Spelman Focuses Time, Attention and Dollars on Wellness

College sport is a very lucrative business but there must be an investment to see much anticipated return.  A year ago the board of Spelman College approve a decision to disband the colleges' participation in NCAA-level sports.  Some of the $900K that has been invested in supporting sports teams will be reallocated to fund a college wellness program.

This is a bold move by the college president and one that should be recognized and applauded.  I am a fan of organized sports but watching the worsening trend in obesity among African-American women made me recognize that this change can potentially impact the lives of the 2000 students matriculated at Spelman College and not just the 80 who participate in sponsored sports programs.  Only time will tell if this investment will yield the potentially positive benefits on graduates and indirectly on society.

Reference
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/sports/at-spelman-dropping-sports-in-favor-of-fitness.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/03/education/spelman-college-withdrawing-from-ncaa.html

Blog Under Construction - What is My OverBlog

First, my apologies for all of the changes on the blog site over the past few weeks.  It is a work in progress and I hope it will become more user-friendly and more helpful.  If you have any feedback, please feel free to leave in comments area or email me anytime.  

One new feature I would like your feedback on is the My OverBlog tab.  I first signed up for an Overblog account in 2012 but never really had an opportunity to explore it.  Now that I am using multiple social media tools, trying to offer a place that is "one stop shopping" is one of my goals.  

Overblog is an online blogging tool that is extremely popular in Europe (see references below).  It aggregates in one place a myriad of posts to different platforms:  Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter.... and I am sure more to come.  I am enjoying exploring the toolkit and also like being able to go one place to see all of my posts.  I still have to tweak the "Home" button (right now I'm trying to teach myself some basic HTML...LOL!) which doesn't do anything.  You'll need to hit the back button until I get this figure out.

Take a look at the references below.  You might want to start your own Overblog.


References:
http://en.over-blog.com/offres-blog/presentation.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0yzypzww6w

World Health Day 2013

April 7 is World Health Day.  This day marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948.  Each year the WHO selects a theme for World Health Day to provide focus on key priorities affecting public health.  The theme for 2013 is Hypertension (high blood pressure).

                                

I’ve discussed hypertension in prior posts, but let me review some key information that will help you understand why this is a global public health priority.

• Hypertension is the leading risk factor for death worldwide.
• Greater than 30% of adults worldwide have blood pressure equal to or above 140/90 yet are unaware of this risk.
• The number of people known to have hypertension increased from 600 million in 1980 to 1 billion in 2008.
• Complications from high blood pressure may account for more than 9 million deaths worldwide each year.

Hypertension and the outcomes of untreated or poorly treated high blood pressure have far reaching impacts that affect people and the global economy

• Early death
• Disability
• Loss of income
• Workforce reductions
• Costs of medical care:  personal, community and national

 Hypertension is a preventable and a treatable condition.  Successful medical intervention can significantly reduce the risks of mortality from cardiovascular disease in at-risk populations.  Hypertension can be prevented and the risks of existing hypertension reduced by simple lifestyle interventions:

• Reducing salt intake
• Having a balanced nutrition plan
• Exercising regularly
• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Regularly monitoring blood pressure
• Avoiding excessive/harmful use of alcohol
• Reducing stress

High blood pressure is a silent killer.  This is one instance where what you don’t know can hurt you.  Early detection and treatment are the keys to reducing the impact of high blood pressure.  The global challenge is awareness and access.  Communication and increasing public awareness are of vital, but we continue to have challenges in terms of access to quality, affordable care and support of healthy lifestyles.  The 2013 World Health Day campaign will help provide focus on prevention and control with the goal being to reduce the global impact of this disease.  You can assist in these efforts by sharing the messaging from the WHO site, being an emissary in your community, supporting free health screenings and being a global advocate for quality, affordable care. 

  

References:

http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en/

April 2013: National Cancer Control Month

Each month I try to recognize opportunities to communicate and educate re: health and

wellness.  My main goal is to provide you with the knowledge you need to prevent disease.  April is National Cancer Control Month.  For the next 30 days (and every day thereafter) we have the opportunity to remember the lives of those who have lost their battle with cancer, to show support for those who continue to fight the disease and to commit as individuals and communities to cancer prevention and control.

Based on recent American Cancer Society data, an estimated half-million Americans will lose their lives to cancer and there will be an estimated 1.6 million new cancer cases in the Unites States in 2013.  Worldwide the statistics are even more staggering (http://www.cancer.org/research/infographics/rising-global-cancer-epidemic). 

Our greatest opportunity continues to be prevention and screening.  While this blog may have a focus on fitness, health and wellness is at the core of our mission.  There are many simple interventions we can make as individuals to reduce our risk of cancer:

• Eat a healthy diet
• Exercise regularly
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Limit direct sun exposure
• Avoid excessive alcohol consumption
• Don’t smoke and/or stop smoking
• Get immunized
• Leverage your annual health screening opportunities and/or take advantage of community screening programs

If you’re like my family (ok, like me too!) you don’t go to the doctor unless you’re ill.  As I have become more mature (translation:  mature = older) I have begun to make sure I complete all of my annual screening exams.  The American Cancer Society has recognized that there are both financial and behavioral reasons why Americans may not obtain regular screening exams.  They have developed a simple acronym, CAUTION, to allow us to recognize seven early signs of cancer that merit prompt attention:

Change in bowel or bladder habits

A sore that does not heal

Unusual bleeding or discharge

Thickening of or a lump in the breast, testicles, neck or elsewhere on the body

Indigestion or difficulty swallowing that is persistent and/or progressive

Overt changes in the size, color, shape and/or thickness of a wart, mole or sore

Nagging cough or hoarseness

If you have any of these warning signs or recognize them in your friends or family, prompt medical evaluation is recommended.

Prevention is key.  We don’t emphasize it enough and I will try to reinforce this concept more.  You are in control of your health.

Live well, live long and be happy.

References

Presidential Proclamation: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/29/presidential-proclamation-national-cancer-control-month-2013

Infographic for Worldwide Cancer Statistics: http://www.cancer.org/research/infographics/rising-global-cancer-epidemic

Acronym for risks of cancer: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/understanding-cancer-symptoms

Images Courtesy of the American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsfigures/cancerfactsfigures/cancer-facts-figures-2013