Physical Activity From a Public Health Perspective

With an increasingly older population in the US, physical activity is a beneficial lifestyle factor that will contribute to functional ability, lower risk of early death, lower risk of coronary heart disease, lower risk of stroke, improve bone health, decrease body fat and contribute to reduced feelings of isolation and depression. As a positive decision for one to take, active physical activity is a form of empowerment towards making healthy lifestyles. This dovetails into one the goals of Healthy 2020: promote quality life, healthy development, and healthy behaviors across all life stages.

Physical activity is one example that showcases the benefits of interventions linking interpersonal, organizational, community and public policy. These directly impact on individuals who in turn can implement or contribute to life improving changes. If a parent with a risk of hypertension, is encouraged to engage in exercise, this will reduce on episodes of high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. This in turn would mean less costly health care as well as being an example to the family as far as leading a healthy life goes. The inherent advantages of this kind of lifestyle and the fact that it has been documented to cause preventable mortality, made it my choice.  Physical activity is one factor that will have great impact on public health. The objectives of physical activity re-enforce my choice:

1. reduce proportion of adults who engage in no leisure-time physical activity by 32.6%. This is realistic.

2. Increase the proportion of physician office visits that include counselling or education related to physical activity.

3. Increase legislative policies for built environment that enhance access to and availability of physical activity opportunities by;

a. increasing community scale policies for built environment.

b. increasing street-scale policies for built environment.

c. increasing transportation and travel policies to enhance access.

These objectives will provide opportunities for people to engage in such efforts that prevent mortality due to inactivity. There will be a reduced risk of early death; lowers risk of coronary heart disease; lowers risk of stroke; improves bone health; decreases body fat; and a reduced tendency of isolation and depression.

REFERENCES:

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Healthy people 2020. Retrieved from

http://healthypeople.gov/2020/about/default.aspx

2. McLeroy, K. R., Bibeau, D., Steckler, A., & Glanz, K. (1988). An ecological perspective on health promotion programs. Health Education Quarterly, 15, 351 - 377. Retrieved from http://heb.sagepub.com/content/15/4/351.short?rss=1&ssource=mfc

3. Turnock, B. J. (2016). Essentials of public health (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.

Fruits and Vegetables From a Public Health Perspective

Yesterday, three friends and I were talking about the axiom: "a fruit a day keeps the doctor away." I am a health advocate in charge of African Immigrants in America. I help them engage in healthy living practices as well increase their interest in healthy living practices; as well show them the benefits of actual attendance (in other words all I do is ensure they will turn up for ''doctor's'' appointments) at medical check up events.  So, for me it is " a fruit a day is a healthy way to live." I thought this would be a good topic and I want to share it with you. We shall talk about fruits, vegetables and their nutrition benefits.

We are talking of: zucchini, mangoes, tomatoes, eggplant, apples, bananas, olives, lettuce, carrots, onions, garlic, broccoli, jalapeno, pepper, spinach, beet, citrus, cantaloupe, grapes, berries, nuts, corn, 

Half of our plate should consist of fruits and veggies. For a 2,000-calorie diet, it is advised that we eat two cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of veggies each day. Fruits are low in calories, making them a great choice for those planning to maintain a leaner body.  Fruits and vegetables provide fiber. Fiber helps move food along the intestines as it gets prepared for further digestion. Fiber slows down the breakdown of carbohydrates thereby helping with the slow absorption of sugar. An adult needs about 32 grams of fiber a day in our diet. fiber helps regulate an irritable bowel and therefore is a prevention measure for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Dr. Lisa an expert nutritionist advises "Choosing a colorful assortment vegetables is best, as different benefits exist in the different color spectrum. The orange pigment found in carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes, for example, contain the antioxidant beta-carotene. The deep red pigment found in tomatoes contain the antioxidant lycopene, which is linked with prostate health."

Fruits and vegetables are a source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. These, protect against chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. They regulate cholesterol, help with maintaining healthy joints, boost immune system, provide useful radicals in the body and build healthier bones.

So, go ahead get a large cup and fill it up with all colors of fruits cut in small pieces. Half of your plate should be filled with vegetables. Find time to eat both the fruits and vegetables.

REFERENCES:

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-lisa-young/healthy-food_b_1665279.html

2.http://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2011/03/29/10-reasons-to-eat-orange-and-yellow-fruits-and-veggies/

3. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/25/9-fiber-health-benefits.aspx

Music From A Public Health Perspective

Music is one way many relax or enjoy their leisure time. But, I was asking myself what are some points I can categorically attribute to music as a health benefit. There are benefits that can be garnered by young and old. The benefits I can share with you are:

-Music has anti-anxiety properties.

-Music, increases alertness and interest in surroundings, a raised heartbeat, a continued sucking reflex in babies.

-Music increases the body's production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells-the cells that attack invading viruses and boost the immune system's effectiveness.

-Music also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Music is a means of taking part in recreation. "Taking part in recreational activities, particularly outdoors, can improve your physical wellness. In fact, people who frequently take advantage of park activities have fewer doctor visits, lower body mass indexes and lower systolic blood pressures than those who don't," states Rachel Morgan in a LiveStrong Magazine.

I came across articles attesting to music having a healing therapy. In one study of premature babies (preemies); alertness, sucking reflex, raised heartbeat and restful sleep were gauged when music was played and when it was not. During the playing of music, there was an increased alertness and interest in surroundings, a raised heartbeat, a continued sucking reflex which meant that feeding would continue for such babies and the babies' alertness was high throughout the study. This study, was conducted by researchers at Beth Israel Medical Center's Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine conducted the study, which included 272 premature babies 32 weeks gestation or older in 11 mid-Atlantic NICUs. They examined the effects of three types of music: a lullaby selected and sung by the baby's parents; an "ocean disc," a round instrument, invented by the Remo drum company, that mimics the sounds of the womb; and a gato box, a drum-like instrument used to simulate two-tone heartbeat rhythms. The two instruments were played live by certified music therapists, who matched their music to the babies' breathing and heart rhythms. The researchers found that the gato box, the Remo ocean disc and singing all slowed a baby's heart rate, although singing was the most effective. Singing also increased the amount of time babies stayed quietly alert, and sucking behavior improved most with the gato box, while the ocean disc enhanced sleep.  "The music therapy also lowered the parents' stress," says Joanne Loewy, the study's lead author, director of the Armstrong center and co-editor of the journal Music and Medicine. Researchers from McGill University in montreal, found that listening to and playing music increase the body's production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells — the cells that attack invading viruses and boost the immune system's effectiveness. Music also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

The testimony by David Binanay where music helped him heal from a psychosis, raises an interesting series of questions. Can music help heal us? What role does music play in our health and happiness? Can music be a form of medicine?

Music, is used in such places like Boston Children's Hospital, where the idea of using music to help patients as young as premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit has taken off in the last decade.

There are many examples where music is increasingly becoming central to therapy. So, go on take some time and listen to that beat doing the rounds. Or hum a tune even if it is off tune. The body will not judge you in the strict America-has-Idols way.

REFERENCES:

1. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/11/music.aspx

2. Mozart as Medicine: The Health Benefits of Music

3.Music therapy is a growing profession that can help people of all ages - CNN.com

4.Importance of Leisure & Recreation for Health | LIVESTRONG.COM

Health Advocacy From a Public Health Perspective; A personal Journey!

A long time ago, when I was introduced to a group of other young students under Rotary International I never knew I would later (25 years after) still be a zealous community/public health advocate and activist. Part of my post-doctoral work will be a text book in which I shall write short topics to cause more interest in healthy lifestyles as well as debunk myths.

In my earlier life, I learnt how to improve on myself by reading materials on health and interventions for resource-constrained communities. It is through such means that I got to learn what were known as "Appropriate Technologies." 

For instance if we were to talk to people in rural communities with less means about boiling water, we did not have to use electric kettles to demonstrate the point. But, being in such settings, we also had to use what was immediate and part of everyday life. We had to 'accessorize.'

There are similarities I note as the then mere follower of instructions from very highly placed medical doctors from Ministry of Health and my present circumstances as a scholar/practitioner gaining more understanding in public health and science.

Public health is a story, a science, an art, a principle, a practice and a goal. It deals with health, hygiene and diseases. It deals with health, hygiene and prevention of diseases. It is health promotion, prevention and preparedness all in one.

Public health as a field of study is a dynamic interdisciplinary package whose goal is the promotion of health and prevention of diseases in populations. It protects, improves the health of individuals, families, communities and populations locally and globally. Public health: improves global health;  advances environmental health; and creates healthier communities. In a nutshell like Greg martin would put it, "public health is a discipline that addresses health at a population level.

I have seen this happen in my life too. From my work in Africa to presently as a volunteer health advocate. Back in africa,In 1993, I was introduced to the concept of community health as well as Community-led Integrated HIV Prevention Practices. This was at a time when Uganda was preparing to make a self assessment of her health campaigns, especially the HIV Campaign. I was part of the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) Expanded Programme on Immunization so I managed to see first hand what it meant to work with grassroot communities. I learnt and utilized my community engagement skills. I enjoyed it and had the opportunity to travel when we were promoting country-wide Routine Immunization campaigns. By 2006, I had travelled to all parts of Uganda as a Community Trainer for small communities to own skills in health-care. This was possible under the auspices of United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and  World Health Organization (WHO) sponsored efforts in Uganda and Africa such as the; Reach Every District Approach (RED).  Uganda, became a model for many African countries and these countries used to send people to uganda to be trained. Currently, I am a health advocate helping contribute to new immigrants' knowledge as far as access and equity. I also encourage them to be involved in good  health practices in America. I hope to use my public health knowledge to advance well-being for all.

US National HIV/AIDS Strategy From a Public Health Perspective

Knowledge of strategies and outcomes of National Health Programs is a crucial point if a health care provider is to remain relevant and effective. 

Tracy (not real names) is  a 22 years Transgender Male to Female identifying person living with HIV (undetectable). HIV diagnosis was made at 17 years.

Jones Cornelius 55 years (not real names) has an SRO in Chinatown San Francisco. HIV diagnosis was done at 30 years when he started getting unexplained and unresolving illnesses.

John (36 years) and Jane Doe (27 years) are an African-American couple living with HIV diagnosed 5 years back.

"One (1) in eight (8) people with HIV still go undiagnosed. Only  three (3) in ten (10) people with HIV have suppressed the virus in their system, lowering it to an undetectable level," (President Obama, July 30th 2015). 

All four people have five things in common as far as HIV/AIDS goes:

1. They started HIV treatment very early. This ensured that opportunistic infections were avoided.

2. They are active members to their support groups. This means they are beneficiaries of such initiatives that look forward to an HIV free world.

3. They have never missed their doctors' appointments. They are able to have plan with their provider in a mutually friendly way.

4. They feed regularly. Feeding as a source of energy foods, nutritious feeds and necessary elements that body requires.

5. They are committed to activities suppressing viral load. They are taking the highly effective medicines regularly

All this was possible, thanks to a robust and friendly National HIV/AIDS Strategy that emphasizes:

• Early HIV treatment
• Early pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
• Focus on heavily affected groups including: young gay men, transgender women, African-Americans, Immigrants, young couples.
• increased percent of people with HIV who know their serostatus to at least 90%
• reducing number of new infections by 25%
• increasing the percentage of newly diagnosed people linked to HIV medical care within one month to 85%
• increasing the proportion of HIV-positive people with viral suppression to at least 80%
• reducing the death rate among people with HIV by at least 33%

Knowledge of strategies and outcomes informs one on how to best design messages, interventions and key areas of support. This helps a Public Health Practitioner to remain relevant and effective.

Religion from a Public Health Perspective

Do you think religion plays a role in the way individuals lead their lives? Should we assume that religion is a direct indication of civilization which in turn means a universal hygiene standard? Do you think Public Health Practitioners should link hands with the faith-based organizations, clergy or indigenous Traditional religious leaders to promote health? Do you see government and religion playing roles in promoting public health?

I started this short write up with the above questions because it was what I was asking myself as I thought up this topic for the series of Public Health Perspective.

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness." This is an oft repeated saying. A clean or tidy person is said to be godly. At the individual level, right from childhood we are brought up knowing we have a responsibility to look after ourselves as far as hygiene is concerned.

Religion is a powerful tool for social mobilization and organization. Through religion people can be mobilized to get behind a given activity such as hand-washing, wearing masks in case of flu or attending such services that promote quality livelihoods.

Religious organizations are linked to a social development agenda and many are behind the construction and maintenance of facilities such as: hospitals, clinics, counseling units as well as providing a relief for many who may seek solace in prayer when they are downcast.  Religious organizations are major employers the world over. This means that they are contributing to numbers of people who can afford a better living standard, have access to health coverage and services.

Unfortunately, religion can be a stumbling block to public health or in other circumstances public health can clash with morals and values of religions ( e.g., pro-choice, planned parenthood, family planning, use of organs..). Some catastrophic strifes around the world are as a result of religion, e.g., Boko Haram, Militia groups in Central African Republic and ISIL. There are many examples where religion has been used to justify violence, radicalization, anti-muslim sentiment, anti-semitism, abuse of women and racial segregation.

Secretary of State John Kerry states that "one of the most interesting challenges we face in global diplomacy today is th need to fully understand and engage the great impact that a wide range of religious traditions have on foreign affairs." He continues to assert that "religious beliefs shape the views of public and change-makers near and far."

"Religious advocacy groups have long raised awareness about famine and human rights violations abroad.; Buddhist nuns in Nepal play a crucial role in natural disaster recovery efforts; and religious organizations have been essential to providing humanitarian support to Syrian refugees," Secretary John Kerry continues.

Religion can lay the grounds for:

1. driving the economy

2. addressing corruption

3. combating terrorism

4. mitigating conflict, encouraging pluralism, valuing tolerance and democracy

5. advance women and children rights

6.pacifying warring sides

7. address poverty

8. build structures of responsibility towards one another

9. create greater understanding among peoples and countries

10. addressing the global impact of religion, relations and cooperation among people

In understanding the role of religion, a public health practitioner is able to plan how well to involve religious leaders or understand how religion can help in promoting public health.

SOURCE:

1. America (National Catholic Review) September 14, 2015

2. Office of International Religious Freedom, US

3. U.S Strategy on Religious Leaders and Faith Community Engagement

The Global Goals From a Public Health Perspective

There is an interconnectedness between Public Health Principles and the recently agreed upon/adopted UN Global Goals. These, are also known as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

This prompted me to think that most of our actions (governance, leadership, housing, exercise, nutrition, health-care..) as being processes that ensure quality livelihoods for all people whether in homes, schools, hospitals, dormitories, cities, trains, ship and airplanes. There are definitions I want to first refer to:

Public health refers to all organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole. Its activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy and focus on entire populations, not on individual patients or diseases (WHO).

Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of families and communities through promotion of healthy lifestyles, research for disease and injury prevention and detection and control of infectious diseases. Overall, public health is concerned with protecting the health of entire populations (CDC).

Public health is the health of people in general; the science of caring for the people of a community by giving them basic health-care and health information geared at improving living ( MERRIAM-WEBSTER).

On 19 July 2014, the UN General Assembly's Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG) forwarded a proposal for the SDGs to the Assembly. The proposal contained 17 goals with 169 targets covering a broad range of sustainable development issues. These included ending poverty andhunger, improving health and education, making cities more sustainable, combating climate change, and protecting oceans and forests.^[1] On 4 December 2014, the UN General Assembly accepted the Secretary-General's Synthesis Report which stated that the agenda for the post-2015 SDG process would be based on the OWG proposals.^[2]

The Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Post 2015 Development Agenda (IGN) began in January 2015 and ended in August 2015. Following the negotiations, a final document was adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit September 25–27, 2015 in New York, USA.^[3] The title of the agenda isTransforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development^[4][5]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also called Global Goals,^[6] and Agenda 2030 ^[7] are an inter-governmentally agreed set of targets relating tointernational development. They will follow on from the Millennium Development Goals once those expire at the end of 2015.^[8] The SDGs were first formally discussed at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 (Rio+20).

The definition "Public health refers to all organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole. Its activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy and focus on entire populations, not on individual patients or diseases," makes me contemplate on the following 17 measures as aspirations I want to pursue as a Public Health Practitioner:

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

4. Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.

5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

6. Ensure access to water and sanitation for all.

7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modernenergy for all.

8. Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.

9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainableindustrialization and foster innovation.

10. Reduce inequality within and among countries.

11. Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

15. Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.

16. Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies.

17. Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

CONCLUSION:

The knowledge of, owning the right set of Public Health skills as well as a continued cognizance of the interconnectedness and intersectionality between the 17 measures will go a long way to make me a more effective Public Health Practitioner.

REFERENCES:

1.  Press release - UN General Assembly’s Open Working Group proposes sustainable development goals, 19. July 2014

2.  Synthesis report of the Secretary-General on the post-2015 sustainable development agenda

3.  World leaders adopt Sustainable Development Goals". United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved25 September 2015.

4. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development".United Nations - Sustainable Development knowledge platform. Retrieved 10/04/2015.

5. "Breakdown of U.N. Sustainable Development Goals". Retrieved 10/04/2015.

6.  The Global Goals: Resource and Media Kits for the Sustainable Development Goals

7. Harris, Gardiner (27 September 2015). "Obama Tackles Poverty and Sexism in U.N. Speech". New York Times. Retrieved 29 September 2015.

8. Breakdown of U.N. Sustainable Development Goals". Retrieved 10/4/2015.