New Semester, New Building!

My last semester has started, and one of the most exciting things about it is that the College of Public Health is officially in the new building! The building is awesome - very beautiful with lots of natural light. It's great to have a building of our own. I think having all the different departments closer together will help with College unity as well. There are already a lot of fun events lined up that will take place in the building, including a cultural potluck on Wednesday and showing Contagion this Thursday.

I'm taking two classes this semester, in addition to doing my practicum and working. I'm really excited for both of my classes: Maternal, Child and Family Health and Health Communication Campaigns. I'm interesting in both of these classes and my practicum is already in full swing, so it should be an interesting and fun semester!

Goodbye 2011!

It's hard to believe that 2011 is almost over. 2011 was a very good year for me, although I'm looking forward to 2012. 2012 is both exciting and kind of scary to me, since it will be a major transition year. I'll be getting my MPH in the spring and (hopefully!) starting a new job in public health.

I hope that you had a good 2011 and are excited about 2012 as well. Before I head off, here is a great little video about one of the best things you can do for your health.

Have a happy and safe new year!

The Way We Get By

Even though it's finals week, I still find time to take an occasional break. Recently, I watched The Way We Get By, a 2009 documentary about three troop greeters in Bangor, Maine. (I'm a big fan of documentaries and have Netflix, which is a little dangerous because there are so many great documentaries, like this one, on there.)

This was an incredible documentary, although be prepared to cry about eight separate times if you watch it. The documentary provides a window into the lives of three elderly people who multiple times a week, often in the middle of the night, go to the Bangor International Airport to greet US troops either going to or returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. Although these three people greet the troops for a variety of reasons, one profound reason is that it helps create a sense of meaning and purposefulness for their lives.

I couldn't help viewing this film from a public health prospective. What I mean by that is that since this film documents the lives of three elderly people, it illustrates some unique issues that affect them. Each have their own health problems, including some more serious conditions like severe depression and heart problems, and cancer. I thought about the Health Communication class I took last summer (especially the lecture about health literacy) as I watched one of the main characters try to describe the treatment he receives for his prostate cancer or as another main character explained the pills she takes daily. In addition to health problems, one of the main characters also had a substantial amount of debt and struggled with loneliness and isolation. It definitely provides some perspective on many of the struggles elderly people face today.

Food deserts

I recently did a group presentation on Food Deserts for my Environmental Health class. According to the CDC, food deserts are "areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet." One thing we learned while researching food deserts is that there's even one in Iowa City. There's a great online tool available that was developed by the USDA that allows you to search by address and see if there's a food desert in your area. The food desert in Iowa City included the very place where we were giving our presentation (which was in the University of Iowa medical school building, part of the health sciences campus).

Even though I had known some about food deserts before this presentation, this USDA report to Congress about food deserts was very interesting and had a lot I didn't know before. One of their major findings was that access to food actually isn't an issue for the majority of people - the bigger issues may be easy access to unhealthy foods and the cost of food. They also outline a lot of neat potential solutions to food access issues, including community food projects, and some of the major gaps in the research.

Anyway, next week is the last week of classes and I have two big papers due on the same day and then two big tests on the same day (it seems like it always works out like that, doesn't it?), so I should probably get back to work!

Here are some articles I thought were interesting:

Emergency Room Closures Hit Minorities, Poor Hardest - Kristopher Husted, NPR
Depressing.

Xeni Jardin Live-Tweets Her First Mammogram, Is Diagnosed With Breast Cancer - Dodai Stewart, Jezebel
I've been reading BoingBoing for years - a blog that Xeni Jardin helped found - so when I read this, it almost felt like it had happened to someone I know. I thought this article had some good points about the fact that she live-tweeted her experience getting her first mammogram and her results is a "sign of How We Live Now." Stewart also notes that "Jardin's decision to update her followers as she went for her breast exam highlights a positive aspect of public sharing: The ability to reach out of a community, and have that community embrace you, in turn."

Scooby-Doo and Secular Humanism - Chris Sims, Comics Alliance
This has nothing to do with public health, I just thought it was a really good read. My partner Tim, who is a major Scooby-Doo fan, showed it to me, because I am not a big fan of the show (I've just always found out pretty boring and formulaic.) This article does make a compelling case for why Scooby-Doo is awesome. As a person who values rationalism, I was somewhat moved (although I still don't have an urge to watch Scooby-Doo).

Pizza is a Vegetable: Another Example of Corporate Influence on US Politics

You've probably already heard that Congress reclassified the tomato sauce on pizza as a vegetable for school lunches. The phrase "pizza is a vegetable" has even already become an internet meme.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about: basically, Congress blocked proposed changes by the USDA to make school lunches healthier.

As the New York Times reported, "Food companies including ConAgra, Coca-Cola, Del Monte Foods and makers of frozen pizza like Schwan argued that the proposed rules would raise the cost of meals and require food that many children would throw away... The companies called the Congressional response reasonable, adding that the Agriculture Department went too far in trying to improve nutrition in school lunches."

This is a perfect example of the control large companies have over our political system. These big food companies basically bought out Congress to not allow healthier changes to be made - "practical, science-based standards" supported by nutrition experts.

I read the politics section of reddit occasionally, and Tarkaan, a reddit user, wrote something I really agree with: "See, the reason this is offensive and that you should be outraged by it is because nutritionists and scientists guided public policy to improve health and nutrition in children. ConAgra came in and spent a bunch of money, and erased the work that science has done." Tarkaan relates this decision back to Occupy Wall Street and one of the major things the movement is about: protesting the corporate influence on our democratic process.

The Occupy movement has been getting a lot more attention lately, especially after the videos of the police officers pepper spraying UC Davis protesters went viral. Although the videos showing police brutality are disturbing and important, the Occupy movement is about much more than reforming our enforcement practices. Corporate influence and lobbying affect so much, including public health.

Back from DC!

I got back from the American Public Health Association conference yesterday, which was held in DC this year. The trip was really fun! I still can't get over how great it is that the MPH program and CBH department basically paid for the whole trip (airfare/travel, registration, and hotel); it's definitely pretty wonderful to get the opportunity to DC for free and be around public health leaders.

Like last year's conference (and most conferences in general, I think), some of the sessions were excellent while others were more so-so. I've found that it seems like most of the sessions are very focused on researching health problems, which, while obviously very important, can be a little frustrating if you're working in an implementation/practitioner capacity. It's always great to learn new things though, and it was fun hanging out with other MPH students and one of my coworkers. It was also nice to see DC again (I hadn't been there since I was in elementary school). One of the highlights of the trip was going to Sprinkles, a cupcake shop that has ridiculously good cupcakes! It was also kind of cool to see Occupy DC (which was set up very close to my hotel).

One of the most amusing things at the conference - an exhibit had ties for sale with disease patterns.

Here are some articles I've read recently that I've thought were interesting:

Native Foster Care: Lost Children, Shatter Families - Laura Sullivan and Amy Walters (NPR)
Absolutely heartbreaking story about how Native American children are disproportionately taken from their homes and put into foster care.

Her Name is Jahessye Shockley. - Francie Latour (The Hyphenated Life) 
A sad and well-written article about how missing white children get way more media attention (and donations) than missing children of color.

The Birth Control Solution - Nicholas D. Kristof (NYT Op-ed)
A simple case for increased birth control. It's hard to argue with this logic, even if you are pro-life.

What's Luck Got To Do With It? - Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen (NYT essay)
An interesting article on luck and "return on luck."

Informed Patient: A New Push to Prevent Infections in Cancer Patients - WSJ Health Blog 
About the CDC's new campaign and website.

Mammogram's Role of Savior is Tested - Tara Parker-Pope (NYT Well)
Interesting article about mammograms. It seems that recently there's been more discussion on the potential downsides of various cancer screening tests. Even though this article was interesting, I have to say I'm still a big supporter of mammography - it still has been proven to save lives.

Fat Talk Free Week!

This week is Fat Talk Free Week. This article in the Huffington Post really captures what the week is all about. Dr. Rosenberg describes "fat talk" as "comments like 'I feel so fat in these clothes,' or 'do I look fat?' It can also be saying to someone else, 'You look great, did you lose weight?' This implies that lost weight is the metric of looking good."

I know I used to make self-depreciating comments in high school and early in college - it's just such a part of our culture and I think in many circles it's an expected way for women to talk. Starting in college, I began to stop saying things like that, because I started to realize that making those comments isn't just dissing yourself - it sends a message to others as well. I can't count the number of times friends of mine (many of whom are much smaller than me) have commented negatively on some aspect of their body ("My arms are so gross," "I feel like a cow"), and I've thought - what does that say about my body and how it looks? Obviously, their intention is just to remark on their own body/express their opinions about themselves - not to insult anyone else, but I think people often forget that their negative comments send a message to others about what's acceptable and what's not acceptable in terms of body size.

Here are some articles I've read this week that you might find interesting:

Interview: James Hansen on the Tar Sands Pipeline protest, the Obama administration, and intergenerational justice - Jerry Cope, Huffington Post
I've become really interested in the Tar Sands pipeline - which, if you don't know about it, is basically a proposed project to have a large oil pipeline go through the United States to link crude oil from Canada to refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma and the Gulf Coast. Leading climate scientists like James Hansen (a UI grad and Iowa native who heads the NASA Goddard Institute) and environmentalists (such as Bill McKibben) have said this pipeline would be "game over" for the environment and have gotten arrested for protesting it. I really hope Obama rejects the proposal.


Pedestrians on streets designed for cars - Lisa Wade, Sociological Images
Features some great examples of problems in the built environment

Men with disabilities face increased risk of sexual violence - Whitney Blair Wyckoff, NPR

Can the 14th amendment defend itself? - Linda Kerber, CNN Opinion
I just saw Linda Kerber speak this morning at the law school and it was very interesting (my friend who attends law school told me about the lecture and invited me to come with her). Ms. Kerber talks a lot about the importance of historical context in understanding the constitution. The 14th amendment is not something I had thought a lot about, but I think her take on why it is important in terms of immigration is fascinating.

Film Underscores Koreans' Growing Anger Over Sex Crimes - Choe Sang-Hun, NYT
A recent South Korean film about the sexual assaults of a number of deaf students in a school and the lax punishments the perpetrators got has "tapped into the widespread anger of official reluctance to take sex crimes seriously, and over how justice is served." Nearly a 10th of the country's population has seen the film.