Friday, October 31, 2008

Phone Coaching for Weight Loss

This article highlights a study done at Brigham Young University on the use of phone-based coaching to promote modest weight loss. This concept is intriguing, particularly considering the success we have seen with tobacco quitlines.

Are there ways that campuses can utilize phone, texting, and other technology to help with healthy weight initiatives? Has anyone looked into the possibilities?

Click here for the article:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/127682.php

-posted by Tad Spencer

Friday, October 24, 2008

Health Behaviors and Student GPA Are Related

If you have ever been questioned as to why health promotion efforts are needed on college campuses, a study just released by the University of Minnesota Boyton Health Services will give you some great talking points. "Our study shows that there is a direct link between college students' health and their academic achievement. This is the first time that anything like this has been published where Grade Point Average is linked to all these behaviors," said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, the director and chief health officer of the University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service.

To download the study, go to http://www.bhs.umn.edu/reports/HealthAcademicPerformanceReport_2007.zip

To view a video about the study, visit http://www1.umn.edu/urelate/newsservice

post from: Ann Quinn-Zobeck

Thursday, October 23, 2008

The power of social norming and peer education

The University of Virginia has not had a student die from an alcohol-related incident since 1998. Dr. James Turner, a BACCHUS Board of Trustees member, and the UVA peer educators organize an alcohol-free festival in the fall to educate new students that the number of students who dangerously drink is far less than their perceptions. The peer educators also realize that some underage students will still choose to drink and instead of pushing these students away through a negative attitude, they convey messages about staying safe while drinking and keeping their BAC at an acceptable level.

You can read the full article here.

-posted by Chris Miller

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

STI E-Card Notification

An organization is utilizing technology to help patients notify their sexual partners about possible STI exposure. inSPOT has created a system that allows people to send e-cards to past partners. The benefit is that it can be done quickly and in a private manner. The site also directs people to health resources and treatments. More research is needed, but this may be an indication of how the transfer of health information can be conducted via technology.

Click here for the article

-posted by Tad Spencer

Ok so you only smoke a couple of cigarettes a week – no big deal, right? Actually…

Even if you’re a healthy college student, smoking just one cigarette impairs how your arteries function over the course of the next few days. A recent study showed that the arteries of nine college students who smoke less than a pack a week, and who hadn’t smoked in two days, were 36% less responsive to blood flow changes than non-smokers. The study notes that reduced responsiveness to blood flow “is an early sign of arterial damage that often foreshadows cardiovascular disease.”

Combine this knowledge with the fact that nicotine addiction becomes stronger after each use, that you can become addicted after smoking just a few cigarettes, and that tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S. – is it really worth it?

-posted by Chris Miller

Friday, October 17, 2008

Personal Stories of Eating Disorders

We found this interactive feature on the NY Times website. The page features a slideshow and audio stories of people who have struggled with various eating disorders. This might be a useful educational tool for peer educators.

-posted by Tad Spencer

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Donate to the GA silent auction!

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the GA silent auction. All donations will help BACCHUS provide valuable materials to affiliates to support peer education and create healthier campuses. Popular items include apparel or other items from your school, speaking engagements, retail gift certificates, tickets to sporting events or concerts, jewelry, art and other collectibles, books, etc. Be creative! You can mail the item to BACCHUS beforehand or bring it with you if you are going to Columbus. Contact Chris Miller at chris@bacchusnetwork.org or 303-871-0901 to donate. Any donation big or small would be greatly appreciated!

-posted by Chris Miller

GA Update

Make Hotel Reservations Today!
October 22 Rates Change
Room Block Almost Full!

Contact Hyatt Regency Columbus, 350 North High Street, Columbus Ohio, 43215.

Phone: 614-463-1234 (Reference The BACCHUS General Assembly at time of reservation)

$147 single/double/triple/quad
THIS RATE EXPIRES ON OCTOBER 22 OR EARLIER IF ROOM BLOCK FILLS!


Specific Award Categories Submission Extended to Monday, October 20, 2008
Award submissions only for

Outstanding Alumni

and Outstanding Programs in these two categories:

Illegal Drug/Drug Misuse
Peer Education Recruitment

Email applications to awards@bacchusnetwork.org by 5 pm Eastern Time, Monday, October 20, 2008.

Call for Programs Update
Acceptance letters are being faxed and emailed this week. A final program schedule will be ready and posted to the BACCHUS website by Monday, October 27.

Important Deadlines & Quick Links...

Before Wednesday, 10/22
Make Hotel Reservations

Monday, 10/20
Select Award Applications Deadline Extended

Wednesday, 10/22
Early Bird Registration Deadline
Student Trustee Election Packets Due

On or After Wednesday, October 22
Sign Up for BAC-Tail Contest & School Exhibits

-post from: Ann Quinn-Zobeck

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Even if you quit, smoking during younger years negatively affects health later in life

A study conducted by Dr. Arto Y. Strandberg at the University of Helsinki followed 1,658 men born between 1919 and 1934. They were considered healthy in 1974 and a follow-up in 2000 showed that those who never smoked lived about ten years longer than those who had smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day. Even those that had quit smoking between 1974 and 2000 lived shorter lives. Although nearly 70% of 1974 smokers had quit by 2000, about 44% had already died; and those who had survived had considerably worse health than never-smokers.

Campuses can use the results of the study to help encourage cessation and tobacco-free policies. Students can be informed that even if they eventually quit smoking, their current use of tobacco is negatively affecting their future health. The study showed that health problems increase as the number of cigarettes smoked increases, so it’s best to quit as soon as possible.

Source: Medical News Today

-posted by Chris Miller

Thursday, October 9, 2008

New Tobacco Products


In their unending attempts to circumvent smoke-free laws, the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company has unveiled several new "smokeless" products to be test marketed in early 2009. These three new products are dissolvable in the mouth, and they come in sticks, strips and "orbs." Each carries the signature Camel brand.

RJR says they will test market these products starting in January in Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, and Portland, Oregon.

BACCHUS encourages campuses to work toward tobacco-free campus policies, rather than just smoke-free. Exchanging one addictive product for another is not a consistent health message. These new products clearly indicate the dedication that tobacco companies have for perpetuating tobacco addiction.

-posted by Tad Spencer

Health Behaviors and The Economy

On a daily basis, we are bombarded with advertisements for “value” or “dollar menus,” many of which, quite frankly, do not offer the most nutritious food. With the economy struggling, it’s easy to see how some people might not eat as well.

That’s the common thought, anyway. Now may be a great time to help students learn that eating well does not have to cost a lot or be time-consuming.

A Cigna study suggests that many people are open to taking better care of their health during hard economic times. The healthier practices may help boost their energy and job performance, not to mention improving their overall mood.

Consider hosting events that show practical ways for students to keep healthy snacks on hand and methods for cooking on a budget with limited tools. Also emphasize the benefits of improving one’s health during these times, rather than allowing it to slide backward.

-posted by Tad Spencer

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

New Physical Activity Guidelines

The Federal Government had just issued its first-ever physical activity guidelines for Americans. On the Department of Health and Human Services website, you will find guidelines, a toolkit, an activity guide for adults, and a report from the advisory committee.

http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/

A few questions for affiliates:
  • How are you promoting physical activity on campus?
  • How will your promotion efforts change throughout the year (and through weather changes)?
  • What partnerships/collaborations have you formed through your efforts?

-posted by Tad Spencer

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Still time to get NCAAW materials

Order now for NCAAW 2008!

You still have time to order materials and giveaway items to support your National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week activities. From cups to chip clips to pens to jelly bean packets to key-shaped air fresheners (in addition to posters and pamphlets) -- they are all available to help you get the message out to your students:

U DECIDE — It starts with your decisions

DECIDE — to take care of yourself and friends
DECIDE — to not allow others to pressure you into drinking or drinking too much
DECIDE — to keep safe by not drinking to excess, by not driving after drinking, and by not riding with a driver who has been drinking

You can view images of each item as well as an order form by visiting http://www.bacchusnetwork.org/ncaaw.asp

Or download the descriptions and order form (2 MB file) directly at: http://www.bacchusnetwork.org/documents/2008NCAAWItems_000.pdf

Place your order with the BACCHUS Materials Center by Wednesday, October 8 and your materials will arrive on campus by Friday, October 17. See the order form for information about how to place your order.

BACCHUS wishes you the best with your NCAAW programs!

-post from Andrea Zelinko