I’m working on a psychology discussion question and need support to help me understand better.
Peer 1 Laura (Response due in 48 hours) 75 words for each response
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The Centers for Disease Control recommends several programs to help with prevention of major issues, including the use of tobacco products. The Texas Department of State Health Services has a program supported by the CDC called the Office of Tobacco Prevention and Control (OTPC). “The mission of the Office of Tobacco Prevention and Control (OTPC) is to reduce the health and economic toll tobacco has placed on the citizens of Texas” (DSHS, 2021). The funding that it takes to run this program in order to combat the results of smoking takes a toll on the taxpayers.
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The CDC states that “More than $156 billion in lost productivity, including $5.6 billion in lost productivity due to secondhand smoke exposure” (HHS, 2020). The result of illnesses from simple exposure to cigarette smoking is costly for those who do not even smoke and the companies that employ them. In cases like this, specifically, it proves that money spent upfront on prevention can be more beneficial to the potential smokers, the people around them, and the people who rely on the trickle-down effect of health care costs from companies paying the price.
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References:
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Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). (2021). Retrieved from: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/region7/tobaccopreventionandcontrol.shtm.
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2020). Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/economics/econ_facts/index.htm.
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Peer 2 Clea
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After reviewing the Centers for Disease Control website there were a few statistics that were quite alarming. “Empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents aged 2-18 years – affecting the overall quality of their diets.” (CDC, 2020). By teaching in a school I see first hand the “food” that is given to children to eat, and there is no wonder they protest eating it. It is not hard to fathom that “one in five children ages 12-19 years old has obesity,” (CDC, 2020), after seeing the processed, empty calorie food that is given to children to eat for breakfast and lunch. Sure, not all schools have terrible lunches, but a large chunk of them do, and by cutting corners to what we feed our children, has a direct correlation to the obesity epidemic.
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“The estimated annual health care costs of obesity-related illness are a staggering $190.2 billion or nearly 21% of annual medical spending in the United States.1 Childhood obesity alone is responsible for $14 billion in direct medical costs.” (NLC, 2021). If we never teach children how to eat appropriate amounts of healthy food they are destined to become overweitht/obese adults. Not only do these children lose out on a childhood, due to not being able to run around, play sports, etc., they often experience extreme ridicule which leads to serious self-esteem issues. We owe it to our children to make a conscious effort for change.
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Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, September 15). Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/index.html
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National League of Cities. (2021). http://www.healthycommunitieshealthyfuture.org/learn-the-facts/
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Peer 3 Cassandra
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After navigating the CDC website, I found an article that covered the lack of physical activity. According to research “only 1 in 4 US adults and 1 in 5 high school students get the recommended levels of physical activity” It contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, several cancers, and obesity. In addition, low levels of physical activity are associated with $117 billion in health care costs every year. One way the CDC works to increase activities is by promoting better community design and more active school and work environments. CDC also supports programs that include physical activity as a way to prevent type 2 diabetes and reduce arthritis pain. It also mentions programs to help cope with stress. (CDC, 2019).
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Another topic of interest is Binge Drinking. According to the CDC, “Binge drinking is the most common, costly, and deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use in the United States. It is defined as a “pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 g/dl or above. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks or women consume 4 or more drinks in about 2 hours. Most people who binge drink do not have a severe alcohol use disorder. I learned that “One in six US adults binge drinks about four times a month, consuming about seven drinks per binge. This results in 17 billion total binge drinks consumed by adults annually, or 467 binge drinks per binge drinker. In addition, over 90% of U.S. adults who drink excessively report binge drinking in the past 30 days” (CDC, 2019).
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There are several recommendations that are made for prevention including, evidence-based interventions to prevent binge drinking and related harms, screening, and counseling for alcohol misuse in medical settings and strategies including:
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- Using pricing strategies, including increasing alcohol taxes.
- Limiting the number of retail alcohol outlets that sell alcoholic beverages in a given area.
- Holding alcohol retailers responsible for the harms caused by illegal alcohol sales to minors or intoxicated patrons (dram shop liability).
- Restricting access to alcohol by maintaining limits on the days and hours of alcohol retail sales.
- Consistently enforcing laws against underage drinking and alcohol-impaired driving.
- Maintaining government controls on alcohol sales.
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While many of these recommendations are government related, this class could help provide input on appropriate therapy options and stress or coping strategies that could help with prevention.
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Blessings
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Casandra
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Reference
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CDC. (2019). Binge drinking is a serious but preventable problem of excessive alcohol use. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drin…
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CDC. (2019). Lack of physical activity. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publi…
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