Blog 4

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

With studies showing that one in four college women will be assaulted before their graduation (dailytrojan.com), one can not help but to wonder what actions can a woman take in order to reduce their risk of being assaulted?

Unfortunately, you can never completely protect yourself from an assault. But, here's a few steps that can be taken in order to reduce your chances:

• Avoiding dangerous situations: You can do this by being aware of your surroundings. Do not text while walking or place earphones in both ears. This distraction leaves you vulnerable and unaware of your surroundings. Walk with a purpose and avoid walking anywhere alone whenever possible. When traveling alone in a vehicle, keep doors locked. Also, trust your instincts! If you feel like you are about to be placed in an uncomfortable situation, get out!
• Plan to be safe: Become aware of all possible exits of the place you are going to, and places you visit often. This allows you to be able to escape in case of an emergency. Keep cash on you at all times. This will come in handy should you have to hop in a cab to make an escape or run to the nearest pay phone to call for help because your cell phone died. Have your keys out and ready before you reach your destination, whether it be car or house.

Think and plan ahead. Be smart by being safe!

Blog 3

For decades now, the media has played a role in how we view our self image. Advertisements set unrealistic standards on how we should be. According to advertisements women should be skinny with no wrinkles in order to be considered beautiful, and men should be tall and muscular in order to be considered handsome. So, consumers purchase these products in an attempt to achieve these goals of how they think society wants them to look.
Health educators can help to prepare effective messages to counter some of the negative views and ideas generated by the media by teaching oneself (especially teens) to love what they see in the mirror, as is. Teach them that advertisements that portray these "perfect" people are meant to sell a particular product for profit, and has nothing to do with the actually person itself. Just like a designer's clothes are made to look good in the store on a hanger opposed to the actual person buying the product.
However, I do believe that the media is embracing more diversity in body shape, size, and color compared to years ago. The proof is in ad campaigns like Dove, who pride themselves in understanding their consumers and having women of all shapes and sizes (as well as complexions) in their commercials and other ads. I support them as a company for being brave enough to go against the advertising "norm" in order to actually connect with the real person.

Blog 2

     I currently do not have any children. But, because of the rapid changing times, I often tend to think about how exactly I would bring up the "birds and bees" (also known as the "Talk") to my future children. My nieces and nephews, including a few of my cousins open up to me frequently to discuss what they have learned from their peers at school about the opposite sex. I suppose they do this because they do not see me as the threat of being their parents. I am simply their aunt. The amount of knowledge that they've already acquired at such a young age surprises me (ages range from kindergarten through freshman in high school). Meanwhile, my siblings (their parents) have yet to have the "talk" with them because they figure they are still too young. I cannot fault them for this because our parents never actually had the talk with us. Clearly history is repeating itself in this aspect. After listening to my nieces and nephews, and asking a few questions of my own to evaluate the level of accuracy in the information they had acquired from their peers, I came up with a method I feel would be best to have the "talk".
     First are foremost, be HONEST. Label everything with its proper name, no nicknames. Have them truly understand the proper names for the parts of their bodies. It's okay to giggle during this!There is no specific place to have this talk. This talk can take place anywhere as long as you have created an open environment where your child feels comfortable enough to ask questions. You can do so by asking them questions about what they already know. The environment will feel more like a comfortable conversation versus a painful lecture.
     Also, no age is too young to have this discussion. A child's curiosity about their own body parts start way before they go to school to learn about them. When they start asking questions, answer them honestly and at that very moment because you are laying the foundation for future talks. You are also letting them know that it's okay to ask you questions pertaining to this matter. This will come in handy for future more in depth talks at a later age (such as pre-teen). The questions also become a bit more complex from a pre-teen. Some questions a parent should anticipate are: "Does sex hurt the first time?" or "What is the average penis size?" Explain how first time sex can be painful because upon entry, the penis can tear and/or stretch the hymen. Questions pertaining to their own personal parts may result from fear of not being "normal" because it does not look like everyone else. Explain how size and shape differ from person to person, and how they should become accustomed to their own "normal" so that health problems can be identified if it begins to look abnormal. Pamphlets with detailed drawings can be picked up from your local clinic, usually free of charge. Also, websites like avert.com can help better prepare the parent for this talk with their pre-teen. The talk does not have to be dreadful. It should be bonding and learning experience for both child and parent!





Cited
http://www.avert.org/teens-sex-questions.htm

Adolescent Health

Healthy habits start early! If you want to ensure that your children have a bright healthy future ahead of them, you must lay the proper foundations for healthy habits.  Adolescence is a crucial time because that is when our peers have the greatest effect on us. They play sports their friends play, they listen to music their friends listen to, and they eat what their friends eat…even if it is pizza and soda four times a week. We can encourage healthy behaviors by providing healthy options! The vending machine at school does not only need to consist of sugary snacks. Cbsnews.com has reported that vending machine snacks are indeed getting healthier under new government laws placed and regulated in some states. We should continue on this track, for the long-term benefits are golden.

Parents should also provide healthy snacks for children to munch on while at school. Learning is exhausting, and children are ALWAYS starving right after school also! To avoid consuming excessive amounts of unhealthy foods, parents should have various options available for the child that are quick and convenient for a healthy after school snack. Our world is so technologically inclined today that kids hardly play outside anymore. I love that Michelle Obama has took a stand to change that. Her “Let’s Move” campaign has inspired many children to exercise by showing them how fun it is to get out and be active! Over 4,000 schools have met the challenge! See if your child’s school is up for the task by going to www.letsmove.gov. 

A Little Bio..

Hello Everyone! My name is Jessica H.! I am absolutely excited about blogging! This is my first time, but I have wanted to try this “blogging” thing for a while now. I grew up as an army brat born in Germany, and have seen and been to over 30 of the 50 states. I LOVE writing poetry, and have had some of my work published. I am a Nursing major who is deeply passionate about health of individuals and our healthcare system.

Working within the medical field has given me great insight on the importance of knowing all aspects of health, whether it be the laws associated with or actions to take to promote healthy living. I’m the friend that will ask you what you ate today to ensure you have a balanced diet! Hopefully this class will help expand my knowledge to the health of women specifically. I take great interest in this because I am, of course, a woman. This is important to me because I know women will tend to place everyone else’s health before their own. It’s the foundation of who we are-nurturers.