Letter from the Editor: Location Location Location

Location Location Location

When in reference to the profitability of a business, I'm sure you've heard the saying "location, location, location." The location of a business can make or break it's success, but can the location that one resides in make or break a person? 

A person’s community provides their access to income, education, nourishment, healthcare, and socialization. It is these five essential aspects of life that can make or break the health of an individual. In many situations a lacking in one of the five will effect the other aspects and vice versa. In fact, it is such a slippery slope that it’s almost impossible to talk of the effects that one of these five essential aspects of life has on health disparity within place of residence without it relating and effecting all aspects of the community members health. 

If there is a lack of viable income opportunities within a community then the wealth of the community will suffer. If there is no money to be made then businesses don’t want to open store fronts. Which not only feeds into the afore mentioned lack of income opportunities, but it also has a huge impact on the local school funds. A lack of funding for a communities schools breeds poor education. As you can see a lacking in one aspect fuels another. Creating an ever growing cycle that is incredibly hard to break from the inside out. 

Within the articles on this blog site their lies information and observations that can if nothing else open the eyes of the reader. With the hopes of encouraging compassion and aide to any community in need. 

Depression in Women: a group project

Fact Sheet May 7^th, 2013     Depression In Women

GENERAL INFO

• Depression is the leading cause of disease-related disability in women
• Women are twice more likely than men to develop a major depressive disorder (MDD)
• Women have longer episodes of depression than men who also have MDD
• Approximately 25-35% of women suffer from depression
• Depression in women has been found to peak during childbearing years
• Women inadvertently worsen their own depression because they dwell on their negative feelings whereas men tend to distract themselvses 
• The most common disorders comorbid with depression being anxiety, alcohol, substance abuse, and eating disorders

CAUSES OF DEPRESSION IN WOMEN

• Depression can be triggered in women due to changes in the endocrine control of their reproductive system
• Pregnancy and child birth and different phases of the menstrual cycle can cause depression

• There are certain childhood risk factors for depression: disturbed family environment, sexual abuse, or losing a parent
• Non-environment-related risk factors are: genetics, neuroticism, and low self-esteem
• Heightened social pressures put women at a higher risk for depression than men
• Past traumatic life events
• Body image issues 
• Stress from work, school, or home, money problems, death of a loved one, problems with family members
• Poverty 
• Depression may be caused by a lack of new cell growth in the brain in adult brains
• A disruption in new cell growth in adult brains could be linked with depression
• Gender inequality can lead to low self-esteem in women which can cause depression
• Medicines taken for other illnesses can also trigger depression. Medications used for acne, high blood pressure, birth control, Parkinson’s disease, inflammation, gastrointestinal relief, and more

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN WOMEN

• Depressed mood, loss of interest in activities, feelings of guilt or hopelessness or worthlessness, thoughts of suicide and/or death, insomnia, inability to sleep and restlessness, weight gain and weight loss, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, and more

PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION

• The public in general doesn’t understand depression
• Public surveys have shown that the public believes depression is similar to “weakness of character” rather than a disease

THE EFFECT OF DEPRESSION ON A WOMAN’S LIFE

• Depression will negatively impact social interactions, business, and a woman’s sense of self-worth
• Depression in women is known to lead to other disorders such as anorexia or bulimia or other eating disorders
• Women with depression are more at risk for alcoholism or substance abuse of other sorts such as gambling, drugs, sex, or internet shopping

TREATMENT

• Eating healthy, exercising and socializing are known to reduce the risk of depression in women
• Women with depression can go through psychotherapy treatment 
• Other forms of treatment involve daily medicine

Campaign 1

Psychological Factor: Body Image

The Problem:  Women who struggle with their body image may face a higher risk of depression that others. This risk can develop at a young age, usually around puberty. In our society, women who are thin are considered to be beautiful and desirable. Young girls who are beginning to develop their own identities are faced with images of the “ideal” woman in today’s society. This “ideal image” can become a type of obsession for some young girls and women. Feeling inferior to other women is one of the leading causes of depression. Women who feel that they do not fit this image become dissatisfied with their own bodies, leading them to restrict their diets and develop depression.

On the other hand, women struggling with depression that has developed for reasons other than negative body image may ultimately struggle with poor body image as a result of their depression. “Berscheid, Walster, and Bohrnstedt (1973) surveyed 2,000 Psychology Today readers and found body satisfaction was related to personal happiness. Teenagers who reported being unattractive were by far the most unhappy group of respondents; adults presently in there 30s who reported that they were attractive teenagers were the happiest.”

Solution:

Solving this issue has proven to be a challenge. As individuals, we are unable to change society’s view of women and what is socially desirable. Women must learn to accept themselves for who they are and not compare themselves to women they may consider beautiful in their own minds. In order for this to occur, women should focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, socializing with friends, and pursuing hobbies all help to create healthy living. Sometimes these things aren’t enough though. Women may also seek guidance through cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy in addition to anti-depressants is another helpful option for some women.

Campaign 2: Poverty

Poverty is such a reason, which could be responsible developing depression in anybody, and it is increasing the rate of depression. If you don’t have enough wealth then you cannot get power or respect, which is the root of causing poverty. Statistically speaking, poverty is more frequent in women than man. According to the survey among all demographic groups single mother have the highest records. Additionally, the poverty rate is an enough big issue to create a major depressive order.

Audio:

Transcript: 

When you see society where poor live oppressed and underprivileged while rich get richer, we simply know this is wrong. It is moral, and it must have negative effects on everyone, rich and poor. But what are these effects? As the gap between richest and poorest 20% grow, the depression rates of women increase dramatically. This gap has been linked to other issues including life expectancy, infant mortality, homicides, teenage births, obesity and social mobility. When comparing other developed countries around the world, the U.S has the largest separation between the unprivileged and privileged. Consequently, there are some of the worst problems in the world: depression, homicide, obesity, teenage births, trust issues, and social mobility. We can revive the American dream, and create a better society for all by improving tier taxation. So that the ones who can afford to do so can help those at a disadvantage, and empower us all to live better lives.

Solution: 

In order to reduce the negative effects that poverty brings by, we have to create a better society for all by improving tier taxation. As a result, the federal government could spend more on education. In general, lower poverty rates were associated with higher levels of education. The ongoing budget crisis of education has resulted in underfunded and ill-equipped schools – a problem more prevalent in schools of lower-income communities. Money and wealth should be more evenly distributed among a larger percentage of the people in the U.S. This may be a long uphill battle, but take small steps to eliminate women depression by creating a fair environment for everyone. 

Campaign 3: Environment

Childhood sexual abuse:

“Women with severe abuse have a 10-fold risk for lifetime major depression” (Walker & et all, 1992).

“Women with a history of childhood abuse exhibited increased pituitary-adrenal and autonomic responses to stress compared with controls. This effect was particularly robust in women with current symptoms of depression and anxiety. Women with a history of childhood abuse and a current major depression diagnosis exhibited a more than 6-fold greater ACTH response to stress than age-matched controls” (Heim, Newport, Heit, Graham, Wilcox, Bonsall & Nemeroff , 2000).

-Unfortunately the only way to prevent depression in women caused from childhood sexual abuse is to prevent childhood sexual abuse all together. Since the complete prevention of childhood sexual abuse is near impossible an alternative solution in dealing with the negative effects of childhood sexual abuse is counseling. 

Losing a parent in childhood:

Once again, there isn’t prevention per say to losing a parent in childhood. 

-Counseling would benefit a child who lost a parent. With appropriate early intervention one would hope that the risk of adult depression would be greatly reduced. Also a securely attached relationship to another adult in the child’s life would also be important in the prevention of adult depression developing from the loss of a parent in childhood.  

Credit Sheet:

Group 2:  The Depression In Women

Members: 

Michael Baliton: Group Leader, Assigned roles and campaign materials, research, revised rough drafts, Pamphlet, Credit Sheet

Faith Carlsmith:  Fact Sheet, research, Campaign 2 Poverty

Jinglun Sun:  Revised Material, Campaign 2 Poverty, audio

Andrea Ghegan:  Research, revised campaign, Campaign 1 Body Image

Brandon Braun:  Research, Campaign 1 Body Image

Sarah Stanford:  Research, Campaign 3 Environment

Alexandria Smith:  Research, Campaign 3 Environment

References:

Beattie, Gregory S. "Social Causes of Depression." Rochester Institute of Technology. n. page. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. <http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/beattie.html>.

Christensen, H., Jacomb, P. A., Jorm, A. F., Korten, A. E., Pollitt, P., & Rodgers, B. (1997).

Coleman, D. (1990). Women’s depression rate is higher. The New York Times.

"Depression." Environmental Factors. New York\: <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/depression/causes.html>.

Kessler, R. C. (2003). Epidemiology of women and depression. Journal of Affective Disorders,

Noble, R. E. (2005). Depression in women. Metabolism, 54 (5). 74 (1). 

Olfson, M. & Weissman, M. M. (1995). Depression in women: implications for health care research. Science, 269 (5225). 

Public beliefs about causes and risk factors for depression and schizophrenia. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 32 (3).

"Social & Cultural causes of Women Depression." (2011): n. page. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. <http://www.helpfordepressiontreatment.com/social-cultural-causes-women-depression>.

Can Parents Prevent Childhood Obesity?

Can Parents Prevent Childhood Obesity?

FamilyFun Magazine

Parents are key to creating an environment that promotes healthful eating and physical activity within their children. They shape their children’s dietary practices and physical activity through their own knowledge of nutrition, modeling of healthful eating practices, level of physical activity, and modeling of sedentary habits including television watching. The choices and practices of a parent are influential in their children’s development of lifelong habits that will contribute to normal weight or to overweight and obesity.  
Parents are not the only catalyst in the rising number of overweight and obese children. With television commercials, billboards, and other advertisements that are geared toward the pushing of unhealthy processed and fast food choices on children it’s obvious that the parent is not responsible for all the blame. However, let us as adults and parents not succumb to an attitude of ignorance and helplessness. Don’t be the ill-informed parent at the mercy of the elements who can only be saved by the government enforcing taxes on sugary drinks, junk food, and processed/fast food advertisements. There are good and bad choices within every decision. Choose to be an example of health and self discipline, by showing your children how to maintain a healthy life. It is detrimental to not only theirs but your own longevity and quality of life. 
There are three developmental stages in a child’s life that a parents food choices and activity level have direct effect. The first being gestation and early infancy, second, toddlers through preschool, third, middle childhood and adolescence. During all of these phases of a person’s life the parent/s are direct role models for the child and have control over what food options are available within the household. For these reasons it is extremely important that as parents we make healthful choices for ourselves and our children. Leonard Epstein offers three reasons for involving parents in obesity-prevention interventions. “First, obesity runs in families, and it may be unrealistic to intervene with one member of a family while other family members are modeling and supporting behaviors that run counter to the intervention’s goals. Second, parents serve as models and reinforce and support the acquisition and maintenance of eating and exercise behaviors. Finally, to produce maximal behavior change in children, it may be necessary to teach parents to use specific behavior-change strategies such as positive reinforcement.” (L. Epstein, 1996) 
It is so important with all the technological advance to promote and model a healthy activity level. The amount of screen time a child spends per day has increased substantially over the last two decades. “Many studies have shown an association between screen time and increased adiposity in children. Evidence supports a number of different, but potentially correlated, mechanisms by which screen time may influence risk for obesity; these include exposing children to a greater degree of food advertising and thus potentially influencing their intake of energy dense, nutrient poor, snack foods, encouraging greater food consumption when children eat while viewing television, and impacting sleep quality or quantity.” (S. Anderson, C. Economos & A. Must, 2008) As parents we need to actively limit the screen time of our children and model a healthy daily activity level. 
Parents have a crucial role at home in preventing childhood obesity, with their role changing at different stages of their child’s development. By better understanding ones own role in guiding their child’s food choices, activity/exercise level, sedentary habits, and ultimately weight status, parents can learn how to create a healthful nutrition environment in their home, provide opportunities for physical activity, discourage sedentary behaviors such as television viewing, and serve as positive role models on multiple levels. By doing so, as parents, we have the power to on only positively effect our lives but also the lives of many generations to come.  



Refrences:

Epstein, L. (1996). Family-Based Behavioural Intervention for Obese Children. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 20, S14-21. Retrieved April 15, 2013, fromhttp://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/8646260/reload=0;jsessionid=aYCWkxnABaOlnxlhcu2t.0

Anderson, S. E., Economos, C. D., & Must, A. (n.d.). (2008). Active play and screen time in US children aged 4 to 11 years in relation to sociodemographic and weight status characteristics: a nationally representative cross-sectional analysis. Retrieved fromhttp://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/366

Improving place to improve health

Will making changes to the built environments (adding parks, sidewalks, healthy food stores, playgrounds, green-spaces, safer streets, etc.) of low-income neighborhoods be adequate enough to help community members combat health disparities based upon income or race? Why or why not?

Thought I don’t think that improvements to the built environments of low-income neighborhoods will be the cure all for health disparities based upon income or race, I do think that it is a giant step in the right direction. My number one reasoning behind this statement is that just because the environment changes for the better it doesn’t mean that the environmental change will automatically produce a higher level of activity and healthy food choices by the individuals within the community. Another huge initiator of health disparities based upon income or race is stress. The stress of being poor, living in an abusive family, and having to strive just to survive are not necessarily affected by the outside environments. Getting that all out on the table I do think that there is a lot to be gained by built environmental improvements. 
In the film Place Matters they talk about how the degradation of a community directly effects the people that live in it. Once a community goes down hill no one wants to invest in the community creating a loss of job opportunities, less taxes to invest in schools, and poor food options. The people living in a disadvantaged community are then faced with no work, poor education, and poor diet choices. These things all contributing to additional stress (Lee & Kim, 2008). This is a sad and viscous cycle that often seems unstoppable to the people living in the thick of it. There is hope. As the short film Reshaping Somervillehighlights a fairly new and innovative tactic being used to combat the growing obesity epidemic. The community members, restaurants, city planners along with the town mayor and a specialist on the topic of place and obesity are teaming up to improve the health of their town. Walking paths have been added to the town, exercise programs have been added to the school curriculum, parents are making healthier food choices for themselves and their children, restaurants are offering healthy options, and together they are shaping up into a healthful community. The reshaping that Somerville has chosen is a perfect example of what a community can do to empower one another as well as other communities towards a healthful existence. Thought they did make improvements to their towns built environments they are also focusing on getting the community as a whole informed and involved toward leading more healthful lives.  
Somerville is a great example of just how effective bettering built environments and educating a community on what a healthy lifestyle looks like. I think that programs likeReshaping Somerville need to be implemented in low income communities as well. “Specific health deficiencies present in segregated Black neighborhoods compared to White neighborhoods of the same socioeconomic status: two to three times fewer supermarkets with fresh produce, two to three times more fast-food outlets, three times more likely to lack outdoor recreational facilities and, in hospitals serving Black neighborhoods, less technology, fewer specialists and fewer doctors with the highest medical certification” (Cooper, 2010, p.4). Segregated low income communities could benefit the most from programs like Reshaping Somerville. Knowing that these types of programs can be costly there are small steps that can encourage health within a community. A simple option that was mentioned in The Supermarket Solution is as easy as a rearrangement of supermarket shelves. “Research shows that we're more likely to choose healthy food when it's placed right next to its less healthy cousin” (Warner, 2011). 
References:
Warner, G. (Producer) (2011). The supermarket solution [Web]. Retrieved fromhttps://d2l.pdx.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=324056&tId=1274423
LeBlanc, L. (Producer) (2012). Reshaping somerville:the fight against childhood obesity [Web]. Retrieved from https://d2l.pdx.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=324056&tId=1274423
Cooper, K. J. (2010). Segregation sickness. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 27(19), 4-4. Retrieved from http://stats.lib.pdx.edu.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/proxy.php?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=55123491&site=ehost-livesegregation
Lee, E. (Director), & Kim, A. (Editor) (2008). Place matters [Web]. Retrieved fromhttps://d2l.pdx.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=324056&tId=1274423

Inequality and Health: What is the relationship between stress and health?

What is the relationship between stress and health? How is stress related to the racial and economic health inequities that we see in our society? What can be done to mitigate the impacts of this type of stress on our health?

Something about the question, “what is the relationship between stress and health” just seemed unnatural to me. After pondering it a bit I figured out why. There isn’t really much of a relationship between stress and health, rather a relationship between stress and disease. This is not to say that acute or temporary solvable stress inducing situations are always bad. Without acute/solvable stress we wouldn’t be given the opportunity to grow, accomplish, overcome, solve, and succeed. The relationship between stress and disease is in reference to chronic stress and it’s effects on health in the long-term. “Stress-induced damage is mediated, among other things, by prolonged elevation of adrenaline and cortisol levels in the blood. Elevated cortisol can lead to the accumulation of cholesterol (e.g., by raising glucose levels even during inactivity); and elevated adrenaline increases the blood's tendency to clot, which can add to the formation of arterial plaques and thereby lead to increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Other risks that may be increased by stress-induced damage include risks for cancer, infection, and cognitive decline” (Sreenivasan, 2009). Chronic stress wreaks havoc on every aspect of a humans life, mentally, emotionally, and physically.  Not only does stress effect the individual in the present, but it also effects their long-term health, and the health of future generations. In the online journal article: Is Stress to Blame for Preterm Births?, the authors speak to the chronic stress that can come from socio-economic issues like racism and income, as having a role in infant mortality. “Stress can lead to problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure for the mother, but the problem is especially dire for a developing fetus. When a woman is chronically stressed, cortisol binds to receptors on the placenta, which then put out more corticotropin-releasing hormone, or CRH. The hormone travels back to the mother's brain, creating a positive feedback cycle, like a thermostat gone haywire. But the hormone doesn't just amp up the stress response. The hormone also happens to be the chemical that triggers labor once a certain threshold is reached” (Johnson & Ghose, 2011). Not only can chronic stress negatively effect all aspects of a persons health it can also signal a pregnant mother to go into premature labor. Very premature babies have a low chance of survival. In the video podcast When the Bough Breaks the comparison of premature births and infant mortality in Caucasian and African American women was looked at. African American women have a much higher premature birth rate than Caucasian women. In the podcast it is said that the stress that is induced due to ones social status, race, and income could very well be the largest culprit of premature births and infant mortality. “For most people of color, racism isn't an occasional problem but a subtle, everyday stressor that is added onto all the other stressors in a person's life” (Strain, MacLowry & Stange, 2008). There are ways to mitigate the impacts of this type of stress on our health. First, community and support are hugely significant. Education is also extremely important, as well as breaking down the barriers between race and social status. There are also proven holistic practices, such as: meditation, deep breathing, massage, and guided imagery that can be effective in the reduction of stress in one’s life.  References: Sreenivasan, G. (2009). Justice, inequality, and health. In E. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring ed., Vol. 2009). Retrieved fromhttps://d2l.pdx.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=324056&tId=1274373 Johnson, M., & Ghose, T. (2011). Is stress to blame for preterm births?. Health News, Retrieved from https://d2l.pdx.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=324056&tId=1274373 Strain, T. H. (Producer), MacLowry, R. (Producer), & Stange, E. (Producer) (2008, 12). Unnatural causes..is inequality making us sick?. When the bough breaks. [Video podcast]. Retrieved from https://d2l.pdx.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=324056&tId=1274373 Interactive Map. Retrieved fromhttps://d2l.pdx.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=324056&tId=1274373