Share & Voice: Great American Smokeout

UMD Health Services sponsors:
The Great American Smokeout

This event took place in the Kirby commons area (outside of the bookstore) from 10am-2pm on Thursday, November 19, 2009.  The event was an educational purpose meant to service UMD students and staff members. The event dealt with issues on smoking cessations, quitting smoking services, and promoting a healthier campus.

Some accompanying services aided in helping out; these included: the American Lung Association, the School of Pharmacy, the Student Health Advisory Committee and UMD Health Services, and Eta Sigma Gamma.


Free candy, buttons, window clings, and air fresheners were given out. Along with a reward for smokers --> if they turned in a pack of cigarettes they'd get a FREE turkey sandwich!

ETA SIGMA GAMMA

I worked the ESG table from 10am-12pm! Our table was handing out two different window clings along with air fresheners. We focused on the effects of secondhand smoke. We also had an activity for individuals to participate in while walking by!

• Individuals must jump rope for ONE minute.. Once completed set down the jump rope and pick up a small stir stick straw... Try breathing through this straw --> this breathing allows participants to realize how difficult it is to breathe after working out if they smoke. 
• So many individuals were gasping for air because the straws were just NOT cutting it for their increased need for oxygen and air flow.  :)  YAY our point was correctly made.

• Alicia and I had an endless number of non-smokers come through and pledge to keep their homes and cars smoke-free --> this entitled them to be entered into a drawing for many $25 gift certificates.
  
  
  • Also, if people who smoke came through and were interested they could sign up to pledge to STOP smoking the day, the week, the month, or for good and they could then be entered also into another drawing for $25 gift certificates.  
  • We had about eight males come through and drop off their cigarette packs to get a free turkey sandwich!
  
  
  

I not only felt so good about others pledging to stop smoking for the day or the week but I'm so glad so many people would take time out of their busy lives to actually STOP at our table and make a pledge. THANK YOU to all who took the time to promote a healthier living!

Reflections: Weeks 9 & 10

Week 9

-Eco Chic 6
-Read n Seed 4
-Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

-This week in class we learned about Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) along with an additional speaker, Dr. Tornabene, give her own presentation during HLTH 4000 on what to expect for the CHES exam. Here's the site that Dr. V provided in class just in case you want to take the exam or are interested in the exam! (CHES SITE)

-We also learned what advocacy really was. Here's the site we were able to view before/during class to really understand it --> in case you forgot already I'll attach the site! (ADVOCACY SITE)

-The next thing we did in class tied in with our advocacy project with our own political representatives! It ended up being an interesting project because I actually wasn't sure who to ever contact for help on any known or unknown topic let alone who was even my representatives.

Week 10

-Eco Chic # 7

-Advocacy Project: Healthy People/Thomas

-Reflections 9 & 10 

In class we tied in our advocacy project to Healthy People 2010. This is a site that our government forms which aims to set better health goals for our nation every ten years.

After browsing through the site I found out that I quite enjoyed the oral health portion. The goal of our new advocacy project was to find a topic that we were most interested in that still pertained to environmental health. I found a topic relating to fluoride in water. This topic was perfect since I'm going into the dental field!!!

Next we were given an option to either find a bill from THOMAS or our own state legislature (Minnesota's State Legislature) that related to the topic we found from Healthy People 2010.

The next thing we did in was watch the movie "Unnatural Causes" -- "In sickness & wealth".
This movie was really good. I thought it was so true about how certain areas tend to be more affluent than other areas. I thought it was ridiculous how there were so many different districts with such a large range of inequalities: jobs, stores, schools, even life expectancy ages!!

Being a college student it did make me feel better when the movie documented that college graduates live two and half years longer than just high school graduates. However, it in return made me sad when the statistics of in the past five years college tuition has been raised 35%.

I learned the plagiarism is still a relevant issue even when blogging is happening. Also, that politics influences so many things even the environment!  I've found out that I love blogging too... It is honestly all about how much time and effort you put into it!  Have a great weekend everyone :)

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 7: Weekly Update

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

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

Environmental - Oral Health I chose a goal in which interested me the most. Healthy People 2010 has a category of Oral Health; which is what field I will be obtaining my second degree. I figured since I'm extremely interested in that topic I would search there first. I came across "Increase the proportion of the U.S. population served by community water systems with optimally fluoridated water." Instantly this struck me as something I really want to look further into; not only for my dental profession but it fits into the environmental theme we're searching for. Background info: Fluoride is explaned by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as: Many communities add fluoride to their drinking water to promote dental health. Each community makes its own decision about whether or not to add fluoride.  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set an enforceable drinking water standard for fluoride of 4 mg/L. NO CHANGE IN OBJECTIVE
21-9.	Increase the proportion of the U.S. population served by community water systems with optimally fluoridated water. Target: 75 percent. Baseline: 62 percent of the U.S. population was served by community water systems with optimally fluoridated water in 1992. Target setting method: 21 percent improvement. Data source: CDC Fluoridation Census, CDC, NCCDPHP.

DETAILS

On the Progress Quotient Chart for Focus Area 21: Oral Health
Section 21-9. Community water fluoridation (1992, 2002) 38% - Moved toward target

The Progress Quotient Chart shows that between 1992 and 2002, "the proportion of the U.S. population served by community water fluoridation (21-9) increased from 62 percent to 67 percent, moving toward the target of 75 percent. This result represented a 38 percent achievement of the targeted change."

This shows that the process is in motion yet the goal hasn't been entirely met yet. Therefore, the outcome for the Healthy People of 2010 cannot set a positive or negative change in the objectives.

There was no data available for gender, education, and disability nor was any information detailing race and ethnicity for this section either.

I chose a goal in which interested me the most. Healthy People 2010 has a category of Oral Health; which is what field I will be obtaining my second degree. I figured since I'm extremely interested in that topic I would search there first. I came across "Increase the proportion of the U.S. population served by community water systems with optimally fluoridated water." Instantly this struck me as something I really want to look further into; not only for my dental profession but it fits into the environmental theme we're searching for.

Thomas

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A BILL

S. 2093 To suspend temporarily the duty on Perfluorobutane sulfonyl fluoride. (Introduced in Senate)

Title: To suspend temporarily the duty on Perfluorobutane Sulfonyl Fluoride

Sponsor: Ms. Klobuchar introduced the bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. Latest Major Action: 10/9/09 Effective Date- The amendment made by subsection (a) applies to good entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 15th day after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Recommendation: Vote Yes for S. 2093 To suspend temporarily the duty of Perflurobutane sulfonyl fluoride. I think that due to this harmful form of fluoride better choices can be made to be placed into our water.

My Political Representative(s): Collin Peterson - Minnesota's Seventh Congressional District

  

Known Effects of Perflurobutane Sulfonyl Fluoride:
a 3M pdf online resource gives these as effects:

Eye Irritation:
• May include redness, swelling, pain, tearing, and blurred or hazy vision.  
  
  
Skin Irritation:
• May include localized redness, swelling, itching, and dryness.  Maybe harmful if absorbed through skin.
  
  
RespiratoryTract Irritation:
• May include cough, sneezing, nasal discharge, headache, hoarseness, and nose and throat pain.
Ingestion:
• May include abdominal pain, stomach upset, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
  
  
Neurological Effect:
• May include personality changes, lack of coordination, sensory loss, tingling or numbness of the extremities, weakness, tremors, and/or changes in blood pressure and heart rate.