Public Health 360 Open House

Public Health 360 Open House

Join us for our Public Health 360 Virtual Open House.

At the OPEN HOUSE, we will provide information about the program, answer all your questions, and give you the opportunity to hear from past participants.

Public Health 360 (PH 360) is a hands-on training program that prepares the next generation of eminently qualified public health practitioners who will foster optimum population health through disease prevention, health management, and community health education and empowerment

Date and Time:
Monday, May 16th
6:15 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Open to the public.
Zoom registration required:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUvceqhqD0uEtL-YRtaRvaWNNlQxsecpL68

Celebrating Love in February: The Importance of Heart Health

Celebrating Love in February: The Importance of Heart Health

February 14 is celebrated all over the world as Valentine’s day, which is the day to celebrate love in many forms. On this day, you will notice all the heart-shaped candies, gifts, and balloons. What many people may not know is that February is also Heart health awareness month. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-CDC)

I did some research that heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. According to CDC data, one person dies from heart disease every 36 seconds. Approximately 659,000 people in the United States die from heart disease each year. It is at least 1 in every 4 deaths. 

The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease. In the year 2019, coronary heart disease killed 360,900 people. There have been 18.2 million adults of the age 20 years old and over who have coronary heart disease. In every 40 seconds in the United States, someone has a heart attack. In the United States, 805,000 people every year have a heart attack, and about 1 out 5 adults have a silent heart attack (CDC).

American adults who are at risk of heart disease are adults who have diabetes, overweight or obese, lack physical activity, and consume too much alcohol (CDC).

There are ways to prevent yourself from having heart disease. You need to choose to consume healthy food and drink, get physically active every day, keep a healthy weight, do not smoke, check your cholesterol, check your blood pressure, manage your diabetes, take your medication as directed by your doctor, and visit your doctor regularly (CDC).

The Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. provides one program that is focused on addressing heart health in the community. Called the Healthy Heart, this program is aimed at reducing the disparities in health outcomes caused by heart diseases. GHEP hopes that this program, for example, helps to create awareness of health diseases disparities and also gives people the opportunity to get to understand their risk factors for heart disease by offering community-based brief screening and interventions. You can read more about Healthy Heart on GHEP’s website. 

Personally, I had been overweight and had a poor diet most of my childhood and teen years. Ever since I switched to exercising at least 5 days out of the week and maintaining a healthy diet, I felt healthier than I did in my childhood and teen years. It is important to listen to your body and get the help that you need (CDC). This is to wish you a happy healthy heart month while also celebrating the month of love–Valentine’s Day.


Written By Chelsea Whittington is a volunteer with the Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. working under the mentorship of Kanisha Blake, BS, MPH.  


References

American Heart Month | NHLBI, NIH

Prevent Heart Disease | cdc.gov

Public Health 360 Open House

Public Health 360 Open House

Join us for our Public Health 360 Virtual Open House.

At the OPEN HOUSE, we will provide information about the program, answer all your questions, and give you the opportunity to hear from past participants.

Public Health 360 (PH 360) is a hands-on training program that prepares the next generation of eminently qualified public health practitioners who will foster optimum population health through disease prevention, health management, and community health education and empowerment

Date and Time:
Wednesday, February 2nd
6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Open to the public.
Zoom registration required:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYud-iqpzstGNVGMIDWXmoGG8uLAD6U3GxR

How Much Do You Know About Stuttering as a Speech Disruption?

How Much Do You Know About Stuttering as a Speech Disruption?

October is the month of harvest and the celebration of Halloween. It’s a month full of thrills, chills, and tricks or treats. There is also a special day, that is unknown to people, which is an international stuttering awareness day, which is October 22nd.

Stuttering is a speech disorder that repeats syllables, sounds, or words. There are even interruptions with words or sounds called blocks. It also can include behaviors such as eye blinking, tremors, or quivering lips. Unfortunately, this affects job interviews, socializing, and communications. It could affect the person immediately, which is to feel anxious when speaking to people, speaking in front of an audience, or speaking on the phone. (National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders).

I did some research and found out how many people have this issue growing up. Approximately, 3 million Americans have an issue with stuttering. It affects people in different age groups. It often occurs during the age of 2 to 6 years old, which is the age when children start to learn their language skills. About 5 percent to 10 percent of children will have the issue of stuttering throughout most of their life. About 75 percent of children can learn to control their issues with stuttering, while the other 25 percent will have the issue of stuttering for the rest of their lives. (NIH)

There are two types of stuttering, there are development stuttering and neurological stuttering. Developmental stuttering comes from the child’s language abilities and is unable to meet with the child’s verbal speech. While neurological stuttering occurs from a stroke, head trauma, or a head injury. There are many different ways to help with your issues of stuttering, these include therapy for children, stuttering therapy, drug therapy, electronic devices, and self-help groups. (NIH)

Understandably, that growing up with a speech issue is quite frustrating and it can even affect your self-confidence. I grew up with a stuttering issue, and I had been dealing with it for most of my life. It is mainly because of my anxiety that influences my way of speaking. What had helped me is seeing a speech therapist. I also resorted to seeing a counselor and seeking medication for my anxiety, which has helped my stuttering issue tremendously. What also helped me is to speak a little slower and more clearly to avoid stuttering. Do not let the issues with stuttering conflict with your socializing skills with others, it is quite normal, and affects everyone. (NIH)


Written By Chelsea Whittington is a volunteer with the Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. working under the mentorship of Kanisha Blake, BS, MPH.  


References

NIH, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Stuttering

How Do You Save Yourself From Stress?

How Do You Save Yourself From Stress?

In the United States and around the world, the month of April each year is celebrated as Stress Awareness Month. Interestingly, April is also well known for its spring weather. With April now behind us, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on stress and share some tips on how we can untangle ourselves from stress and live a stress-free life. 

The stress awareness month is a month when health professionals show the statistics and percentages of people who reported stress-related mental or physical illnesses. The American Family Care notes that it is important to learn how to cope with stress and to deal with stressful situations in order to live a long and healthy life. The health professionals had joined forces every April to have the country be aware of the causes of stress and the treatments for stress. 

During the past year, no thanks to COVID-19 that ravaged the world, there had been an increased percentage of depression or anxiety disorder caused by stress, which suddenly increased from 36.4% to 41.5%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The age group that had the largest increase in stress is 18-29 years old. At the beginning of 2020, it increased to 8%.  This includes those who do not have a high school diploma. Mental health treatments also increased during this time. During the past year, it has increased from 22.4% to 24.8%. Mental health needs also suddenly increased from 9.2% to 11.7%; this includes people that were in the age group from 18-59. During the past year, the percentage of mental health needs increased by 23.8% and increased by 2.8% says the CDC. 

There are three types of stress, including acute stress, episodic acute stress, and chronic stress, says the Mind Body Green (MBG) Health. Acute stress is when the individual is burdened by high stress by fleeting moments such as public speaking or meeting in the boss’s office. The signs of acute stress are high heart rate, tense muscles, strong emotions, and shortness of breath. Episodic acute stress is similar to acute stress, but due to increased frequency, it takes its toll on the body. It is from intensely stressful events such as tight deadlines or moving on from one crisis to another. Chronic stress is a constant experience over a long period of time, such as finances, trauma, or racism. It is when the body is flooded with stress hormones causing sleep trouble, reduced immune function, and a negative effect on cardiovascular health, according to MBG experts.

There are many ways to help with stress, such as exercising. The Mayo Clinic asserts that exercises can lower stress hormones and release endorphins, which improve your mood and a natural pain reliever. It can also improve your sleep and boosts your self-confidence. There are many exercises that you can try out that can be a good fit for you. There is yoga, zumba, walking, cycling, or dancing, adds experts from Mayo Clinic. 

Stress relief can also include spending time with friends and family, spending time with your pets, laughing, reducing your caffeine intake, deep breathing (meditation), listen to soothing music, practicing mindfulness (be optimistic), avoid procrastination, avoid watching television, write your thoughts and feelings down, and take a bubble bath, according to Mayo Clinic experts.

Every person in the world, including me, sometimes goes through a stress point in their lives. I used to be a “stress-eater” due to my anxiety and stress situations. This has led me to exercises for at least 30 minutes and meditation for 10 minutes a day. These gradually increased my positive outlook in my life and boosts my self-confidence. 

My last point for you all is to try not to make stress take over your life, learn how to sit back and relax even if it’s for a couple of minutes. Life is too short to worry over something that’s not going to last forever. People should take hikes with loved ones and learn to think positively.


Written By Chelsea Whittington is a volunteer with the Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. working under the mentorship of Kanisha Blake, BS, MPH.  


References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/basics/stress-relief/hlv-20049495 

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7013e2.htm 

https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/stress/related/stress-statistics/ 

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-kind-of-stress-is-good-for-you-3145055 

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/16-ways-relieve-stress-anxiety