life because of this relationship.  I know that I don’t have an abusive relationship by her list of signs and I have learned how to keep things fresh.  It also impacts my life because relationships can affect all the separate spheres of wellness. Relationships can also greatly affect public health. If there is a sexual abuse incident that occurs in a bar because of alcohol consumption, multiple people can get hurt.  It is important to spot these sexually abusive relationships behavior early and take the necessary steps to stop these kinds situations. There are relationships all around us. Having a healthy relationship with not only your partner but with your friends and people you interact with is important for public health also.  Respecting others space and being thoughtful of others can cause a better and healthier environment for everyone to live in. One of the questions I have is how to better balance a relationship with school, friends, work, and other activities? I would also like to know more about the negative affects of alcohol on a relationship. 

Reflection on Sleep

In class we learned about sleep and the effects it has on your health. We talked about the stages of sleep and multiple types of sleep disorders. I thought this topic was interesting because we learned specific statistics of how being  sleep deprived really affects your life. For example, that people who averaged less than 7 hours of sleep a night were three times more likely than those who averaged 8 hours to develop a cold. Also, students who get sleepy during the day have a three times higher risk of depression. This impacts my life because I am a student who also feels the stress of trying to get everything done in a days time while also getting enough sleep. This lecture helped me see that having better time management can help me get more sleep. This topic is important to public health because if everyone got enough sleep it would improve the health of the community. If everyone knew how being sleep deprived could impact their life they might try harder to fit sleep into their busy schedules.
One remaining question I had about this topic is what affects sleeping too much could possibly have on your health? Is getting too much sleep equally as bad as not getting enough?

Blog Picture Post By Jonathan Taylor

Condoms that were obtained at the University Health Center. Condoms are a practice of safe sex to protect against pregnancy, and STD's. The reason why I chose this example is sexual health is a major concern on college campuses. Because college students are at greater risk for pregnancy and STD's, proper methods of contraception should be used for safe sex.

Reflection on Fitness By Jonathan Taylor

We learned about the physical activity recommendations for adults in class, including aerobic activity, muscle- strengthening activity, Flexibility, and weight management. I'm interested in this because i play football and we practice these activities everyday.This topic impacts my life because I want to be in the best physical shape, so I can perform at a higher level on the field. Two-thirds of our population is over-weight and we need to meet these standards to reduce these obesity problems in America. What are some things people can do to help with their time management, so they can reach these requirements?

Reflection on Obesity

When we discussed the overweight/obesity epidemic in class, I thought it was interesting how many factors went into the development and cause of it, not to mention all of the effects it has on us on an individual, familial, community, and national level. We learned that there is a difference between overweight and obese that is based on your BMI. Overweight means your BMI is between 25-30 and you have an excess amount of body weight. Obesity means your BMI is greater than 30 and you have an excess amount of body fat. 

This topic is interesting to me not only as a Consumer Foods major which obviously has a huge focus on health, but also as the daughter of two parents who would be categorized as overweight. Learning that obesity has been shown to have a genetic component is good for me to know because I can be aware that I am at a higher risk and need to be careful. However, I think learning about the reasons why obesity has become so prevalent is even more interesting. It obviously has a nutritional component and as more highly processed, high fat, high sugar, low nutrient dense foods are made available by the food industry, the rates of obesity in this nation have begun to skyrocket. But it is not just nutrition, our increasingly sedentary lifestyles mean we are not acquiring nearly enough physical activity. So many of our jobs require us to sit behind a desk most of the day instead of being up and moving. The increasing number of fast food restaurants and restaurants in general, and the increasing number of times we eat out every week, is a huge contributing factor. When we eat out, we are much more likely to consume unhealthy foods that are cooked using methods high in fat, salt and added sugar. Also, the portions are 2, 3, sometimes even 4 times larger than the Dietary Guidelines recommend. 

It is obvious that obesity is affecting our country. Obesity makes it hard for parents to get out and play with their children, which means the kids are not encouraged to go outside. This is leading to staggering rates of childhood obesity. The overweight/ obesity epidemic is leading to increasing rates of diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and a number of other diseases that impair our health and wellness. The overall enjoyment people have with their lives is decreasing because these diseases inhibit you from living normal lives, especially if they are serious enough to put you in the hospital. 

I would like to learn more about who is petitioning the food industry to make healthier foods and how it has been changing since this obesity epidemic has been made such public knowledge. There are lots of organizations trying to encourage increased physical activity, but I would like to learn about what the big companies in the food industry believe their role is and if/how they are going about trying to combat it. 

Reaction to the Herman C. Michael Park photo

I think that public parks are great examples of ways to encourage more physical activity. This park provides a wide variety of activities you can do, as Alex said. There are trails for walking, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc. This variety means that people who don't necessarily like playing basketball have other opportunities to still get out and get some physical activity in a relatively safe environment. The fact that it has areas to play group activities like basketball, tennis and disc golf means that those who may not be motivated enough to exercise on their own can get a group of friends together and do one of these things instead doing something else that doesn't require any physical activity.