sâmbătă, 8 decembrie 2007

joi, 6 decembrie 2007

Week 15....Final Countdown!

Laura...Dr M or Dr E? :) It's funny how all our classes start to blend together like some melty ball of crayons...I would really like to spend time coloring because that would mean I don't have anything else to do which is not the case right now...Can anyone empathize?

I had a good time playing The Game with my fellow 3s!. It was interesting to listen to everyone's different take on why one option is better than another. I must admit I felt a little dejected when Dr E thought we were copping out by trying to hire someone to do the evaluation for us...Um, now that I write this it does kind of sound like copping out, but I haven't had evil 666 yet!

It is interesting to note how certain things we learn permeate into other classes...e.g. Laura using segmentation in her mock thesis defense yesterday and a group working two different theories as well as segmentation into their HSA presentation today.

Dr. E also made me realize how I need to organize and put into words what I am good at, i.e. what I can do for an employer or organization. Usually I just think of it in terms of what I like to do and will it pay the bills and do I have to dress up every day. Now I need to grow up a bit and actually use the tools I have gathered from my time in school, work and internships to promote what I can bring to a job...As I am starting a mini-job hunt it is overwhelming, yet exciting to see how many different jobs are out there in health communication and in the general public health field.

Oh, and I promise to read the newspaper every single day during the break--especially the editorials as they are a hoot-and-a-half in Utah!

Good luck next week!

joi, 29 noiembrie 2007

Little Middle Schoolers Prove Hillarious!

Hee, hee, I must have an itchy trigger finger...

Yeah for us (as a class) and the good job on our presentations!! Ditto on Crystal's comment regarding the vaccination ads--they looked great (though the snow family picture threw me for a loop at first.) It has been interesting to learn what middle school kids and their parents think these days. I realize middle school was years ago, but I still was somewhat operating under the impression that I knew what middle schoolers like/don't like, etc, because I don't feel nor act 28. It was VERY entertaining to read through the sometimes hilarious answers of my mom's Utah students: "they think kids who get drove to school are fat", "CORNYness to the MAX", "If I lived in sunny San Diego, I'd walk, but I live in Utah", etc. These kids provided plenty of brutal honesty and much-needed laughs.

Good news! Found out today that FINALLY we will be able to have real-live access to our target audience, the MMS kids! On Monday we will pilot our posters to them and hopefully receive some earth-shattering commentary! As Sarah said this morning, better late than never! Wish us luck!

So, I couldn't sleep last night and started flipping through the San Diego Trib (the actual paper version.) I came across an interesting and timely article for the environmental group about the future of transportation in San Diego county. Go to: http://www.signonsandiego.com/ and search for the "long-term transportation" article written in Tuesday's paper. It has some interesting stuff as well as information regarding a meeting on Friday at 9am-the 2030 Regional Transportation plan. It might be something you environmental folks could use...either way, it's pretty eye-opening.

duminică, 25 noiembrie 2007

Ahhh...Saved By The Bell....Good Times!

Howdy all! Because I don't watch much TV (except for the weather channel and ESPN) I realize I am missing out on a plethora of subtle (and not-so-subtle) health communication messages. However, I did learn something about concussions while watching the Hawaii-Boise State game. I learned that it's probably a good idea to not play the quarterback who got a concussion a week earlier---the effects of getting hit again post-concussion greatly diminish in seriousness after 10 days-2 weeks. Good stuff...
And, yes, Jennie, I do remember Jessie's over-acting after popping some prescription no-doze. It made me start thinking how a modern day teeny-bopper show could promote the dangers of over-caffination. But, with our luck as health promoters, companies like Red Bull and Rockstar probably are sponsors of such shows...
As for the anti-binge drinking video, I kind of felt like I was back in 8th grade in a class called "Positive Lifestyles." It was a good class, and like the video, it portrayed the dangers and downsides of drugs, alcohol, unprotected sex, etc. But I am of the opinion, that when it comes down to doing a certain behavior (or abstaining from one) the fact that I watched a video probably won't sway my decision. I know that sounds pessimistic, but I believe we live in a culture of instant gratification which is why our job as health edutainers is quite challenging and thus necessitates us to be uber-creative in our mode and medium of health campaign delivery.

luni, 12 noiembrie 2007

A Mouse Is Not Always A Mouse...in Moldova

Howdy all! I second Josie's comment on phonebooks--for the majority of people, I am guessing they mostly end up in the trash can. I wonder what phone book making companies think about that! I do keep one in my car in case I need a quick bit o' information--my car is not yet wired for internet! In 668 we were also talking about the days when people had to write a thesis on a typewriter! Our teacher said many a person had a mental breakdown (or two.)
One more example--how were races timed before the invention of the racing chip? I ran a race yesterday which was chip timed and the system screwed up a bit. The results were delayed and people got a little peeved--how we love our technology!

Anyway, the video on was quite interesting and thought-provoking. The internet has changed (almost) everything in one way or another whether we like it or not. The internet is pretty darn simple yet so complicated. I read somewhere that "trying to explain what Heaven is like would be similar to trying to explain what the internet is to an ant." Granted the book was about religion, but the "ant" reference reminded me of the extent of knowledge about the internet of my fellow villagers in Moldova. How do you explain what the internet is to someone who doesn't have a phone? A car? Indoor plumbing? Where do you begin? I had the frustrating experience of teaching three of my students (who were 17) how to search for stuff on the internet. Granted we were looking for information on the United Nations in Romanian (which is scarce), but I first had to teach them HOW to use the mouse, navigate a web page, and, of all things, to TYPE! They are not stupid people, they just didn't grow up with a wireless Internet laptop in their little hands.
I agree with Sarah. Yes, technology is great, but who are we to think that everyone wants it and/or needs it? Somehow I think that could introduce more difficulties that it could alleviate.

duminică, 4 noiembrie 2007

FEMA..what's FEMA?

Howdy! It's funny, but I usually have a hard time staying awake in most classes except for Health Comm and I think it's because

I appreciate everyone's honesty regarding the guest speaker. I temporarily felt like a jack a$$ not knowing about the FEMA shenanigan. Here's my (perhaps small-minded) view on her comment that we should know everything about everything at every moment in the news--I don't agree. While in Moldova for 2.5 years, I was for the most part cut off from American media except for the Newsweek magazines Peace Corps admin occasionally sent to us at our villages. At first it was hard not knowing what was happening in the world, but then I realized that things keep happening, the world keeps turning regardless if I have heard about it or not-amazing! It was apathetically peaceful for a time to not be bombarded with the latest news, deemed "important" by someone else. This may seem like a horrible attitude to some of you (sorry Dr. E) but while it's good to be informed and up to date, there's something to be said for stepping back and reconnecting with the world in other ways.

Although I procure the newspaper, I don't have time everyday to read it. Luckily it doesn't go to waste as my roommates also snag sections through which to glance. Do I feel bad? Not really--there is only so much time in the day. I have learned that, for me, it makes more sense to pick and choose. I seek out information which I find personally relevant and really dive in as opposed to skimming the surface on every single topic (about many of which I do not care.) I don't like business and (although important) I really can't stand politics. I choose to inform myself about issues in which I can have an impact in my field as well as reading the funnies.

Well, anyway, let me hop down from my soap box. Food stamps--great job! I just might look in to signing up until I get out out of grad school and get a real job that pays more than my rent. I like the idea of directly addressing stigmas and stereotypes--I think that's the best way to make changes!

vineri, 19 octombrie 2007

AFLAC!!!

Happy Friday morning! Congrats to those who survived midterms and good luck to those who still have a few to go!

It feels good to have the first mini-project done--although we still need to nail down our segments. We have a function this weekend and hopefully we will have access to our target audience folks.

It was interesting to hear about everyone else's projects. I am still thinking about the immunization group and wondering what is "right"....filling a quota for a mass vaccination drill or ensuring that people are vaccinated against the flu. I realize the point of their campaign is not to advertise for Student Health Services, but to me it seems a bit off to tell students (who are already on campus) that they should go somewhere else to get the flu shot. I recognize the importance of the goal of the mass vaccination trial, but still, I am furrowing my brow at the cognitive dissonance created with in me because I am a huge proponent of SHS.

Anyway, thinking of fear and funny....I don't know about you guys...but I can start a giggle session just thinking about the Aflac commercials with the duck! I don't need insurance, but out of all the companies out there, Aflac is on the forefront of my mind simply because of a funny duck (and that goat!) I must have seen the ads about 17 times during an NFL Sunday night game.

Another campaign that has stuck with me is the childhood obesity one where the kids are asking for "more diabetes, please" and "a shorter life" etc. It's humorous and sickening at the same time. I wonder what Americans outside of the realm of Public Health think about that campaign....

Reference point---I know it's our job to motivate behavior change, but it seems a bit sneaky to think of ways to frame things in order to achieve our communication goal. I know, I know, I know...this is the entire point of this class--to put them in the middle, wrong reason. etc, but it kind of got to me when we were talking about "saving 200" versus "killing 400." Maybe it's the fact that I felt stupid when Dr. E came up with the "save $10" example--that is exactly how I think. Or maybe it's the fact that Nebraska lost at home to Oklahoma State last week or that it has already snowed in Salt Lake City and I'm stuck in Pleasantville...Who knows...just glad it's Friday!

joi, 11 octombrie 2007

Hooked on Phonics Doesn't Work for Everyone

Howdy! It seems I am always one of the last ones to post for the week...hmm...Anyway, after almost each class, I come out wanting to take on a new profession--one week I wanted to interview people about their passion for motorcycles, and this week, I thought it would be pretty darn cool to go into teaching. But then I remembered my "fun" with tutoring a 3rd grader for a year using "hooked on phonics". Neither of us were really hooked on it. Nonetheless, I agree with many fellow students saying that they didn't realize health literacy was a problem. For me personally, I had never really thought of health literacy as being a subset of literacy. Now these past few days when I look at an ad, billboard or read an article of some sort, I try to mentally put it into the SMOG thingee and guess what level it would be. For our questions to ask of the Walking School Bus parents, I found my self wondering if they would know what "walkability" means---similar to Jamie D's braniac neighbor not knowing about BMI.

Yes, Laura, I think we should put our theses in and see what grade level comes up....do we really want to know?

As for Module II, it was really hammered home that in order to be effective we really must pick some group, narrow it down--we can't save the entire world in one campaign. And I still think PRIZM is pretty keen---I know what I'll be doing over Christmas break in Salt Lake City with the folks...the fun never ends in Utah!

Wish us luck tomorrow with our PTSO meeting! Hope all is going well with everyone's projects!

duminică, 7 octombrie 2007

Are any professional athletes really clean?

As I was stretching post-run on Friday, I was watching the news and up came the cruddy story about Marian Jones and her confirmed drug use during the Olympics. This made me sad as she is just another athlete in the recent history to be connected to performance enhancing drugs. Here's a clip of her that I found :( It has yet to be determined if she will lose her Olympic medals and possibly face jail time.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3693215&affil=kgtv

My Runnin' Buddies

And they're off!! Two of my close friends, Lindsay Amberg and Kristin McGinley are running their first marathons TODAY in Portland and Chicago, respectively. To track them go to:
http://www.liveraceresults.com/live1/ (Portland) and http://livechicago.mikatiming.com/ (Chicago). Type in their last names and up comes their race splits! Received a text from Linds 10 minutes before her start that said it hadn't rained yet--phew! Spoke with Kris last night and she said it was going to be near 90 and humid--yikes! No worries, both will do just great! Keep on keepin' on!!!
And congrats to my Utah Locomotion friends who ran yesterday's St. George marathon! That's a fun one!!! Race results: http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp#hot_links

vineri, 5 octombrie 2007

What does the N on the helmet stand for? "Nowledge"

I must confess, I went a little nuts with the PRIZM website! It's amazing what you can find to do when you don't want to work on your thesis! I have lived in 4 different areas of the world which have stereotypes attached: Nebraska, Utah, Moldova (Russia) and now California. I guess everywhere has it's stereotypes, but anyway... There were no zipcodes for my Draguseni, Moldova, but I still got a kick out of the differing results from western NE to eastern NE and northern UT versus southern UT. Although I would find this quite useful in learning about my target audience, I wouldn't put my entire energy in this method--similar to astrological signs and Cosmo surveys :), PRIZM only gets a certain part of the person. As with any stereotype, there is always exceptions to the rule--more often than not (but yes, I have shucked corn, had many a hay rack ride, say "howdy" and "tuckered" and LOVE the Cornhuskers...however, I didn't milk my first cow until I was in Moldova.)
The VALS survey reminded me of a certain personality test that my boss ADORES--can't for the life of me remember what it's called, but you end up with four letters such as ESFJ or something of the sort. I have taken it about six times now at staff meetings--a little annoying but not as bad as the MMPI--sheesh!
Group project--yeah, kind of stressing me out as we are having some slight difficulties in reaching our target audience. Also, it seems that the majority of kids already walk to Montgomery Middle School. Hmmmm....
On my blog (or in a couple hours) will be the links to follow fellow grad students Lindsay Amberg and Kristin McGinley as they run their first marathons in Portland and Chicago, respectively. You can track them at various kilometer marks throughout the course! Good luck guys!!! I am proud of you!!!

joi, 27 septembrie 2007

Inspirational Ironman Video

I was going to try to find a cool video related to health communication, but ended up looking at running and tri videos instead like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZNM4c6eZnE. I'm usually not one for sappy stuff, but these two guys are awesome! I guess in a way, this is health commuication, too.

I really don't like sushi

Returning to the topic of personal relevance...the marketing video really made my head sort of spin in the way that people research their target audience---for something (I perceive) as unimportant as motorcycles. Ok, ok, I know there are many Harley Davidson owners who might perhaps disagree a smidge with me. I was talking to my friends after class and brought up the fact that I had NO idea there was an entire separate profession for psychologists in marketing. I wonder if anyone who is first beginning to study psychology thinks about this type of job. But now that I have been exposed to this aspect of marketing...I can imagine this kind of work going in to almost any product (Spam anyone?)
I really enjoyed the segmentation activity--well, both the actual exercise and the chance to get outside and move around. I don't think I've gone outside for class since my German professor used to lecture outside at undergrad. Why don't more teachers do this? I get sleepy if I sit for too long...something to keep in mind if I ever conduct a focus group.
Ok, because I lived in this part of the world for 2.5 years, I found this particularly interesting. A mom in Siberia gave birth to her 12th child at a paltry 17 lbs! Here's the link to the story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20995289/wid/11915773?GT1=10412. Don't worry about the blue stuff-it's called zilionka and it's used sort of like our Neosporin-type topical ointments. I had many a student come in with blue stuff on hands, faces, legs...they even put it on broken bones--good times.

luni, 10 septembrie 2007

Will This Ever Be Reality in America?

Howdy! When you get a second, please watch this 7-ish minute video called, "A Fat Rant." http://youtube.com/watch?v=yUTJQIBI1oA I'm sure many of you have seen this clip before, but the first time I saw it was in a group called "Body Image Psychoeducation" at UCSD's Intensive Outpatient Program for eating disorders this past summer. Our reactions were mixed--ranging from "Gosh, that's empowering!" to "She has a lot of nerve to make this video." While I got a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart that there are people out there who accept themselves and all bodies of all sizes, my realistic (though pessimistic) view is that, sadly, this kind of all encompassing acceptance will probably never exist in America, and well, that kinda sucks. My question to you all: do you think our society will ever fall in step with Joy Nash's "ranting?" As I am currently in the library I can watch, though I can't hear, the multiple clips posted in response to "A Fat Rant." I shall watch them later to see what those folks think (who are more technologically-advanced than I). I realize that my fellow IOP-ers and I have a slightly skewed vision of body image, so I am curious to hear comments from people "on the other side."

joi, 30 august 2007

PH 663 (2nd time around)

Howdy all! Yes, I am the girl who took this class last semester and dropped it on the final add/drop date. Honestly I was scared $#@&-less of all the work this class entails. Public speaking does not really float my boat, but I have to bite the bullet some time. Anyhoo....my blog I created (and gleefully abandoned) last semester is still alive and kicking (although not yet too exciting): http://shelbsinsd.blogspot.com/. I am a bit technologically stunted and admit that I watched my first Youtube video a mere two months ago (sheepish grin.) However, what I took away from class on Monday was that communication is everywhere today and to not take advantage of the different outlets available I consider a great disservice to the people whose lives we are trying to improve. Having said that, I am exited this semester to be introduced to new tools and skills of health communication and to have the chance to apply them in the real world. (About me you will also learn I write using stream of consciousness, really long sentences and mixed-up syntax.) I have found some funny health-related articles on the web, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get the link on the page for your viewing pleasure. I'll tinker a bit...

miercuri, 11 aprilie 2007

vineri, 2 februarie 2007

Sleepy Time

I am very pro-napping and pro-sleeping although I don't get the chance to do either very often these days. When I lived in Moldova, it was an acceptable practice to nap or have a pui de somn (loosely translated as "baby chick of sleep.") In Moldova, you are expected to work hard (manual labor--in the fields, forest, gardens, vineyards, mills, etc) but there wasn't a stigma against napping like I feel there is in the US. Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I feel guilty for taking a nap--like I should be studying or doing something else productive. The problem is, and I think this is true for many Americans, is that we push and push until we eventually crash--and in the long run that decreases efficiency and effectiveness that we attempt to improve through being the Energizer bunny.
In Moldova, however, people aren't driven by the almighty clock. The sun rise, sunset, harvest times, religious holidays, seasons, weather, and sometimes power failures dictate when we worked and rested--not what time our watch said (not many of my fellow villagers had a watch anyway.) This drove me batty in the beginning, but I eventually came to love the slower pace and the inability to predict and control the events of the day--even though we were just as productive when it was all said and done. Go figure...
In a "less-developed" country, the body returns to a state of "normalcy"--at least in the sleep department. Street lights are nonexistent, TV rare, computers even more so--there is no 24-hour constant stimulation that exists in the US. In the summer, you woke up before the rooster crowed and began work outside until it was too hot--then it was time to eat and rest. In the late afternoon or evenings when it was cooler and energy restored, outside work could be continued and in the darkness could be heard sounds of neighbors conversing and children playing in the road. In the summer I would sleep 5-7 hours, rising early to get a run in before the sun came out and before the cows and sheep were led to their respective fields. Have you ever tried to run through 46 cows on a narrow dirt road? Fun stuff. Don't trip.
However in the winter, because of the early darkness (3 or 4 pm) and the lack of central heating, evenings would lend themselves to family time around the soba (wood-burning stove) or an evening of reading in the -20 degree rated sleeping bag with a head lamp. I regularly slept at least ten hours a night in the winter--that is what my body wanted and I did not feel lazy nor guilty.
Moldova is deemed a "second-world" country, however, in many health-related aspects, in an oxymoronic sort of way, I believe they are more advanced than the good ol' US of A.

vineri, 26 ianuarie 2007

Look Ma! I'm a blogger!

Now I am really on the up and up--my very own Blog. I had to be the a@* in class who didn't know what a blog was, but no worries...I admit, I am a little behind with technology, pop culture, entertainment, politics, etc. I wasn't really up to speed before I left for Moldova in 2003, but I really was behind the times when I arrived home from the Peace Corps 27 months later--air conditioning? roads? plumbing? milk section? Target? BLOG? What's a blog? Eh, I don't need to find out...Little did I know in PH 663...