Illness & Mortality Prompt One

Aging and death are natural and are a part of life, no matter how difficult they can be. For some people it is definitely a hard thing to grasp. I have personally worked in long term care facilities and I must admit, some of the things I went through while working there were very difficult. From my experience in long term care, I realized I would never want to put a loved one in long term care but at the same time not all long term care facilities are the same, and not everyone has the same experiences, so that is something to think about. Working as a caregiver really expanded my knowledge in long term care, illness, and death.

The agency website I decided to look into was the WA state aging and long term care website. To be totally honest I had never visited this page before so I did really feel like an uninformed consumer. The first thing that was helpful was the fact that there were so many different links and options. Whether I was looking for in-home care, long term care facilities, direct services near me, Medicaid information, it was all there. It even had resources for caregivers in this field. The “getting started” tab was probably the most helpful in making sure I knew exactly what kind of care was needed based on things like physical and mental needs, transportation and housing. There was not one thing on this site that was not helpful, but there is a lot of information that could possibly make certain people feel overwhelmed. Overall, I would definitely recommend this page for people out there who are looking for more information on this topic. To find more information on this topic, I think talking to others who have personal experience and of course doing research is always very important to make sure loved ones are in good hands.

Reference:

Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. (2021). Long-Term Care Services & Information | DSHS.https://www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/long-term-care-services-information

Photovoice Part 2

Here is the link to my project:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1w83UWeYVf8u3qlxsxWhgGDqpWNTg6MRiT3LIWPT6hss/edit?usp=sharing

For this project, I looked into the use of e-cigarettes/vaping and how they are advertised. In my slides I gave information on e-cigarettes, the history of them and current issues relating to them. I explained how there has been a huge increase in vaping among young adults, even as young as those in middle school or even younger. The photos in my slides consist of photos showing how e-cigarettes look, a picture of a vape shop in town that I took, and other advertising that I found on social media, and online. Some of the online advertising I found was very concerning. I found many vape and smoke shops advertising for holidays and even some doing “back to school” sales. The two questions I chose to answer in this project were “how healthy is it?” and “what is the typical discourse on this product.” Regarding to how healthy it is, I showed a picture of a social media post from a vape shop which showed a picture of them advertising their new e-cigarettes. When posting included a warning about how the product contains nicotine and how nicotine is an addictive chemical. You would think people would be concerned when seeing that warning, but unfortunately that does not stop many people. For the typical discourse on vaping I included the data from a survey that was conducted on vaping and included those results. Overall, I had a lot of fun doing this project and most importantly I learned a lot more about vaping and about being an informed consumer.

The experience of taking pictures was pretty fun. I went around looking for vape and smoke shops and even went to convenience stores to see if they sold any e-cigarettes. To my surprise a couple of convenience stores I went to did not have any, I wondered if maybe they were behind the counter or maybe I just didn’t see them. This project even helped me learn more about the history of e-cigarettes and about the many dangers associated with them. This project really helped me realize how important it is as a consumer to be informed on the products we buy. Just because something is sold to us does not mean that it is safe.  Someone would greatly benefit from completing a project like this because of course they would increase their knowledge on consumer products, issues and they would learn how to make smarter consumer choices. My project document would provide crucial information about e-cigarettes and vaping to the general public. Oftentimes people are not informed on the dangers of vaping and ultimately think it’s safe because they are sold everywhere. Yet, many people do not know that e-cigarettes have not been reviewed by the FDA, so that is often news to many people. It is very important to continually promote education designed to inform consumers on e-cigarette use and about the serious health risks associated with it. It is also crucial for parents to be informed especially with middle school and high school aged teens being among the top users of e-cigarettes/vapes.

In Theory Challenge

For this challenge, I decided to look into consumer food choices/diet and the health belief model. Unhealthy diets have become a huge issue.  Poor diet has been found to rank above tobacco use as the leading risk factor for death from non-communicable diseases and every year 16 million people die before the age of 70 from chronic diseases (Consumers International, 2021). Fortunately, many of these conditions are preventable but are highly affected by diet. According to Consumers International (2021) there are around two billion overweight adults and 670 million who are obese. Around 224 million school-age children are estimated to be overweight (Consumers International, 2021).

There have been many successful studies in which implementing the health belief model has increased consumer knowledge on diet. An intervention conducted by Florida State University evaluated the efficacy of an 8-week worksite nutrition education intervention for university staff using the health belief model to promote healthy dietary behaviors that reduce risks for cardiovascular disease and cancer. Researchers focused on specific health beliefs, nutrition knowledge, and dietary practices to demonstrate treatment effect. Abood, Black, & Feral, (2003) mention how results showed perceived benefits of healthy nutrition practices and nutrition knowledge related to cardiovascular disease and cancer significantly improved among the treatment participants. Treatment group participants also significantly reduced total calories, fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol intake (Abood, Black, & Feral, 2003). Providing consumers with better nutrition information about the food that they buy and emphasizing the risks of unhealthy diets is crucial.

References:

Abood, D. A., Black, D. R., & Feral, D. (2003). Nutrition Education Worksite Intervention for University Staff: Application of the Health Belief Model. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 35(5), 260–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1499-4046(06)60057-2

Consumers International. (2021). Healthy Diets – Consumers International. https://www.consumersinternational.org/what-we-do/consumer-protection/food/healthy-diets/  

Peer Review Comment

The main point of this contribution is found in this sentence “having the correct information and understanding about what protections we have as consumers can inform our decisions.” From reading the contribution “Financial Prompt One” by @hamiltonter3331 I learned that having financial literacy skills is very important as a consumer. It would be good for a college student to read this contribution, because oftentimes they don’t make the best financial decisions. Also, it is important that they are informed on loans and student debt so that they are not scammed later on when they try to repay them as Ms. Hamilton mentioned. The strongest part of this contribution is that making a living wage is difficult for many people and the many barriers out there do not make it any easier. Something people might question is how policy makers expect people to make a living if jobs do not pay enough. This post was easy to understand and I did not find any typos or errors, it looked very good. One part that made me want to read more on this topic is when it was mentioned that 14% of Washingtonians’ income goes to childcare. This made me want to do more research on child care costs around Washington. On a 1 to 4 scale where 1 is the lowest possible and 4 is the highest possible, I rate this contribution a 4 overall because it was very informative and well written.

Glossary Building 5

Sugar is a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in many foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and is used as a source of energy to keep us healthy (FDA, 2020). According to the The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), added sugars, are sugars in foods that are not naturally occurring and the body does not need added sugars to function properly. The FDA requires food producers to list all ingredients in their foods, but added sugar comes in many forms which is why it’s so hard to find on the ingredients label. 

There are at least 61 different names for sugar listed on food labels. These include names, such as sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup, as well as barley malt, dextrose, maltose and rice syrup (University of California, 2013). Dextrose is the name of a simple sugar that is made from corn and is chemically identical to glucose, which is also known as blood sugar (Nall, 2015). Dextrose is often used in baking products as a sweetener, and can also be used medically to increase a person’s blood sugar (Nall, 2015). Maltose is a sugar made out of two glucose molecules bound together. Foods like cereals, certain fruits and sweet potatoes contain naturally high amounts of this sugar (Thorpe, 2017). Sucrose is a naturally occurring sugar found in various amounts in plants like fruits, vegetables and nuts. It is also produced commercially from sugar cane and sugar beets (Sollid, 2020). 

Dextrose: a simple sugar that is made from corn and is chemically identical to glucose

Maltose: a sugar made out of two glucose molecules bound together

Sucrose: a naturally occurring sugar found in many foods

References:

FDA. (2020). Added Sugars on the New Nutrition Facts Label. https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/added-sugars-new-nutrition-facts-label

Nall, R. (2015). What Is Dextrose and How Is It Used Medically? https://www.healthline.com/health/dextrose

Sollid, K. (2020). What is Sucrose? https://foodinsight.org/what-is-sucrose/ 

Thorpe, M. (2017). Maltose: Good or Bad? https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/maltose 

University of California. (2013). Hidden in Plain Sight. http://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/hidden-in-plain-sight/#.YQDPmY5KjIW

Food Prompt One

On average, Americans consume 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day, which amounts to an extra 350 calories (Harvard Public Health, 2013). Oftentimes we are the ones who add sugar to food, however most sugars are already found in processed and prepared foods. According to Harvard Public Health, the biggest problem is found among sweetened beverages and breakfast cereals. The American Heart Association (AHA) has recommended that Americans drastically cut back on added sugar to help slow the obesity and heart disease epidemics.

A few things that were new to me after reading the food resources, were the fact that there is so much hidden sugars in our food. I usually thought that staying away from cookies, cakes and sugary drinks meant I was doing good for myself. But after learning that some foods that are promoted as “natural” or “healthy” are filled with added sugars, it is very shocking. It is estimated that manufacturers add sugar to 74% of packaged foods sold in supermarkets (University of California, 2013). So, oftentimes if we skip eating “unhealthy foods”, most of the time we are still consuming more sugar than what is recommended. I also wasn’t aware that there are about 61 different names for sugar in food labels (University of California, 2013). This information is very concerning and I will definitely be sharing these facts with people around me. This is crucial information for people to know, especially those living with chronic diseases. People who are not aware of this information will most likely be very shocked and concerned and hopefully it will encourage them to become better informed on the food they are consuming.

References:

American Heart Association. (2010). Added Sugars. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/added-sugars

Harvard Public Health. (2021). Added Sugar in the Diet.  https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/added-sugar-in-the-diet/

University of California. (2013). Hidden in Plain Sight. http://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/hidden-in-plain-sight/#.YQDPmY5KjIW 

Glossary Building 4

In the current age of easy access to the internet and widespread use of social media, many people often search online for information on medical conditions while also seeking advice from a physician. Online information can be biased, usually favoring a discussion of benefits over risks, no research to go along with recommendations, especially because most information has been created by private companies rather than medical professionals (National Institute of Health, 2018).

One thing consumers need to look out for is Direct to Consumer advertising (DTC) when dealing with pharmaceutical products. Direct to Consumer advertising is marketing that is aimed toward consumers when access to a product may be difficult (Walden, 2013). There is very little government regulation of DTC ads (i.e., print, TV) in regards to what companies can say and the information they must provide and consumers are not fully protected from misleading information about these products (Walden, 2013). Walden (2013) also mentions how this is the case with fertility clinic websites, which represent a multi-billion dollar industry. This continues to show how crucial it is for consumers to be informed on the dangers of online health information.

For those who are looking into fertility clinics, it is important that those clinics are SART clinics or Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology or SART is the primary organization of professionals dedicated to the practice of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in the United States (SART, 2021). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) IVF is the most effective form of assisted reproductive technology. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a series of procedures used to help with fertility or prevent genetic problems and assist with the conception of a child (CDC, 2020).

Direct to Consumer advertising- refers to the marketing and advertising of pharmaceutical products directly to consumers as patients

Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART)- the primary organization of professionals dedicated to the practice of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in the U.S

In vitro fertilization (IVF)- is a series of procedures used to help with fertility and assist with the conception of a child

References:

CDC. (2020). Patient Resources | Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) | Reproductive Health | CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/art/patientresources/index.html 

National Institute of Health. (2018). Online Health Information: Is It Reliable? https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/online-health-information-it-reliable

SART. (2021). Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. https://www.sart.org/

Walden, R. (2013). Direct-to-Consumer: Fertility Clinic Advertising on the Web | National Women’s Health Network. https://nwhn.org/direct-to-consumer-fertility-clinic-advertising-on-the-web/

Early Life and Childhood/Youth: Prompt One

New parents have a lot of questions: What to expect? What to do? What to buy? Today’s generation of moms and dads usually turn to the web for answers. According to a survey conducted through Google Consumer Surveys, new and expecting parents perform twice as many searches as non-parents. Often, they’re searching on smartphones. In fact, more than half (56%) of searches related to maternity on Google are now done on mobile devices (Mooney, 2014). However, when it comes to the web, there could be many dangers especially due to advertising. For example, the National Women’s Health Network mentions web based Direct-to-Consumer advertising and how it allows a mix of advertising and information content, which increases the risk of consumers becoming confused and misled. This is the case with fertility clinic websites, which represent a multi-billion dollar industry (Walden, 2013). Evidence suggests that fertility clinics’ approaches to web-based advertising present significant problems for consumers seeking objective information about success rates and clinic practices.

Another thing parents need to be careful consumers about is unnecessary or questionable medical services. For example, cord blood banks. Cord blood banks allow parents the chance to freeze their newborn’s own stem cells, in hopes of saving their child’s life someday if they happen to be diagnosed with a disease. In the case of the Doneses, their 4-month-old son was diagnosed with osteopetrosis, a potentially fatal disorder that affects bone formation. The worried couple was relieved to hear that a stem-cell transplant could save his life. They had previously paid to store their son’s umbilical-cord blood in a private bank in the case he ever needed it. However, the Doneses were shocked, when doctors told them that their son’s cord blood couldn’t be used because the cells contained the same genetic defect that caused his condition (Parents, 2006). These are great examples of how important it is for new parents and parents in general to do their research and always get different opinions from trusted professionals when it comes to the health and well being of their children.

References: 

Mooney, A. (2014). Diapers to Diplomas: What’s on the Minds of New Parents. 

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/app-and-mobile/new-parents/

Parents. (2006). The Cord Blood Banking Controversy. https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-baby/cord-blood-banking/the-cord-blood-controversy/ 
Walden, R. (2013). Direct-to-Consumer: Fertility Clinic Advertising on the Web. National Women’s Health Network. https://nwhn.org/direct-to-consumer-fertility-clinic-advertising-on-the-web/

Photovoice: Part 1

Hello! For my project, I will be discussing the advertisement and use of electronic cigarettes/vaping. Vaping has been a hot topic in the U.S. ever since it has become very common among teens and young adults. It is very concerning to see so many people addicted to vaping, especially among the younger population. I plan to answer these questions:

• “How healthy IS it?”
• “What’s the typical discourse (what “most people” say?) about this & similar products/services?”

Glossary Building 3

Environmental health and justice organizations across the US and world are collaborating on campaigns to promote green chemistry and eliminate toxic chemicals from global supply chains. Hazardous chemicals in consumer products pose unnecessary and avoidable health hazards to children and consumers, communities, workers and our environment. The United States is falling far behind other countries in regulating harmful chemicals. It is important to demand state, national and international laws that protect health and can boost the development of safer chemicals. 

After being encouraged by health and environmental advocates, Wal-Mart, one of the world’s largest retailers, joined an industry shift away from potentially toxic chemicals in consumer products. It announced plans to eliminate hormone-like phthalates and the antibacterial triclosan (Koch, 2013). Phthalates are chemicals that make plastic soft and flexible. You can find them in cosmetics and personal care products, from perfume, nail polish, and hair spray to soap, shampoo, and skin moisturizers, in medical tubing, wood finishes, detergents, and in food, especially meat and dairy products and fast food. Triclosan is an ingredient added to many consumer products intended to reduce or prevent bacterial contamination. It is added to some antibacterial soaps and body washes, toothpastes, and some cosmetics. Exposure to high doses of triclosan is associated with a decrease in the levels of some thyroid hormones (FDA, 2019). In 2012, Johnson & Johnson pledged to remove those two chemicals, along with formaldehyde and parabens, from its personal care products worldwide. Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical that is used in building materials and to produce many household products. In 1987, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen under conditions of unusually high or prolonged exposure. Since that time, some studies have suggested that formaldehyde exposure is associated with certain types of cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2011). 

Phthalates- a group of chemicals used to make plastics more durable

Triclosan-  an antibacterial and antifungal agent present in some consumer products

Formaldehyde- a colorless, strong-smelling chemical used in making building materials

References:

Food and Drug Administration. (2019). 5 Things to Know About Triclosan. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/5-things-know-about-triclosan 

Koch, W. (2013). Wal-Mart announces phase-out of hazardous chemicals. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/12/walmart-disclose-phase-out-toxic-chemicals-products-cosmetics/2805567/ 

National Cancer Institute. (2011). Formaldehyde and Cancer Risk. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/formaldehyde/formaldehyde-fact-sheet