Photovoice Part Two

Kellogg’s Honey Smacks: Good source of Vitamin D

General Mills Cheerios: Lowers Cholesterol

Post Waffle Crisps: No high fructose corn syrup

How healthy IS it?

When first looking at these boxes of cereal at the store you may think “hey this can’t be bad, it is whole grain or has less sugar” but this is a common marketing technique that food companies do to fool consumers into thinking their products are “healthy”. Honey smacks (photo 1) claims that their cereal has a good source of vitamin D, however the amount of vitamin D is the minimum amount that most fortified cereals provide. Making this cereal no different than any other that provides vitamin D. This is fooling consumers into thinking they are getting some added benefits, when in reality, Kelloggs is doing the bare minimum. This amount of vitamin D
does not balance out the 15g of sugar per serving –over 50% by weight. As for Cheerios (photo 2), this is a common cereal known to lower cholesterol. This FDA does not agree with this statement or how General Mills advertises their health claim. General Mills claims that Cheerios can reduce “bad” cholesterol levels by 4 percent in just 6 weeks and ward off heart disease and cancers of the colon and stomach. “The claims for Cheerios portrayed the mentioned diseases not included in the FDA-authorized claim and failed to mention the importance of eating a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol” (CSPI, 2009). Consumers could believe these statements and decide to choose Cheerios as their healthy alternative, instead of something that is much more nutrient. Waffle Crisps (photo 3) promotes “no high fructose corn syrup” in their product, which is true, but it is still 40% sugar, and one serving packs 12g of sugar. So even though there may be no sugary syrup, they replaced this flavor with normal sugar. Not making this product any better.

Why is it so difficult to be healthy/easy to be unhealthy?

This answer is quite simple, it is difficult to be healthy because of the health claims that are displayed on the front of the box to grab a consumers attention. Promoting something as healthy is going to attract a consumer no matter what because in the end everyone wants to be healthy. But with this advertisement comes high sugars, artificial flavors and more that is taxing to the body. People need to read the label and decide for themselves if Vitamin D is worth the sugar intake. This advertisement is common in a lot of foods, not just cereal boxes and can often times be deceiving to the naked eye.

Taking the photos was not that hard because of how many health claims are promoted on cereal boxes. The hardest part was choosing which one’s I wanted to write about. The one’s that I chose were the most intriguing because it is what I used to eat as a kid and occasionally as an adult. This really advanced my thinking of consumer health and how easy it is to manipulated consumers. Before this assignment, I would not have thought twice about how these companies promoted “health” compared to what it really is. After furthering my research in this topic, it is evident that most companies will make claims like these to try and intrigue people (specifically parents) into thinking they are getting an added benefit of eating cereal in the morning. People who may be exposed to consumer health issues would benefit tremendously from an assignment like this. The average person is probably not going to know much information on consumer health and how it is so advanced. A project, where you get to choose a topic of concern and then further your knowledge is only going to educate you on what is interesting to you. Picking cereal for me was important because of how many people everyday are eating it, myself included. I hope after reading this post people look into what false claim products that companies are providing that they may use everyday. Not just cereal but any product that promotes health and does research to see if such products is actually healthy for them or are they being easily fooled. I hope parents who read this are going to think twice about the cereals they are feeding their kids, as they might want to check the ingredients before thinking a curtain vitamin is more beneficial than the sugar intake, etc.

References:

Center for Science in the Public Interest. (2009). FDA Cracks Down on Cheerios’ Misleading Cholesterol Claims. https://www.cspinet.org/new/200905121.html

Finance Prompt Two

As described by Kathryn Lee, “Fiduciaries is the legal term for a broad group of professionals who are required to put customers’ interests first” and this would be the basic definition of this rule. This rule however is very advanced as described in the articles presented and can be very complicated to understand.

In my opinion, Lee does a better job at explaining the basics of what the Fiduciary Rule is. She starts with a definition, for people who do not know what this rule is it is a great way to start an article. This allows for clear knowledge about the topic and what is being discussed. However in Lees article, her writing was not as possible or personable when reading. Compared to the True Measure article, this was a simple format that consumers need to understand advanced concept like this one. The four bullet points made it clear on what was being discussed. True Measure uses simple sentences such as “Investors will still be able to receive basic information they need” when describing something then elaborates on how they will be able to receive such information. Both articles have their advantages when explaining how the Fiduciary Rule works and the plus’ and minuses around it. If I had to choose one article from a consumer’s point of view I would choose the the True Measure article, it is a simple layout and easy to read and relate to. There might have to be some background learning before reading this however.

References:

Lee, K. (2016). LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER: THE RETIREMENT INDUSTRY IS A MINEFIELD — BUT HERE’S THE ANSWER. https://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/last-week-tonight-john-oliver-retirement-industry-minefield-here%e2%80%99s-answer

True Measures Advisors. (n.d.). 4 Arguments Against the Fiduciary Rule Debunked. https://truemeasureadvisors.com/2016/04/20/20164145-argument-against-the-fiduciary-rule-debunked/

Glossary Building Five

When looking through the course topics, one of the most intriguing articles was the Death with Dignity Act. Assisted suicide is the suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease, effected by the taking of lethal drugs provided by a doctor for this purpose. However there are many rules and regulations that come in to play when dealing with an assisted suicide. Who really gets the right to choose their own death? And how do these regulations affect people who do have an incurable disease?

Death with Dignity Act allows mentally competent adult state residents who have a terminal illness with a confirmed prognosis of having 6 or fewer months to live to voluntarily request and receive a prescription medication to hasten their inevitable, imminent death. Currently only 10 states in the U.S. have this act, Washington being one of them. the process for this act is quite tedious: two physicians must confirm the patient’s residency, diagnosis, prognosis, mental competence, and voluntariness of the request. Two waiting periods, the first between the oral requests, the second between receiving and filling the prescription, are required. Active euthanasia can be done in many ways for assisted death. One of the most common ways is by injecting a lethal dose of a drug that goes into the blood stream, this can takes up to hours to work affectively in peoples bodies. This method is more controversial and has caused many problems in the past regarding the laws around it. The other way of euthanasia is called passive, intentionally letting a patient die by withholding artificial life support such as a ventilator or feeding tube (MedicalNewsToday, n.d.). One common concept if a hospital does not allow assisted suicide is refusing treatment. In the U.S., a patient can refuse treatment that is recommended by a health professional, as long as they have been properly informed and are “of sound mind.” People who may need a drug to survive longer are allowed to refuse this to increase their risk of death sooner.

Death with Dignity Act: allows terminally ill adults seeking to end their life to request lethal doses of medication from medical and osteopathic physicians.

Euthanasia: A doctor is allowed by law to end a person’s life by a painless means, as long as the patient and their family agree.

Refusing treatment: a declining to do something or to accept something in a medical setting.

References:

Medical News Today. (n.d.) What are euthanasia and assisted suicide? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182951

Food Prompt Two

When I read “Why “Everything in Moderation” Doesn’t Work” by Jonathan Ross, it made sense to me right off the bat. I found it surprising because I had never heard moderation being talked about in this sense before but it was clearly said by Ross. Eating unhealthy junk food once a day instead of all the time is a pattern. The physiology imbalance part was something that was new to me, I had never heard food being talked about in this way. Eating healthy food all day and then rewarding yourself with something that is bad is going to mess up how the mechanics in our bodies and how they work.

After reading the not-very-moderate food week that “feels” moderate, I could see myself being apart of this group of people. When I am at work and I get my lunch break, I think this is a good time to go to a fast food place that is close because it is quick and easy and involves me not having to do anything. However, when I eat a healthy breakfast and healthy dinner this meal is only going to cause harm to my body because the unhealthy cooking methods/food in these fast food joints. I do not see this food as a “reward” as Ross states it in the article but more of a convenience. However, this convenience is a habit that I have instead of making a healthy option that is going to fulfill my body.I could see myself as practicing meaningless moderation with the habits that I have right now. Thinking Taco Bell is a good lunch source, a bowl of ice-cream isn’t so bad at night, and a coffee ever day is going to help me “wake up” is a little white lies that I tell myself to make me not feel guilty for the actions I am doing. But probably like a lot of people, these are habits and habits are very hard to break. I do not think that I am at the point where I could be at risk of chronic diseases and I do not think I ever will because of the amount of healthy food I do eat and the amount of exercise I do but this is a good reality check to make better decisions on what I am putting in my body on “moderation”.

My next step for my health would to be to start making lunches that I know are going to fulfill my body with proper nutrients. By doing this I think my body will feel better after eating as well with my mental state at work. I would also like to encourage my family members to do the same, as we often are influenced by our families decisions. Having a solid food support system is going to have an impact on your life and your families.

References:

Ross, J. (2016). Why “Everything in Moderation” Doesn’t Work. ACEFitness.org. https://greatist.com/eat/everything-in-moderation-doesnt-work#1

Glossary Building Four

For this glossary post I wanted to dive in to what the internet thought consumers would be attracted to. What website should be posting and advocating for in order to attract a consumers attention. Throughout this research there was so many interesting things that I learned about, what catches peoples eye, how companies word their products, and so much more.

One of the most common themes in the latest years that has been evident is a political stance. In this day and age it is hard for companies to be quiet about what they believe in. Brands that are not afraid to share their views is very enticing to consumers and if these beliefs agrees with the consumers beliefs, this will attract them to shop at this company. Many political stances started during the Trump era, “many companies are being even more explicit about their views, weighing in on subjects like women’s rights, gun control, and immigration” (Nittle, 2018). Brands and companies that are inclusive of all races, sexual orientation, disabilities, etc. are going to show that they are not fit to “one person” and that everyone is welcome to consume their product. A great example of this was a Nike product, they introduced a Pro Hijab,  designed for Muslim female athletes. This product was made in 2018 and was a move toward equality, diversity, and acceptance in politically tense times. However, many people did not agree with this idea and had made a hashtag on social media, “#boycottNike” because of how it “supports the oppression of women” (Spector, 2017). Introducing inclusion for consumers is a great way to show support to people who are not conditionally in advertisements, but with this can cause problems. Social media is one of the main ways businesses market their products. Wether is be facebook, instagram, ads on a website, these are all ways brands stay in touch with their followers. Advertising new products is going to catch a consumers eye, as well as adding in key words such as “Sale” in bright red. Social media is conventionally the easiest way for consumers to find products in 2021. Consumers enjoy the easy access to shop online while being on their phone. “Consumers are 71% more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals” (FitzGerald, 2019) which says a lot about a company and how they market their products.

Political Stance: set of ethical ideals, principles, doctrines, myths or symbols of a social movement, institution, class or large group that explains how society should work and offers some political and cultural blueprint for a certain social order

Inclusive: Including or covering all the services, facilities, or items normally expected or required

Social Media: Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking

Sources:

Nittle, N. (2018). Companies used to stay quiet about politics. In 2018, social causes became integral to their branding. Vox Contribute. https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/17/18139699/companies-nike-patagonia-dicks-politics-kaepernick-trump-ads

Spector, N. (2017). Nike’s Hijab Prompts Backlash, Boycott — and Praise. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/nike-s-hijab-prompts-backlash-boycott-praise-n733171

FitzGerald, R. (2019). How Does Social Media Impact Consumer Buying Behavior? Connext Digital. https://connextdigital.com/how-social-media-impact-consumer-buying-behavior/

Glossary Building Three

The pharmaceutical industry in America is described to discover, develop, produce, and market drugs or pharmaceutical drugs for use as medications to be administered to patients. With the main goal being to cure them, vaccinate them, or alleviate the symptoms. This topic however is very advanced and can cause confusion to many people, myself included. However, when coming across research, there are terms that should be known.

Animal testing is a very common practice for drugs to be administered to the public. The FDA “requires animal testing to ensure the safety of many drugs and devices”. Animal testing is sought out for the health of people as it is seen necessary for understanding the safety and proper dosages of new medicines and treatments. However, many people find this way of testing to be unethical. The FDA requires animal testing before there can be clinical drug trials on people, making pharmaceutical medicine go through many tedious screenings. The pharmaceutical company “Pfizer” experimented on nearly 50,000 animals in 2011 (Cruelty Free, n.d.). After animal testing, pharmaceuticals much go through a serious of clinical trials which are conducts with humans. Clinical trials are used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of their drugs. These studies are a necessary requirement to achieving regulatory approval so the drugs can be made available to patients. These clinical trials must go through stages. The first one being early, small-scale, Phase 1 studies to late-stage, large scale, Phase 3 studies. If a treatment is successful in one phase, it moves on to the next phase (Concert Pharmaceuticals Inc, 2019). Drug marketing and lobbying are both very common in the pharmaceutical world. Advertisements are very common in media, and primarily in the US companies are allowed to advertise directly to the public. Pharmaceutical companies often employ sales reps to market to physicians and healthcare providers. Companies also employ lobbyist to influence politicians.

Animal Testing: the use of non-human animals in experiments that seek to control the variables that affect the behavior or biological system under study

Clinical Trials: Experiments or observations done in clinical research.

Marketing: the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.

Lobbying: seek to influence (a politician or public official) on an issue.

References:

Cruelty Free Investing. (n.d.). Pfizer Inc. http://crueltyfreeinvesting.org/companies/pfizer-inc/

Concert Pharmaceuticals Inc. (2019). UNDERSTANDING CLINICAL TRIAL TERMINOLOGY: WHAT’S A PHASE 1, 2 OR 3 CLINICAL TRIAL? https://www.concertpharma.com/understanding-clinical-trial-terminology-whats-a-phase-1-2-or-3-clinical-trial/#:~:text=Clinical%20trials%20follow%20a%20rigorous,on%20to%20the%20next%20phase.

Early Life and Childhood/Youth Prompt One

People who are planning to have a baby will do almost anything to ensure that they are taking the best precautionary measures for the health and safety of their child. Companies will take advantage of these people in a vulnerable state to try and gain a profit and following, even if it is unnecessary for the parents. One clear example of this is from an article discussing fertility clinics, “ART (assisted reproductive technology) clinic sites frequently use non-medical and non-verifiable content and advertising tactics to entice potential patients” (Walden, 2013). Often these fertility clinics are going to use verbiage that they think will attract patients instead of verbiage that is reliable. Walden explain how there is often no evidence to back up why these clinics are the”best” leaving people to believe such statements even if false. Companies are taking advantage of families who are trying to do what is best for their growing family. Another clear example of this happening to a new family is at cord-blood banks. One family was trying to do what they thought was right, however when preserving their newborns cord for medical reasons, they later found out that it would not help the child. The parents, aka the consumers in this case, thought this bank was advertising false information to parents, as it will not help their child (Belle, 2006).

Pre-parents should be doing research when wanting to expand their family. There is false information that is being fed to them that people often believe is best. Walden suggest, when is comes to fertility clinics, that parents pay attention with a close eye. On most baby websites, there is going to be happy photos and curtain words that are going to “evoke specific feelings and encourage spending lots of money at a specific clinic”. Parents need to question these kinds of site, not only fertility but any site that may be beneficial to one’s health. Parents should also be aware of the severity of a cesarian sections. If a women’s body has already experienced one, chances are hospitals will deny the access to a vaginal birth the second time. C-sections are significantly more expensive and hospitals deny women the access to a vaginal birth because of the possible complications that may happen (Roan, 2010). These are things that happen to women and families, that they often think they have no control over. Parents should talk to professionals and do the research. Professional physicians will often know what is best to keep women and their child safe. However, consumers are going to be told lies about products throughout this whole journey, taking the proper steps of research about anything (c-sections, fertility, heck even diapers) is what is going to lead to a safe and happy birth.

Sources:

Belle. (2006). The Cord Blood Controversy. Parents. https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-baby/cord-blood-banking/the-co

Roan, S. (2010). More women should have choice of vaginal birth after C-section, panel says. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-0323-hosp-vbac-20100323-story.html

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/

Glossary Building Two

School programs in Washington have a school lunch system known as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). NSLP is is designed to promote the health and well-being of children by providing nutritious meals to children. Throughout researching the school systems lunch programs provided to students, there are curtain rules and regulation that are established for school systems to work systematically and efficient.

One major implementation for school systems in the U.S. was when president Obama was in office. This was known as the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, this law funded new child nutrition programs and set new nutrition standards for schools, and allocated $4.5 billion for their implementation. Just some of the new standards that were set from this act included:

• Limits milk served to nonfat flavored milk or 1 percent white milk
• Reduced portion sizes in meals
• Mandate a minimum on fruit, vegetables, and whole grain servings

This act provides meals to children that normally could not afford those nutritious food items and had great success to children and families when passed. In Washington, there are curtain dietary specifications in the school system, one of the four is sodium. Sodium is linked to increased blood pressure because of this the NSLP limited the amount in school food. Some ways schools are reducing sodium is by substituting low sodium items such as: substitute highest sodium entrées for lower sodium choice, decrease frequency high sodium entrées are served, decrease serving size of high sodium item (OSPI, 2018). Free and Reduced meals are also offered at schools in Washington and all over the country. Many kids rely on schools to provide the meals throughout the day because of food insecurity at home. Although meals do cost money for families, people can apply for a free or reduced lunch to obtain this food for less money. “All households with students in grades K–12 receive application packets at the beginning of the school year” (OSPI, 2020) this explains that there are no restrictions to everyone applying, depending on one’s family status often impacts who is eligible for this program.

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act: strengthened nutrition standards for meals and beverages provided through the National School Lunch, Breakfast, and Smart Snacks Programs, affecting fifty million children daily at 99,000 schools.

Sodium: the chemical element of atomic number 11, a soft silver-white reactive metal of the alkali metal group.

Free and Reduced meals: Low-income children are eligible to receive reduced-price or free meals at school.

References:

OSPI CNS School Meal Programs. (2018). Dietary Specifications – Sodium. https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/childnutrition/schoolnutritionprogramsreferencesheets-sodium.pdf

OSPI. (2020). Eligible Families Strongly Encouraged to Apply for Free and Reduced-Price Meal Programs. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAOSPI/bulletins/2a44253#:~:text=Fo ster%20children%20are%20eligible%20for%20free%20meal%20benefits.&text=Washington%20state%20legislation%20pays%20the,meals%20in%20grades%20K%E2%80%9212.

Photovoice Part 1

Hello Everyone,

For my photovoice I will discuss how cereals are advertised to people claiming to have curtain health benefits. I will discuss which cereals are accurate and which one’s are spreading false claims to their consumers. This will benefit people who may believe claims that are on a cereal box or being advertised through commercials. While doing my research, I will think about the following questions to answer in part 2:

• “Why is it so difficult to be healthy/easy to be unhealthy?”
• “What’s the typical discourse (what “most people” say?) about this & similar products/services?”
• “Who’s selling me what?”

Glossary Building One

A women’s health before becoming pregnant is going to play a key role on the outcome of a baby’s life. Having positive preconception health is vital to both the mother and baby in the incident of becoming pregnant, as well as knowing the health outcomes and risk factors. The CDC refers to preconception health as “refers to the health of women and men during their reproductive years, which are the years they can have a child”.

Negative life-style choices in preconception phase could cause a negative health outcome for the baby. Some examples of a negative life-style choice would be use of drugs (Alcohol, tobacco, etc.), poor diet, a risky work place or an unhealthy relationship (Pearson, n.d.). A study discussed the affects of women consuming drugs during the preconception phase and how this concludes in a negative outcome, “preconception alcohol consumption leads to non-significant 30% increase in spontaneous abortion” (Lassi, 2014). This is a small example of one outcome of consuming alcohol, not to say the other various health risk the baby is being put under during this action. Through a more positive outlook, the ACA Provision requires coverage for preconception and prenatal care visits. For preconception care, the IOM panel specified that a visit should provide “counseling and guidance for preconception health” (Sonfield, 2012). This is going to allow proper guidance for women who are wanting to become mothers, as well as men. Without the ACA, this action would not be offered to many families as they would not be able to afford it. Having this provision is going allow for more positive and healthy outcomes for families in the preconception phase. Infant mortality the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. In addition to giving us key information about maternal and infant health, the infant mortality rate is an important marker of the overall health of a society. In the U.S. infant mortality is one of the lowest for being a developed nation. Infant mortality rates have been linked to a lack of preconception and inter-conception care, or a lack of access to such care by women of reproductive age. Receiving inadequate or no pre-conception care will increase the number of unintended pregnancies and maternal mortality rates in the U.S., which have serious economic outcomes.

• Negative life-style: Examples of negative lifestyle include: eating unhealthy foods, using drugs, no exercise, etc.
• ACA Provision: requirement that private insurance plans cover recommended preventive services without any patient cost-sharing.
• Infant Mortality: the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births.

Sources

Lassi, Z., Imam, A., Dean, S., Bhutta, Z. (2014). Preconception care: caffeine, smoking, alcohol, drugs and other environmental chemical/radiation exposure. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4196566/

Pearson, R. (n.d.) Consumer Health: Birth, Birth Options, Maternal Child Consumer Issues.

Sonfield, A. (2012). Beyond Contraception: The Overlooked Reproductive Health Benefits of Health Reform’s Preventive Services Requirement. Guttmacher Institute. https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2012/10/beyond-contraception-overlooked-reproductive-health-benefits-health-reforms-preventive#