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Assignment 5

1) Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Assessment & Action Plan: The only risk factor that I have that is uncontrollable is that I am a male. My parents have not and do not suffer from any of the following diseases: stroke, high BP, high cholesterol, or diabetes. My parents are 61 years old and are pretty healthy. Under the controlled risked factor section I do not suffer from any of the items listed in that section. I work out 5 times a week and I feel that I manage my stress very well. Under the section options for a healthier heart there are some things that I think I can implement that will keep my heart healthier longer. First is to reduce the consumption of fatty foods. My saturated fat intake is far to high than what it should. I tracked my food intake and exercise for two days in my nutrition class I am in and my saturated fat intake for the two days was 17%. That puts me at risk of heart disease right there. I tend burn more calories than what I consume but still have 17% saturated fat intake is not healthy for anyone. I can reduce my saturated fat intake by doing more protein complementation and reducing the protein I get from animal sources. The second thing I can do is get out side more often. I work out Monday- Friday in the morning but I spend most of the rest of the day inside studying. I can try doing some reading out side and spend a little more time playing with my kids outside as well. I think this will do me some good to be a little more active but will also break up my day a little more so it does not seem so monotonous.

The third thing I can do is eat more fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. This is something that I have been working on because of my nutrition class but I have much more work to do. As I work to increase my intake of these foods I know it will decrease my chances of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

2) Cancer Risk Assessment & Action Plan: Fortunately I do not have any family history of cancer. I do not have a grand parent, or even great grandparent or a sibling that has or has had cancer. For my personal history I have had my fair share of sunburns. I had one really bad one when I was a young teen that blistered pretty badly on by back and shoulders. Since that incident I have used sunscreen regularly when I swim. I do not use sunscreen very often during other activities outside. I should incorporate the use of sunscreen in all my outside activities to limit the chances of malignant melanoma. 65-90% of melanomas are caused by exposure to sunlight. This leads into the topic of cancer symptoms. From the sunburn I got when I was a teenager I have a bunch of freckles that are on my back and shoulders. I can keep an eye on those freckles and make sure to apply the ABCD rule to check for the warning signs. My fiber consumption is usually to low. Last time I checked over a few days of tracking my total carbohydrate consumption my fiber was only at 73% of my DRI for fiber. Diet is a risk factor for cancer and I know that fiber helps reduce that risk. I have regular physicals with doctors and have not had a problem up to this point with cancer. I do not suffer from and skin problems and I visit

a dentist regularly for check ups. The three items I will incorporate in my life to reduce the risk of cancer is to use sunscreen regularly, eat more fiber, and do regular self screenings of moles and testicular self exams.

3) Ecology of Disease: The skin cancer rates in the United States are on the rise and there are ecological reasons as to why this is occurring. I feel that the leading determinants aiding skin cancer trends are environmental, biological, and behavioral determinants. Environment: physical location definitely has a bearing on weather you are getting sunburnt or not. I lived in Montana for six years and never saw the temperature spike above 90 degrees in the summer. Other locations in the US are much hotter and have more direct sunlight. These environments contribute to skin cancer for sure but are not the main issue. The issue is the social environment that is contributing. Our society is not only ok with tanning it is deemed better to be tan than not. I dont know how many times I have heard people say they needed to get a tan before they put on there swim suit during the summer. I always like to ask why? Usually the response is because my white pasty skin is nasty. Somewhere in our social environment we are being told and then are following the trend that white skin is nasty and tan skin is beautiful. I would venture to say that television, movies, magazines, have set this trend and our families, friends, co workers, and many others with whom we interact each a day confirm the trend. Behavioral: Social environment leads directly into the second

determinant. Individual behavior and social environment are directly linked in a topic such as this. As humans it is natural to go along with things in life that you feel supported in. Unfortunately there is a loud voice in our society that sends its ultimate support on things that are best if not followed. If society says that tan skin is better than white skin, than most people, especially teens will choose to follow what society says. Individual behavior is responsible for most illness and early death related to chronic disease. (Pg.6) Genetics: on the other hand some time we do not have control over certain aspects of who were are. If a person is born with fair skin, blonde hair, light eyes, you are more susceptible to skin cancer. Education would help limit this factor to a smaller population. Upon learning that those who have these characteristics are at greater risk. Education would help reverse behavior and behavior will help reverse social environment.

4) Social Science of Disease: the selected health behavior I have chosen to look at is adolescents and condom use. I think adolescents are less likely to use condoms than any other group of people in the world. The health belief model will help illustrate why this is true as I explore the three key constructs of the HBM. The perceived seriousness of the health problem: adolescents are not mature enough to have a healthy one on one relationship. Children are still growing and maturing physically and psychologically, and for someone in this realm of life to have a steady sexual partner can prove

damaging to themselves and future generations. An adolescent cannot possible understand all the perceived problems that can come to pass from having sex. I believed that emotionally they are just not capable of handling such a relationship. Having sex and being responsible about is not even in the realm of possibility for adolescents. If adolescents would ask themselves: what about pregnancy? If I knew she was going to get pregnant would I still do this? How do I take care of a child? Is that something I want right now? What if I get an STI? What would my parents and family think if they found out? How would this behavior change my social environment? If an adolescent would answer those questions I think it would help them come to a better alternative as to what type of relationship they should have while still young. The problem is that adolescents dont think logically, they think emotionally and they also think that they really know what is best for them selves. Making this population the least likely to use condoms. Perceived susceptibility to the health problem: In the mind of an adolescent there is no health problem associated to sex in general. Most are nave and want to engage in the activity because it pleases them. We live in a pleasure seeking culture, that says do what ever you want. This is complete selfishness and most have learned it from the previous generation. An adolescent does not think about consequences for the most part when it comes to behavior. If adolescents knew how prevalent STIs are in the United States and the severity of those disease I am positive that it would alter there choices. I also think understanding how easy it is to get pregnant would also help shape better choices in our adolescents. Cues to action: anyone who has seen STIs on someone for real will

never forget how horrible it can be. I have worked in several hospitals as a medic and treated various STIs over seas as well. Some of those images are tattooed in my brain for ever. I think that it is first and foremost the parents responsibility to teach their children about safe sex practices. Where our society is breaking down is the strength of the family. Because of this it has become societies responsibility to educate the adolescent population about safe sex. The more top of the mind awareness we can use with adolescents and reminding them of the potential heath problems related to unprotected sex Adolescents are volatile with their feelings and emotions. They are quick to be offended and cross out parents and figures of authority that resemble any type of power over them. With that, I think adolescents want to be treated as an adult but lack the maturity to act like and adult consistently. The key here is education and letting them choose for themselves. The health belief model can be used to motivate people to take positive action to prevent disease through education.

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