You Better Work it Out!

Did you know that a study conducted in 2008, on undergraduate students, found that about 53% of sampled students reported having experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms and that 11% had considered suicide in the past four weeks (Downs 229)? Also revealed in this study was that 50% of students surveyed in 2009 reported binge drinking within the past couple of weeks. Such high percentiles are believed to be attributed to a lack of vigorous activity among college students. Andrew Downs, of the University of Portland and head author of the article “Vigorous Physical Activity, Sports Participation, and Athletic Identity: Implications for Mental and Physical Health in College Students,” assumes that inadequate activity puts college students at a higher risk for developing mental, as well as physical, illnesses. With this in mind, it is essential that we, college students, put a microscope on our lives and fish out any unhealthy activities, or laziness that may prohibit our overall well-being, and replace them with more aggressive pastimes.

                                                              College is considered to be a high stress, high pressure environment in which students strive to maintain decent grades, often at the expense of physical activity. However, the expensive of these activities may come at a high price.  Research suggest that inadequate activity amid college students puts students at an elevated risk for anxiety disorders, depression, as well as chronic mental disorders, which has been noted to have an age onset just prior to college years (Downs 229). In addition, it is thought that lack of activity puts college students at a higher risk for obesity and that students often engage in risky behaviors, such as binge drinking, not wearing seat belts, poor dietary choices, and practicing unsafe sex (Downs 229).

According to Downs, upon entering the college scene, majority students become less engaged in strenuous activities and do not display the same athletic identity as they once did in high school, in effect leading to poor mental and physical health. In order to identify the validity of this statement, in 2008-2009, Downs lead a research experiment that included 395 undergraduate students, ranging in age from 17 to 38, and either attending a rural state University or an urban private University. The students were then surveyed with an anonymous Vigorous Physical Activity and Sports Participation Questionnaire (VPASPQ) which was used to obtain a standardized comparison of activity differentiating between high school and post high school years (Downs 233). Students were then classified as either active or inactive in accordance with the current standards of vigorous activity for adults. Independent test were later used to identify any significant differences in mental and physical health during these years.

All in all, Down’s hypotheses were supported by his results. In regards to physical health, as he believed, students who continued to practice active lifestyles, despite their college status, reported a drastically higher frequency of general well-being in comparison to students who reported being less active. Risky behaviors were not as prevalent in this group of students, attributed to their practice of healthy lifestyles which are thought to have permeated onto other aspects of their lives. Also, in terms of mental health, Down’s hypothesis was once again supported. His results displayed that students who engaged in physical activity reported higher rates of self-esteem, lower rates of anxiety, as well as less stress than their counterparts (Downs 241).

In essence, we as college students need to ensure our overall well-being by engaging in more demanding activities on campus. Being less active now can not only be detrimental to our health in this instance, but could also cross over into being future battles. In order to ensure our life-long prosperity it is necessary that we take the initiative to make sure that we fight that “freshman fifteen” and make healthy decisions to secure an abundance of health for our future.

Works Cited

Downs, Andrew, and Ashton Jennifer. "Vigorous Physical Activity, Sports Participation, and Athletic

Identity: Implications for Mental and Physical Health in College Students." Journal of Sport

Behavior 34.3 (2011): 228-49. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Sept. 2011.

Working in the Dust

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Working in The Dust

ALBANY, N.Y. – "Once you got down there, it was like nothing you'd ever seen,” said Peter Benedetto, a lieutenant with the West Albany Fire Department. “Everything was covered in dust, there was paper blowing everywhere, there was probably six inches of dust and debris in the street (Hunter 1)."

           Rescue workers who responded to the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center immediately after the attack, and in the months of cleanup afterwards suffered from a long list of physical symptoms years after exposure (Preznat 1). Upon the collapse of the two towers, dust particulate, combustible gases, fumes and other noxious materials were released into the area surrounding the collapse. “Trends in Respiratory Symptoms of Firefighters Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster: 2001-2005,” used statistical analysis and to link common symptoms of 3,722 fire fighters who completed health physicals and filled out surveys to document their progression of symptoms over the next four years after the attack.  The article is documented with strong statistical analysis of all data collected.  The authors of this article use the statistical information collected to suggest the reform of recovery and clean up phases to protect our rescue workers from further health risk.  This article appeared in June 2009, and today the controversy over the toxicity of the dust from the towers is still a highly debated topic.  Some health professionals have reviewed the case and have discovered elevated cancer risks connected to rescue workers who participated in rescue operations at ground zero while others maintain that there is no link between the hazardous particulate in the air at ground zero and cancer (Smith 1).  Whether the dust caused cancer or not, the authors of “Trends in Respiratory Symptoms,” and their studies showing the health symptoms of rescue workers at the scene  show that symptoms and their severity were strongly correlated to the time on scene at ground zero.
           The scholarly journal indicates that in the first 6 months after 9/11 332 firefighters were given extensive medical leave due to symptoms contracted from their ongoing efforts at ground zero.  The list of common symptoms related to exposure to the 9/11 scene included dyspnea, wheeze, nasal congestion, acid reflux, asthma, rhinosinusitis and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (Preznat 1).  The firefighters were separated into three groups to distinguish their exposure levels.  “…group 1 (the most severely exposed) arrived on the morning of 9/11 and were present during the tower collapses; group 2 arrived during the afternoon of 9/11; group 3 arrived on day 2 (12 September 2001); and group 4 (least exposed) arrived on days 3–14.”  These groups were very useful in scene played a large role comparing the onset and severity of the for-mentioned symptoms to the rank of their exposure to the toxic dust (Preznat 2).    The article also went on to explain later that for each month worked on the site, there was a higher risk for symptoms.  Therefore the time of arrival and the time spent working at the scene could be used to predict health symptoms based on the reports of other firefighters with similar exposure.  Other groups created to help create patterns were smokers, former smokers and never smokers (Preznat 2).  These three groups were created to show correlations in symptoms within the groups and because of the heavy effect of smoking cigarettes on the lungs.  Each of these groups were asked if they had any previous respiratory or gastro – esophageal symptoms before their work at ground zero.  This study was created with the intention to collect as much information as it could and to see make as many comparisons as it could between groups.  The forethought that went into the design of this study allowed it produce a multitude of information.
           The authors of “Trends in Respiratory System,”  made use of all of the data collected and produced cumulative and per group analysis.  Initial predictions that group 1 would have received the most contamination from the toxic chemicals at ground zero were proven correct (Preznat 3).  The firefighters that were members of Group 1 showed more symptoms than the other three groups.  For all 4 groups the cough that accompanied year 1 of work at ground zero had diminished considerably by year 4.  Sore throat also diminished for the four groups, but not as much as the cough had. Dyspnea, rhinosinustitis, and GERD did not diminish over the four years (Preznat 5).  Those who spent at least 10 months at ground zero showed signs of new – onset asthma (Preznat 7).  Cigarette smoking increased the chance of GERD and wheezing at follow up by 50%, while there was not a noticeable difference between former smokers and never smokers (Preznat 7).  This information may be more prevalent now than it was at the time that the study conducted.
           Scientists quarrel over the possibility of toxic dust causing cancer in fire fighters present during the recovery efforts.  Some say that no direct link could be found between substances in the toxic dust and the new outburst of cancer.  Others report that the toxins present in the toxic dust have a very real chance of causing cancer.  While the reports are inconclusive, the authors of “Trends of Respiratory Symptoms,” show that the assault of the toxic dust on the first responders was very real.  The related symptoms in the large group of firefighters show that the dust did effect all those that were present and the extent of their involvement effected their risk for symptoms.  With this knowledge, the approach to rescue and recovery operations in the future must be reformed to help protect our first responders as they work to save others.  The symptoms all result from inhalation of toxic particulate in the dust surrounding ground zero.  Introduction of new Standard Operating Procedures mandating the use of respirators on these scenes would help alleviate the inhalation of this particulate.  Fire fighters need to be trained to prevent long term illness during salvage and overhaul where the air might not be safe.

Thomas Simon

Works Cited

• David J. Prezant, et al. "Trends in Respiratory Symptoms of Firefighters Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster: 2001-2005." Environmental Health Perspectives 117.6 (2009): 975-980. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Sept. 2011.
• Hunter, Matt YNN: Your News Now. Your News Now, 12 Sep. 2011. Web. 19 Sep. 2011 <http://mohawkvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/556797/local-firefighter-recounts-experience-of-9-11/>.
• Smith, Stephanie Firefighters Responding to 9/11 at Increased Cancer Risk. CNN, 2 Sep. 2011. Web. 18 Sep. 2011 <http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/09/01/911.firefighters.cancer/index.html>.

Athlete's Diets: Not as Healthy as One May Think

In a recent academic journal released by International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism said there is new evidence showing the diets of athletes are often reported to be nutritionally inadequate compared with to the diets of the general population (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). Having been an athlete for most of my life, nutrition and diet has always been a key part of my life. For as long as I can remember I’ve tried to eat as healthy as I can. Being a gymnast, I’ve always had long and grueling practices lasting up to five hours a day. When you workout for that length of time having a proper diet is crucial. I’ve always felt that I eat well and I’m sure other athletes agree they have too, but you may be surprised to know that we may not be eating as well as we hoped. The Journal believes this is happening due to athletes not getting enough nutrition-education (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). The journal wanted to look into studies done by researchers to see why might this be.

The academic journal looked into twenty-nine studies performed by various researchers. The studies were performed to see if there’s a connection between athletes’ nutrition knowledge and the impact of nutrition education on their dietary behavior (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). The studies considered coaches, athletic trainers, sport dietitians, nutritionists, and medical practitioners all forms of “nutrition-education” (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59).

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All of the studies were performed on people of different ages, genders, and race and even on different types of athletes; elite verse recreational (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). The journal selected a wide variety of studies in order to have a good range of information to back their claim. The Researches from the studies reported nutritional knowledge as a quantitative score (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). They also recorded dietary intake of the athletes by dietary analysis and by the number of servings of food groups (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). The researchers also used non athletes as controls (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59).

The Journal found that only three out of the twenty-nine studies reported that elite competitive athletes scored significantly higher on the nutrition-knowledge instrument than the comparison group (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). These studied were performed on age-matched participants undertaking less than three hours of physical activity a week (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). Unfortunately only seven out of the twenty-nine studies had a non-athlete control group (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). In the end, the journal was not able to conclude whether healthier or more optimal dietary intake was associated with the level of nutrition knowledge, because there isn’t enough evidence to prove this (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59).

How can the findings of this academic journal apply to your life? Well, if you’re an athlete like me and can sometimes assume your diet is healthy because you’re an athlete you’re most likely wrong. There is no evidence to prove an athlete’s diet is healthier than a non-athlete. What you can do to make sure your diet is optimal for your life and your sport is talk to your doctor and ask what kinds of food you should be eating and what foods you should avoid. A nutritionist is also someone who can help you have a proper diet. A healthy diet is crucial for athletes and non-athletes alike. Whether you’re reaching for the Olympics or living life day-today.

Work Citied:

Heaney, Susan, Helen O'Connor, Scott Michael, Janelle Gifford, and Geraldine Naughton. "Nutrition Knowledge in Athletes: A Systematic Review." International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 21. (2011): 248-59. Web. 22 Sep. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&hid=106&sid=1fc2d127-bc6e-4139-b391-6e6731c3ae5a%40sessionmgr112>.

Thriving Taiwanese Health and Fitness

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adriarichards/2798736890/

 

 

A recent study conducted at Asia University in Taiwan showed that there is a strong correlation between the leisure activities that college students tend to engage in and their overall health. “Leisure, Lifestyle, and Health-Related Physical Fitness” is a scholarly article and study that examines the various scientific and social factors that determine the overall health of college students. Various methods of research as well as statistical analysis were used to put a numerical value for numerous physical fitness tests. This study is quite informative due to the fact that we as college students in the United States can compare the results of Taiwanese students to ourselves and sees the vast similarities. Physical fitness has a crucial impact towards college students everywhere due to our need to maintain not only a social image but a physical one as well. The Cheng et al. study proved that Taiwanese college students who engage in consistent physical exercise tend to have superior physical fitness than those who are inactive.

The National Council of Physical Fitness and Sports in Taiwan states that four different measures are used to accurately measure physical fitness: body fat composition, muscular strength and stamina, flexibility, and heart and lung stamina. They noted that excessive body fat tends to cause coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Muscle strength and stamina refers to the number of repetitions in muscle contractions that one’s body can sustain during physical exercise. Flexibility refers to the reach of joints and the extension ability for one’s muscles, and ligaments. Finally, heart and lung stamina refers to the ability of one’s body to inhale and exhale to retain necessary amounts of oxygen during exercise. Body mass index was tested for each one of the participants in the study for comparison.

The study conducted by Cheng et al. was very extensive and required much data analysis. Students at Asia University in Taiwan were asked to answer various survey questions regarding leisure activities, physical fitness, and trends in their overall lifestyle. From the results of the surveys, Cheng et al. categorized this sample of college students into four groups based on their leisure activities. The groups were dawn activity lovers, sports lovers, inactive healthy dieters, and vacation lovers. After these individuals were grouped, they were asked to perform various physical fitness tests such as sit-ups for 60 seconds for muscular strength and stamina, and the distance individuals could stretch for flexibility. Once these tests were completed, Cheng et. al used various data analysis techniques to make conclusions about how leisure activity and physical fitness are correlated.

The results of this study showed that participants who were categorized in the group “sports lovers” tended to show signs of higher levels of physical fitness and overall higher body mass indexes. They tended to be heavier and were able to retain muscle contractions with less fatigue and soreness. We can infer that individuals in the “sports lovers” category tended to weigh more due to strenuous muscular exercise. Since the body mass index does not take weight from muscle mass in to account, their BMI would not be as reliable as physical fitness tests. In addition, Cheng et. al concluded that female students scored worse in physical fitness tests than males. We could infer that many female participants were categorized under inactive healthy dieters and vacation lovers. Cheng et al. noted that overall, the Taiwanese students in the study were of ideal weight, meaning that most of them tended to have fairly normal body mass indexes. Additionally, students under the category “dawn activity lovers” had higher rates of heart and lung stamina than vacation lovers and inactive healthy dieters. This obviously means that students who enjoyed exercising in the morning tended to do cardiovascular activities such as jogging or walking rather than physically strenuous sports.

Hence we see that the study conducted by Cheng et. al proved that there is a correlation between leisure activities and levels of physical fitness. Those students who maintain consistent physical exercise are more likely to be more physically fit in the long run. We can easily correlate this study to college students in the United States and would expect similar results. It is interesting to see a different perspective of health and fitness in terms of college students across the world and how their leisure activities correlate to their overall physical health. After these results are presented to us, we can make general assumptions to why certain leisure groups were more physically fit than others. Those who were sports lovers tended to be the best rounded in terms of healthy. They were able to complete physical tests without soreness or muscle fatigue. Cheng et al.’s study was very informative in terms of the physical and social part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Works Cited

Cheng, Jen-Son. "Leisiure, Lifestyle, and Health-Related Physical Fitness for College Students." Social Behavior and Personality. 39.3 (2011): 321-332. Print.

We are all students at the University of North Carolina and have grown to understand the importance of citing our sources.  We want to give you, our readers, a way to examine the sources where we pull our information for our post.  If you find a post that you enjoy reading you can read further into the issue and form your own opinions. In addition, we want to differentiate between our personal views and analysis while tying it in to the authors publications.  

For our blog, we intend on using MLA style citations for all of our posts. The basic format for this type of citation is to include the author of the article as well as the title. We must also include the source of publication and the volume/issue number if it is a scholarly article. Based on the information we will give, it will be easy to determine what type of source we are referring to in our blog posts.

We chose MLA format because it’s the style of citation we are all familiar with and it’s the style most of our previous classes had us use. MLA format is also the most standard form of citation and it is updated consistently to adapt to modern English and literature.

DNA: Personal Information that Should be Protected or Could Benefit Research?

Today I read two editorials on hospitals taking blood samples from newborns. The editorials are from Grand Rapids Press and the magazine Nature. The main issue both of these articles are discussing is; hospitals are taking newborn blood samples and are using them for more then just screening the baby for potential diseases. Hospitals are keeping the samples for further research without parent’s knowledge. In order for hospitals to take newborn’s blood samples, health care workers need to fully inform parents of what is going to be done with the blood and how long it will be stored for.

The editorial written in Nature is about healthcare professionals taking samples of newborn’s blood for genetic screening. The article stated, hospitals are keeping newborn’s blood for unrelated biomedical research without parental consent (“Nature”). The article explains that after babies are born a health-care worker pricks the heel of a baby and takes a blood sample to test for rare genetic disorders (“Nature”). After the blood is tested, some blood is retained and stripped of any identifying information and used for quality insurance and unrelated biomedical research (“Nature”).

The Author, whose name not released by Nature, states that, “The problem is not only that many parents miss the heel-prick test at the time, but that they can be unaware of it altogether” (“Nature”). The author believes the best solution for making newborn blood testing straightforward for parents is to clearly explain to the parents what the blood samples are being taken for, and to give them more choices about what is done with the samples after screening has occurred (“Nature”).  The author also believes if parents are aware and consent to what health care professionals and government are doing with their newborn’s blood, then the government can use the blood for research.

In The Grand Rapids Press, the editorial broad who wrote the article is accrediting the Michigan Department of Community Health for putting in new policies that will better shield the privacy of the newborns and give more say over what happens to their genetic material (“Grand Rapids Press”). The editors believe that when these new policies start parents should see the value in storing blood information for themselves and others (“Grand Rapids Press”).

One of the editorial board’s reasons for why newborn blood screening is beneficial is the blood is used at birth to screen for 49 hereditary and genetic conditions (“Grand Rapids Press”). After those tests, Michigan hospitals send the blood to Wayne State University where the blood samples create a rich and diverse population sample for researchers to test with (“Grand Rapids Press”).  The blood samples are useful for scientists because they are taken at birth from all children and before environmental factors come into play (“Grand Rapids Press”). This allows for better research for scientists. The author clearly says, “The Department of Community Health has taken prudent steps to make sure genetic information is not compromised. The new policy marks a positive step toward transparency for everyone” (“Grand Rapids Press”).

The editorial from the Grand Rapids Press is much more convincing because it provides strong evidence to show how newborn blood samples can benefit the population.

From a medical standpoint, I feel that taking newborn blood samples will greatly help research. Scientists can use the extensive samples to do research on disorders, vaccines, and hopefully create cures for diseases and infections. 

To Sleep or Not to Sleep?

Usually what comes to mind when one mentions health and fitness is strenuous exercise and maintaining a healthy diet. In general, sleep is commonly one of the last activities on the list. Nevertheless, sleep is thought to play an integral role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, being able to execute at peak performance, as well as maintaining a healthy homeostasis of emotions. On the contrary, head author Ninad Gujar, from the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, seems to have reason to believe differently. Researches have led him to believe that sleep deprivation can actually enhance brain reactivity thus resulting in positive emotional stimuli (Gujar 4470). However, supporting the initial ideal of the importance of adequate sleep, as well as the negative effects of sleep deprivation, is author Jolanta Orzel-Gryglewska, from the University of Gdansk in Gdansk, Poland who believes that inadequate sleep results in a deterioration of overall wellbeing.The nature of the argument between these two authors are vastly different in the sense that author Gujar believes sleep deprivation may be beneficial to some individuals, while in extreme contrast author Orzel-Gryglewska supports the idea that lack of sleep only has detrimental consequences and should be avoided, leaving us “sleepers” unsure as to whether we should sleep or not.

In Ninad Gujar’s article, “Sleep Deprivation Amplifies Reactivity of Brain Reward Networks, Biasing the Appraisal of Positive Emotional Experiences”, he recognizes the harmful effects of lack of sleep but he also believes that despite these damaging effects there is a silver lining. According to Gujar and his recent experiments, sleep deprivation actually has the potential to increase brain reactivity throughout select portions of the brain. These sections include the midbrain, striatal, limbic, and visual perceptual processing regions that respond to positive emotional stimuli and can act as an antidepressant, elevating the mood of patients with major depression (Gujar 4466). His studies, as well as experiments, have seemed to have shed some light of positivity on the curse of sleep deprivation.

On the contrary, Jolanta Orzel-Gryglewska’s article, “Consequences of Sleep Deprivation”, is very adamant about how lack of sleep results in the deterioration of various functions and one’s overall effectiveness. According to Orzel-Gryglewska and her studies, sleeplessness accounts for numerous impairments including “impaired perception, difficulties in keeping concentration, visual disturbances, slower reactions, as well as the appearance of microepisodes of sleep during wakefulness which lead to lower capabilities and efficiency of task performance and increased number of errors (Orzel-Gryglewska 95).” Orzel-Gryglewska supports her claim through evidence of extensive research which explore an assortment of bodily functions under the distress of lack of sleep. These observations include retina changes resulting in poor perception and visual disturbances, hormonal changes, as well as dermal effects.

In essence, sleep deprivation is synonymous to a two-edged sword. There seems to be some positive aspects in regards to sleeplessness as well as plenty of negative. Author Gujar has explored the possibility that sleep deprivation may actually serve as an antidepressant in patients with major depression, while adversely author Orzel-Gryglewska supports the idea that lack of sleep negatively affects the human form in numerous of ways. In truth, my personal vote of whether sleep deprivation enhances one’s mood or whether it has maladaptive effects lies with author Orzel-Gryglewska. Personal experience has taught me that lack of sleep does in fact lead to difficulty in keeping concentration as well as the insatiable urge to sleep, especially during class.