Blood Pressure Tests at Walgreens

We placed our “This is Public Health” sticker on a Blood Pressure Test sign. This sign at Walgreens gives people the opportunity to get a free consultation for their blood pressure and to better educate themselves in knowing what numbers your blood pressure should/should not be. Since public health's main focus is primary prevention and promotion we felt it was best to address the issue of high blood pressure. Suffering from high blood pressure can cause a domino effect and it's best to control the problem before it arises. We choose this location because I shop at Walgreens and visit the pharmacy often and it’s a popular location. I never take the time to look at the signs, but now that we put this sticker on one of them, we hope to have people who regularly visit for medications, consultations, health issues, and more, see it and consider getting a check of their health status. Despite progress in prevention, detection, treatment, and control of high blood pressure, hypertension remains an important public health problem. People can lower their blood pressure by changing some things in their current lifestyle. Exercise, healthy eating habits, reduced sodium intake, and limiting alcohol consumption are just a few. High blood pressure is a public health issue because if people are not informed and advised to regularly have their blood pressure checked, it could potentially lead to damage before symptoms develop. Left uncontrolled, you may wind up with a disability, a poor quality of life, or even a fatal heart attack. Fortunately, with treatment and lifestyle changes, you can control your high blood pressure to reduce risk of life-threatening complications.

Group 4: Kayla, Tina, Zoila, and Alyssa

Get Your Flu Shot

Our group chose to put our "This is Public Health" Sticker on CVS's Flu Shot poster advertisement! With flu-season in full effect, it is important that pharmacies, like CVS advertise the flu shot, so that the general public can stop inside to get the vaccine, to prevent them getting the flu and spreading it to others. We think it is great that pharmacists are able to administer the flu-vaccine. It's important to note, that most pharmacists weren't able to do so until very recently in Fall 2009 when several states issued a special waiver to allow a pharmacist- rather than a doctor or other healthcare professional to administer seasonal and H1N1 vaccines amid fears of a pandemic. The expanded role of the pharmacist definitely could help save lives, and save the community money by offering these flu shots.  The vaccinations offered at drugstore pharmacies like CVS, are more efficient and less costly than a trip to the doctor's office, which can typically cost a health plan or employer up to $100, depending on the insurance. With flu-shots as a preventative care measure, neighborhood drugstores and pharmacies are doing their part to ensure they are servicing the community in a positive and healthy way, by administering these vaccinations and assuming added responsibility to make the community they live and work in a healthier one! This represents a public health issue because it is important to prevent the spread of the flu in our communities. Without the flu shot there would a much larger amount of people getting sick, missing school, missing work, visiting doctors, being hospitalized, and dying from the flu. It is important to protect ourselves and to protect those around us and we can do that by getting the flu shot vaccination and encouraging others to get it too!

By: Group 18 Deviney, Melissa, Rosie, and Michael

You Are What You Eat!!!

“You Are What You Eat”

By

Cyrus Tamboli, Jair Jimenez, Bjorn Nabergall, Jason Collazo, and Berdine Orelien

As public health students we have learn that fruits and vegetables are important part of a person’s diet. For this reason, we decided to take our public health blog picture by a stand of fruits and vegetables at Sweet Bay, a local grocery store. We Americans are becoming more and more obese because of our bad eating habits. Our diets compose of foods that contain more starch in them like potatoes, rather than vitamins and nutrients in fruits and vegetables. The recent trends seen in this nations diet is leading to a lack of vitamins and minerals that are required in every person's diet. This could be solved through taking daily multi-vitamins, but a majority of Americans do not engage in this practice. Many areas throughout America have little or no access to fruits and vegetables, creating a “food desert”, degrading the health of all who live in the area.

Obesity has stricken the United States and is now the most serious health threats that the United States has seen. With the fast pace of America, fast food has been the easiest way to acquire food at a reasonable price. Obesity is responsible for declining health outcomes and rapidly rising health care cost (http://publichealthlawcenter.org/topics/healthy-eating). From the transformation of the food guide pyramid in to MyPlate in June 2011, at least half of the consumed food should consist of fruits and vegetables, with vegetables having a larger section than fruits. Public Health is raising awareness also on fast food chains and vending machines to show the number of calories of each item they sell. Our recommendation is that, as we visit our local grocery stores we pay a little more attention to the fruits and vegetables as they help keep us healthy and functional.

Flatwoods Site is Public Health

Flatwoods Site is Public Health

    The Flatwoods Site off of Morris Bridge Road is a good example of Public Health. This park creates an opportunity for people to get physically active. It provides a safe, clean, and easy to access area for people to enjoy the outdoors and to stay physically fit and active. There are paved walking paths for those who wish to walk or run, as well as bike trails that go for miles. People can get plenty of exercise in a safe, clean, and positive environment. It is a fun way of getting the proper exercise, which is an important part of public health, because it promotes health and prevents diseases. Obesity, heart disease, and stroke, are a few things that we can prevent just by doing activities, such as walking along a trail each day. With a rising obesity rate in the United States, communities all across the country could use more outdoor areas like this to help keep all age groups active and healthy. Also, some people may not be physically active because they don't like the gym, or they live in an unsafe neighborhood. The Flatwoods is in a safe area, is well maintained, and caters to all types of people, from beginners to the high intensity, physically fit. Flatwoods is the perfect place for anyone to get outside and be physically active. 




By: Samantha Nader, Jessica Potts, Erica Heule, and Gabrielle Gray

Feeding America in Tampa Bay

Even though are too many people living poverty right now is a worldwide issue in today’s world but we need to also to view the fact that poverty also strikes us in our own home nation. Hunger and poverty are key links to many health conditions including malnourishment. That is why I chose to place my sticker at the warehouse of Feeding America in Tampa, FL. Feeding America has a mission to feed America hungry through nationwide network of food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. I have volunteered at this warehouse for almost 2 years now and they have been real selective with the food that they have received. Certain places like Wal-Mart, Publix, Aldi’s, Winn-Dixie, Sweetbay, and so on. They’ll pretty accept anything that comes through their warehouse but a good chunk of those items that come through isn’t always up code. Feeding America takes this very seriously because you do not want to send off a contaminated product or some product that has been damaged and allowed bacteria to produce which can cause illness such as salmonella, food poisoning, or botulism.

This represents a public health issue because hunger and poverty still exist in the world today especially in our own country and yet we have managed to downgrade it so much that not many people pay no mind to it at all. Feeding America is just one of the many organizations that adhere to this issue but it cannot stop there because hunger will still exist unless we as the people, especially in our own nation, need to do something about it.

Wal-Mart: "Wipe away the germs" - Group 9

Wal-Mart on Bearrs Avenue, Tampa, Florida

As a group, we decided to place our Public Health sticker at the local Wal-Mart of the USF Tampa campus. This is a very popular and busy arena, so we thought it was important that we support Wal-Mart’s public health efforts as well as raise awareness to the fact that there is actually a sanitation stand in Wal-Mart. We believe that this constituted public health as it is promoting good hygiene. Thousands of people venture through Wal-Mart on a daily basis. Thus, it is important that a measure is there to try and minimize the spread of bacteria or viruses - also known as germs- as much as possible. This sanitation stand provides customers the access to wipe down their carts before they begin shopping and their hands. Whilst we stood there for a minute before taking our picture, we saw multiple customers use these wipes either to cleanse their hands or their shopping cart. 

This was an important place for us to put this sticker as it so often goes unnoticed yet is very useful. Sometimes we do not see the measures that public health puts in place to protect our health. Wiping down a cart before shopping is very important. Numerous hands touch the carts every day which may contain all types of bacteria’s and viruses. This is an easy way to catch something, by touching a non-sanitized cart and then transferring that to your own body. Also, it is important to wipe down your hands before and after shopping. By wiping your hands before shopping, you are preventing the germs on your hands to transfer to products in the store. This is a good measure to minimize spreading germs from person to person. Once you have been through the grocery store, it is a good idea to wipe down your hands again just as a safety precaution for anything that you may have picked up whilst shopping.

Group 9 Members:

Diandra Latibeaudiere

Karolina Velez

Allen Benzenhafer

Theodore Martin

Healthy Choices

Tropical Smoothie is Public Health

 

[Group members from left to right: Kameal, Victor, Lizbeth, Amber, Victor]

The overall health of an individual is strongly influenced by lifestyle decisions where one of the key factors is diet. At Tropical Smoothie, people are able to consume nutritional meals such as real fruit smoothies and salads. The restaurant is placed within a convenience store/ gas station on the busy street corner of Fowler and Bruce B. Downs, meaning it is at a highly convenient location for people to access during their commute as well as daily interactions. As a group, we chose Tropical Smoothie because we felt that nutritional value is a key portion to maintaining health in our community especially to that of college students who constantly make poor eating decisions. By stressing nutritional health via this blog, we hope to inform our peers in class as well as the community who see our sticker that this is a viable source of nutrition for daily habits.

With the new food pyramid, we can see the value in moderation and the spacing of the aspects of nutrition. In popular culture, we have seen advocates of proper food consumption pointed towards the youth of our nation such as First Lady Michelle Obama and the Disney Channel. These advocates stress the importance of nutrition, in relation to preventing diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They even pose the idea that we can live longer, healthier lives if we change our diets and include exercise. Public health stresses the importance of preventing illnesses and through health education informs our community of healthy eating habits. Healthy eating habits lead to healthy people and overall a healthy community.

Sanitation Stations at Walmart!

This is Public Health: Sanitizing Station

[Group members from left to right: Charlotte Holden, Britney Henderson, 

Allison Santaferra, and Nathalie Espinosa]

Due to our incompatible schedules, our group needed to meet somewhere near campus. Since, Charlotte works at a grocery store, she was aware that shopping centers often have sanitizing wipes near the shopping carts so customers can clean the handles before using them. Britney suggested that we head over to the Walmart on Fletcher Ave because of its convenient location.

Upon our arrival, we saw that Walmart does, indeed, provide sanitizing wipes to their customers. By providing customers with these wipes, Walmart helps prevent germs from spreading. The spread of germs, as well as the diseases they carry, is a strong public health concern.

Public Health educates people on the importance of proper hand washing.  People often underestimate the implications of this and habitually neglect to wash their hands. Each time a customer uses a shopping cart without washing their hands, they spread harmful germs. Customers never know whether the person, who used a particular cart before them, had a serious disease such as  influenza.

According to NBC News,  a study was conducted that swabbed 36 shopping carts and discovered 50% of the carts tested  positive for E coli and other fecal bacteria. This is a huge concern for the population as children and belongings are placed into shopping carts during each shopping trip.  Providing customers with these wipes allows them to come shopping without fear of catching virulent diseases, from bacteria such as E coli.

In addition, these sanitation wipes help employees stay healthy. Employees are sent out to collect shopping carts. Collectively, they touch hundreds of carts each day. By being able to sanitize their hands after collecting carts, they will also be able to avoid contracting diseases. In conclusion, sanitation wipes work well as a first line of defense against an immeasurable number of diseases.

By Charlotte Holden, Britney Henderson, Allison Santaferra, and Nathalie Espinosa

Jump on the Hartline to save your lungs!

Have you ever used the Hartline Bus system before?

Let me inform you that this is Public Health!

By riding the Hartline buses you are reducing pollution in the air and decreasing respiratory diseases. The largest source of human-created air pollution is transportation ("Health impacts of,”).

The use of too many cars poses a threat to our health especially our lungs.

Pollution caused by traffic is hazardous to our health and life. Air pollution leads to pulmonary problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other diseases.

One way to reduce air pollution in our community is by taking advantage of The Hartline Bus system or car pooling. Car pooling is much promoted; helps eliminate air pollution which not only affects humans but the whole environment. Some scientists link air pollution to a major cause of global warming. Global warming leads to other health hazards. The Hartline Bus System offers many different routes to get you to the location that you need. Besides getting to the location that you need, it is economical and convenient. We chose to place the sticker at the Hartline Bus Station off of Bruce B Downs Avenue to encourage Public Transportation to the Public. By placing the sticker there, we hope to encourage others to partake in public transportation in hopes of seeing one less car in the Tampa community and a more educated community.

 

One Less Car + More Public Transportation = Less Pollution

 

References:

Health impacts of air pollution. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/air/health.htm

By:
Gloria Sustache
Rosa Vigil
Rebekah Vucelich
Kristi Pascarella

Catalytic Converters

 

^ Judith Chiang, Jennifer Diaz, Kaylin Mere, Dominique Rushing, Evens Thimotee ^

Public Rangers decided to go to AutoZone and place our public health sticker on a Catalytic Converter. We chose this because it is a unique part of a car that does more for the environment than people may know or realize. This device is not anything new and thanks to the Clean Air Act in 1970 that mandated 90% reduction in automobile exhaust. The act helped fuel this part into production in order to better reduce smog and chemicals in the air and also made it illegal to remove it from a vehicle. This converter is installed into cars in order to filter and produce clean emissions from the engine. In states such as California, one can’t actually have their vehicle registered until it passes an emissions test and this part helps do just that. Air is a common that we all share and this converter is a key component in reducing toxic pollutants that are released into the environment. Without this part of a vehicle more carbon monoxide would be released into the air, this pollutant is the main by-product of the car engine. Through filtration combustion occurs and oxidization then turns CO into carbon dioxide and water vapor which are less harmful to the air. The catalytic converter has contributed to a more clean and breathable atmosphere and thankfully has helped keep carbon monoxide levels down. As one can see public health is literally all around us and what we use every day can have an impact on everyone’s overall health.

Oh, look at that body...I WORK OUT! With Public Health!

We started our day by taking Sheba (the dog) to Lettuce Lake Park. Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, Florida is just mere minutes away from the USF campus and is open to all who wish to enjoy the park benches, park trails surrounded by lush greenery, and domestic tranquility of the Hillsborough River. The park itself is made for the public's health and enjoyment. But many don't consider the fitness equipment provided at parks when choosing where to do their minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intense physical activity for the week.

Here Group 11 has found an excellent example of Public Health in the community. Instead of having to pay to go to a gym to exercise there is a lovely location close to home where everyone can participate. The park itself has trails where people can walk, jog, bike, and use the equipment provided to get a well-rounded workout. Here our group has placed a “This is Public Health” sticker on the public pull-up bars that preform the same purpose as those at the gym and are free. Even Sheba is welcome to participate.

We chose this example of Public Health to show people where they can go to start better lifestyle choices. Regular exercise leads to better health outcomes not only for a person’s physical well-being but also mental as it releases endorphins making people happier and less stressed. But without knowledge of the availability of parks with exercise equipment that are pet friendly and safe to walk through people will not go. Awareness and availability are key to helping individuals who want to have an active lifestyle accomplish their goal.

-A. Robb

-D. Vermilyea

-H. Barlow

Egg Carton Recycling

Erin McNerney, Oscar Merino & Jessica Nguyen

Recycling has become an important activity in fighting pollution. However, it is essential to understand the differences in the recycling system. Egg cartons are an illustrative example. A survey by Earth911.com (a website devoted to recycling) found that most recycling centers (75%) accept number 1 and 2 labeled products. However, only 25% accept 3 through 7. Egg Cartons can be confusing for recycling purposes because they are classified as number 6. Some are made of polystyrene (PS), which is also part of hot beverage cups, plates, protective packaging for furniture and electronics, etc. Others are made of 100% recycled paper.

Polystyrene is an artificial product more commonly known as styrofoam, and was invented by a chemical engineer working for Dow Chemical Co. in the 1940’s.  When recycled through the available programs polystyrene egg cartons might be reused again to hold eggs or be made into insulation, light switch plates, take-out boxes, or explosives. More importantly, if not recycled styrofoam will take hundreds of years to biodegrade on its own even when exposed to sunlight and should it be immersed in water, known carcinogens and suspected carcinogens leach out. Furthermore, it is a choking hazard to wild animals and is linked to skin irritation and nervous system disorders in humans.

Egg cartons can be difficult to recycle, especially since most recycling centers do not accept them because of how inefficient they are to recycle. Since egg cartons are not biodegradable in landfills (they require adequate amounts of oxygen and microorganisms), they will quickly build up. Thus, it is important to recycle egg cartons. Publix Supermarkets have egg carton recycling bins by entrances where consumers can drop off used egg cartons. If everyone in the community does this simple action, the number of egg cartons entering landfills can be greatly reduced.

Material Safety Data Sheet

(@ Panera Bread With the Material Safety Data Sheet)

Our group decided to post our "This is Public Health" sticker on the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) at Panera Bread on Bruce B. Downs. We all agreed that Panera Bread was a good place to find a public health topic because USF students, faculty, and staff often go there. Chemicals are everywhere since they make up our world. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) require every establishment with hazardous chemical on its premises is to have a MSDS binder. The MSDS binders are a matter of public records and can be found everywhere, so they are easily accessible to everyone. Employers are mandated to train new employees about potential chemical hazards they may have around the work place. Employees can easy refer to the MSDS binder in the event of a chemical emergency. If anyone ever has any type of reaction, the MSDS binder can be located to quick identify what may have caused the potential reaction. The MSDS binder represents public health because it contains required procedures which protect the overall population in public places and establishments where people often gather. It is an important issue because it prevents people from being exposed to things that may cause allergies or may possibly be toxic. The yellow cone is a sign that is put out in a public area to warn people to walk with caution, because the floor might be wet and slippery. Aside from the MSDS we included the Yellow Safety cone because it's a sign we all often see out in public.

By: Ashkaar Qazi, Bridget Petrich, Amy Newton, Suesan Cheung, & Sabrina Alahmad

“Cleanliness = Good Health”

We chose to place the public health sticker in a public restroom in Longhorns. The sticker was posted above the ‘Employee Must Wash Hands’ sign in the bathroom. The sign was posted on the wall above the sink. We chose this location because it is a restaurant and people usually think of it being a clean environment. The sign plays a major part in people’s health because we all would expect cleanliness when handling food. A lot of people eat at restaurants; with student living and work most people do not have time to cook. People put trust in servers, cooks, and bartenders in restaurants to provide them with safe food outside of their homes.

This sign represents a public health issue because cleanliness equals good health. Getting sick is a risk to the public. In restaurants employees handle, prepare, and serve food and by not washing their hands causes a domino effect. Customers can become sick which can spread to friends and people around them, which results in infecting the public. The ‘Employee Must Wash Hands’ sign is important because it can change ones behavior. By having this sign posted in restrooms it can help people with their daily routines with bathroom usage. This sign is also important to reduce infections. Controlling infections in the public is imperative. Cleanliness is needed in restaurants because there are some people who wash their hands before using the bathroom and not after. Having the sign present in the bathroom makes people abide by the rules before leaving.

This is public health: car headlights affecting your health!

Americans over the age of 18 now spend an average of 18 hours and 31 minutes per week in their car. This turns into 2 hours and 38 minutes per day! In 2004, 1.2 million people died because of car accidents. Lowering the number accidents in turn lowers hospitalizations, health insurance claims, decreases financial burdens and lowers stress. There are now simple public health measures to lower the number of car accidents. one measure includes car headlights. Each state sets its own laws for headlights but in general the laws all cover the same things. In general, the law states all headlights must be turned on during times of darkness and precipitation. Now new studies are coming out and people are being encouraged to turn headlights on at all times.  In newer models of cars daytime running lights (DTL’S) are being installed. These are usually higher beam headlights at a reduced intensity. In the United States a few studies were done to determine the effectiveness of DTL’S, one study in 1985 showed a 7 percent decrease in daytime multiple- vehicle accident, similar studies in other countries have shown very similar results.  This is a cheap way of reducing the number of car accidents; other countries like Canada have been doing this for years. Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden all have laws requiring cars to have DTL’S. . Public health is reducing accidents and helping others by implementing DTL’S and encouraging people to turn headlights on during the day. By doing this an individual reduces the chances of being in a collision by as much as 32 percent!

!

Please... Wash your Hands!

The Importance of Employee Hand Washing in Food Establishments

Several members of this blog work in restaurants and are well aware of the dangers of improper food sanitation. Therefore, the location selected was the bathroom of a popular food chain, Panera Bread. This decision was made due to the high traffic volume of the establishment and lack of education in the importance of cleanliness. More specifically calling attention to employee hand washing after using the restroom. 

This represents a public health issue because efforts to control the spread of disease when handling food are important.  As noted in an article regarding the provisions in the FDA food code, hand washing is considered an intermediate/high priority. An intermediate health violation is if an inspector finds the restroom hand washing sign to be missing. If the inspector were to witness an employee not washing their hands after restroom use, it is considered to be a high priority violation.You can read more about this provision here.

            This issue is important because the education and emphasis on proper hand washing amongst food handlers is necessary to prevent the spreading of diseases and viruses. Failure to properly maintain sanitation procedures in an establishment can lead to cross-contamination and food borne illnesses.  The members of this group who work in a restaurant have seen first hand how easily bacteria can spread through the restaurant staff. It’s also possible to have spread bacteria to customers thus affecting a larger population. By having these strict violations to encourage proper and frequent hand washing, this risk can be reduced.