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Charger Health News

Here you'll find all the latest information on health and wellness. From global to local - we've included up-to-date links, research, news articles, opinions, and informative pieces for your reference.

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Fact of the Week

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May News

Your Backpack

vs.

Your Spine

Zika\

What's the Deal with Multivitamins?

Health Literacy?

Fact of the Week

A lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths as smoking across the world, a study suggests.

Lee, I., Paffenbarger, R. S. (2014). Physical activity and stroke incidence. Stroke, 29. 2049-2054. doi: 10.1161/01.STR.29.10.2049

Fact

Articles

May News

Did you Know?

Carrying a backpack that weighs too much can cause improper spine alignment, causing fatigue and strain that may result in further injury.

The daily physical stresses associated with carrying backpacks on one shoulder significantly alter the posture and gait of youth.

7,277 emergency room visits each year result from injuries related to backpacks.

Signs that your backpack might be damaging your physical health:

You change your posture (leaning forward, arching your back, leaning to one side) when wearing the backpack
You struggle to put your backpack on or take it off
You experience pain when wearing your backpack
You notice tingling or numbness in your arms or legs
You have red marks on your shoulders from your backpack

What can you do to prevent backpack related injuries?

Wear both straps. Using one strap causes one side of the body to bear the weight of the backpack. This is true even with one strap backpacks that cross the body.

Remove and put on backpacks carefully. Keep the trunk of your body stable and avoid excessive twisting.

Wear rhe backpack over the strongest mid-back muscles. Pay close attention to the way the backpack is positioned on your back. It should rest evenly in the middle of the back.

Lighten the load. Keep the load at 10-15% of your body weight. Organize the contents of your backpack by placing the heaviest items against your back to reduce kinetic forces that cause postural misalignment and overwork muscles.

(2009). Take A Load Off! Backpack Safety for Spinal Health. Retrieved from http://www.iscoliosis.com/articles-scoliosis-backpack.html

Are you Health Literate?

Health literacy is defined as, “...the degree to which an individual has the capacity to obtain, communicate, process, and understand basic health information and services to make appropriate health decisions,” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). Health literacy involves understanding insurance, reading prescriptions, making doctors appointments, and anything related to being a health consumer.

Health literacy is critical to attaining adequate health and wellness. According to the Quick Guide for Health Literacy (as cited in The Institute of Medicine, 2004), populations most likely to have limited health literacy are racial and ethnic minorities, non-native speakers of English, and immigrants, among others, (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010, p. 2.4). Soto Mas, Cordova, Murrieta, Jacobson, Ronquillo, and Helitzer (2015) go on further to explain, “The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy showed that, overall, Hispanic adults had the lowest health literacy scores of any other race of ethnic group,” (p.432). Almost 9% or about 243 of the students enrolled at the Dundee Crown High School are English-language learners (Illinois Report Card, 2016). 52% of the 2700 student-body are Hispanic, (Illinois Report Card, 2016). All of this data proves that there is a significant risk for low health literacy, and ultimately, unhealthy lives of Dundee Crown students. While there are few interventions in place, there is a need for a more focused change initiative.

Would you consider taking a class to improve your health literacy? The class would involve both English and Spanish languages and taught to Junior and Senior classes and require 6 after-school sessions. Let us know!

Would you take a Health Literacy Class?

YES or NO

Click to vote!!

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). What is health literacy?. Retrieved November 15, 2017 from

https://www.cdc.gov/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Chronic disease overview. Retrieved on November 15, 2017 from https://www.cdc.gov/

Illinois Report Card. (2016). Dundee-Crown High School. Retrieved from https://illinoisreportcard.com

Institute of Medicine. 2004. Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Sansom-Daly, U. M., Lin, M., Robertson, E. G., Wakefield, C. E., McGill, B. C., Girgis, A., & Cohn, R. J. (2016). Health literacy in adolescents and young adults: An updated review. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, 5, 106-118. http://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2015.0059

Soto Mas, F., Cordova, C., Murrietta, A., Jacobson, H.E., Ronquillo, F., Heitzer, D. (2014). A multisite community-based health literacy intervention for Spanish speakers. Journal of Community Health, 40, 431-438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10900-014-9953-4

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Quick guide to health literacy. Retrieved from https://health.gov/

Coming up in June..

The Anxiety Article

Staying healthy this summer!

What's the Deal with Vitamins?

You hear about the importance of vitamins all the time - in the doctor's office, on TV, in stores where shelves are piled high with products claiming to work miracles. But is taking a daily multivitamin all that is needed? Are vitamins all that they're cracked up to be?

First, let's define Vitamins.

Vitamins are organic molecules that are vital to a proper functioning body. There are 13 essential vitamins - A, B (there are 8 of these), C, D, E, and K.

What do vitamins do?

They help processes in the body run faster and more efficiently.

Let's Break it down:

Vitamin A

Role: bone-building and vision

Sources: kale, carrots, sweet potatoes

Vitamin B1

Role: neural function and carbohydrate metabolism

Sources: oatmeal, brown rice, asparagus, and whole grains

Vitamin B2

Role: vital cellular processes

Sources: eggs, milk, cheese, and almonds

Vitamin B5

Role: carbohydrate metabolism

Sources: whole-grain cereal, beans, eggs, and meats

Vitamin B6

Role: metabolism of amino acids, synthesis of hemoglobin, histamine, and neurotransmitters

Sources:whole grains, meats, vegetables, and nuts

Vitamin B7

Role: production of fatty acids, metabolism of fats, and amino acids

Sources: swiss chard, tomatoes, carrots, and romaine lettuce

Vitamin B9

Role: production and maintenance of new cells

Sources: fortified grains, beans, and peas

Vitamin B12

Role: brain functioning, creation of blood, synthesis of DNA

Sources: meat, shellfish, eggs, and poultry

Vitamin C

Role: powerful antioxidant

Sources: oranges, limes, and citrus fruits

Vitamin D

Role: maintenance of major organs

Sources: salmon, tuna, eggs, and the sun!

Vitamin E

Role: Antioxidant

Sources:nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, milk, green, leafy vegetables

Vitamin K

Role: Blood clotting

Source: green, leafy vegetables

SO... what does all of this mean?

It's recommended that you get most of your vitamins from foods and natural sources. But, most teens don't get all of their essential vitamins from their daily food sources.

Taking a multivitamin can ensure that you're getting your recommended daily allowance of vitamins.

Helpful Hints:

Don't take Vitamins with more than the recommended daily dose. Taking 1000% of the daily dose will not make you a super hero. It could be ineffective or worse, harmful for you.

Do your research. Find out which mutivitamin brands have the best reviews. Read the label on the bottle.

Expensive is not always best. The Kirkland brand from Costco is known to be one of the best on the market!

Don't buy into gimmicks. All you need is to fill in the nutritional gaps of your diet.

Look for a mutlivitamin without a lot of sugars and fillers.

Top Ten Multivitamins

Vitamin Cheat Sheet

Fact of the Week

4/11/16 - Motorists who talk on cell phones are more impaired than drunk drivers with blood-alcohol levels exceeding .08

4/18/16 - A lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths as smoking across the world, a study suggests.

Facto of the the Weeko

OUTLINE TITLE

Charger Health News

Here you'll find all the latest information on health and wellness. From global to local - we've included up-to-date links, research, news articles, opinions, and informative pieces for your reference.

Got ideas for an article?

Navigate

May News

Your Backpack

vs.

Your Spine

Zika\

What's the Deal with Multivitamins?

Health Literacy?

Fact of the Week

A lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths as smoking across the world, a study suggests.

​

​

May News

Did you Know?

Carrying a backpack that weighs too much can cause improper spine alignment, causing fatigue and strain that may result in further injury.

The daily physical stresses associated with carrying backpacks on one shoulder significantly alter the posture and gait of youth.

7,277 emergency room visits each year result from injuries related to backpacks.

Signs that your backpack might be damaging your physical health:

You change your posture (leaning forward, arching your back, leaning to one side) when wearing the backpack

You struggle to put your backpack on or take it off

You experience pain when wearing your backpack

You notice tingling or numbness in your arms or legs

You have red marks on your shoulders from your backpack

What can you do to prevent backpack related injuries?

Wear both straps. Using one strap causes one side of the body to bear the weight of the backpack. This is true even with one strap backpacks that cross the body.

Remove and put on backpacks carefully. Keep the trunk of your body stable and avoid excessive twisting.

Wear rhe backpack over the strongest mid-back muscles. Pay close attention to the way the backpack is positioned on your back. It should rest evenly in the middle of the back.

Lighten the load. Keep the load at 10-15% of your body weight. Organize the contents of your backpack by placing the heaviest items against your back to reduce kinetic forces that cause postural misalignment and overwork muscles.

(2009). Take A Load Off! Backpack Safety for Spinal Health. Retrieved from http://www.iscoliosis.com/articles-scoliosis-backpack.html

Are you Health Literate?

Coming up in June..

The Anxiety Article

Staying healthy this summer!

What's the Deal with Vitamins?

You hear about the importance of vitamins all the time - in the doctor's office, on TV, in stores where shelves are piled high with products claiming to work miracles. But is taking a daily multivitamin all that is needed? Are vitamins all that they're cracked up to be?

First, let's define Vitamins.

Vitamins are organic molecules that are vital to a proper functioning body. There are 13 essential vitamins - A, B (there are 8 of these), C, D, E, and K.

What do vitamins do?

They help processes in the body run faster and more efficiently.

Let's Break it down:

Vitamin A

Role: bone-building and vision

Sources: kale, carrots, sweet potatoes

Vitamin B1

Role: neural function and carbohydrate metabolism

Sources: oatmeal, brown rice, asparagus, and whole grains

Vitamin B2

Role: vital cellular processes

Sources: eggs, milk, cheese, and almonds

Vitamin B5

Role: carbohydrate metabolism

Sources: whole-grain cereal, beans, eggs, and meats

Vitamin B6

Role: metabolism of amino acids, synthesis of hemoglobin, histamine, and neurotransmitters

Sources:whole grains, meats, vegetables, and nuts

Vitamin B7

Role: production of fatty acids, metabolism of fats, and amino acids

Sources: swiss chard, tomatoes, carrots, and romaine lettuce

Vitamin B9

Role: production and maintenance of new cells

Sources: fortified grains, beans, and peas

Vitamin B12

Role: brain functioning, creation of blood, synthesis of DNA

Sources: meat, shellfish, eggs, and poultry

Vitamin C

Role: powerful antioxidant

Sources: oranges, limes, and citrus fruits

Vitamin D

Role: maintenance of major organs

Sources: salmon, tuna, eggs, and the sun!

Vitamin E

Role: Antioxidant

Sources:nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, milk, green, leafy vegetables

Vitamin K

Role: Blood clotting

Source: green, leafy vegetables