My web version of final story

Top health concerns for the web
By: Angela Brantley
Health beat



LONG BEACH, Calif. (May 14, 2007) - Amber Prinzen, a junior at Cal State Long Beach, attended to her daily tasks after leaving an AA meeting on campus, which was the end of a chain of events that could happen to any CSULB student.

Prinzen is not alone when she admits that she has dealt with depression due to factors such as: stress, negative body images, costs of living and due to the recent loss of a family member from AIDS, which lead her to alcohol abuse.

Prinzen is one of the many students that deal with interconnecting health concerns among college students; research from academic databases through Cal State University Library identifies the top five concerns as alcohol abuse, mental disorders, eating disorders, health care costs and sexually transmitted diseases.

Binge drinking is more commonly referred to as five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women in a span of two hours, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

“I had no idea that five drinks for men was considered binge drinking, maybe I do binge sometimes,” said senior at CSULB, Eric Yarger.

Binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning, impaired judgment, a decrease in physical health, a decrease in mental health, lower grades and alcoholism, which can also lead to other consequences.

CSULB’s Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs program is dedicated to reducing these negative consequences, according to ATOD coordinator, Ralph Davis. Davis believes binge drinking “is the biggest concern…it is one of the most preventable losses of life.”

ATOD’s newest program is an electronic assessment called e-CHUG; it allows students to find out if their alcohol use is excessive.

E-CHUG also shows how alcohol is affecting one’s life based on your health, nutrition, finances and ones possibility to addiction due to hereditary factors.

After the tragedy of Virginia Tech, mental disorders should also be on high-alert for CSULB faculty and students.

Prinzen, like the gunman of Virginia Tech, also believes that she gave many signs to friends and family about her initial depression, “I just didn’t feel like doing anything anymore. I was to myself and that made things even worse.”

CSULB students and faculty should be highly aware of potential victims of mental disorders that can danger themselves and others.

Students at CSULB should take advantage of the counseling programs offered on campus. Through Counseling and Psychological Services, students can meet their personal challenges related to academic, career and personal goals.

Eating disorders are also on the rise for students; students are binge eating. A binge-eating disorder is characterized by binging on food at least twice a week for six months.
Stress caused by end-of-the-semester projects and finals will cause many to act on unhealthy eating habits.

“Often, food is used to relieve emotional distress – loneliness, sadness, anxiety. College students are certainly vulnerable to many of these factors,” said Tufts University Health Services Medical Director Dr. Margaret Higham.

“I would be upset, then drink, then eat, then be upset again and start the whole cycle over again. My eating habits were a cause and effect of my depression,” said Ashley Prinzen.
The Student Health Center also offers nutrition counseling for students interested in one hour, free sessions with a peer counselor.

A rise in health care costs may affect students. Health care costs are expected to double within ten years, according to abcnews.com, which means more people uninsured including CSULB students.

“College students make up the largest age-group of uninsured Americans; nearly one in three of the uninsured are between 18 and 24 years old,” according to aetna.com.

Student Health Services on campus allows for a few more options for students. SHS provides free visits, discounted prices at the pharmacy and emergency room health insurance.

While some prices at the pharmacy are discounted, others are not. Prices for birth control have increased.

For women who are trying to avoid the last concern, sexually transmitted diseases, safe sex just got more expensive on campus. Due to a federal law university health centers no longer benefit from the discounted prices of birth control.

For more information, students can contact ATOD or the Student Health Center through their Web site or by calling their offices at (562) 985-4609.

Student gives story a new spin

Yesterday, I attended an AA meeting at Cal State University, Long Beach. I joined this meeting in hopes to find a student that would be open to an interview and revealing his/her name.

I was lucky to find a student that was open to sharing her story in hopes to help out people like her -people who are affected by the top health concerns that are affecting college students today.

Her story created a humanistic feel to my final story by creating a focus lead that focuses on her story and then leads to the bigger picture.

A press release turned into a news story

For my journalism class, we were given a press release from Dr.Mulligan and were given the assignment to write a news story out of it. We were given little information and had to further research the topic through academic databases to ensure accuracy.

After research, I found out about a lot of past accidents on rides at Disneyland that I had never heard of before. This assignment was very interesting. I enjoyed it because I plan on doing public relations for my profession.

I got published in the 49er

Alcohol awareness month: how aware are you?
By: Angela Brantley
Health beat
Pubished in CSULB's Daily 49er


LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 26, 2007) - April is Alcohol Awareness Month, but college students may not as aware as they should be; students are not acknowledging the impact of alcohol abuse or the programs on campus that are dedicated to educating, preventing and treating alcohol abuse.

Gary DeVercelly, a freshman at Rider University who is originally from Long Beach, died on March 30 after binge drinking at a fraternity party. Approximately 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 will die this year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes. Alcohol abuse, by college students, will also account for 599,000 injuries and 97,000 cases of sexual assault this year in the United States, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

One of the biggest problems associated with college drinking is binge drinking. Like DeVercelly, many students don’t realize their own limits for alcohol consumption.

Binge drinking, while there is no common consensus, is more commonly referred to as five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women in a span of two hours; one drink is equivalent to a 12-ounce beer, four ounces of wine or a one-ounce shot of 100 proof liquor, according to NIAA.

“I had no idea that five drinks for men was considered binge drinking, maybe I do binge sometimes,” said Eric Yarger, a senior at Cal State Long Beach.

The amount of alcohol that is related to binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning, impaired judgment, a decrease in physical health, a decrease in mental health, lower grades and alcoholism, which can also lead to other consequences.

CSULB’s Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) program is dedicated to reducing these negative consequences associated with college binge drinking, according to ATOD coordinator, Ralph Davis. Davis believes that binge drinking “is the biggest concern…it is one of the most preventable losses of life.”

One of ATOD’s newer programs is called e-CHUG, which allows students to find out if their alcohol use is excessive. E-CHUG is an electronic assessment that compares ones own drinking patterns to other people on campus, other people in the United States that are of the same age and gender and college students in general.

This assessment also shows how alcohol is affecting one’s life based on your health, nutrition, finances and ones possibility to addiction due to hereditary factors, according to Davis; “It just gives you a really good feedback.” This assessment is located on the ATOD Web site.

ATOD is currently trying to make the e-CHUG assessment mandatory for incoming freshmen or for students who move into the dorms, according to Davis.

ATOD also has a peer-education program in which peer educators are trained to work with students and have peer-to-peer conversations about drugs and alcohol.

Drug, Alcohol, Tobacco Education (D.A.T.E) is another on campus program dedicated to educating students. D.A.T.E. takes place in residence halls on Wednesday nights because typically college weekends start on Thursday nights. ATOD’s goal with D.A.T.E. is to help students plan and think about their weekends more and how to make safer choices.

I got my interview

I finished my interview with ATOD coordinator, Ralph Davis. I stayed in contact with him for over two weeks while he planned a date and time that he would be available for an interview.

He was very easy to talk to and gave me everything that I needed for a sufficient story to hopefully get published in the Daily 49er and for the final story in my journalism class.

Overall, the interview was a success and I thank Mr. Ralph Davis.

Health care costs are rising

The cost of health care is one of the main concerns for people today, including college students. The costs of health care are expected to double within ten years, according to abcnews.com.

If the costs for health care continuously increase employers may not be able to provide health care for their employees, leaving even more people uninsured. There are fewer options for health insurance these days.

If you would like to read more about how health care costs will effect Cal State Long Beach students, you can visit the Daily 49er online.

Alcohol awareness month is taking over CSULB

ATOD- the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs- program at Cal State Long Beach identified April as Alcohol Awareness Month.

ATOD recognized the problems associated with college students and alcohol. It has created an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Meetings on campus and the award-winning D.A.T.E- drugs, alcohol and tobacco education.



Alcohol Awareness Month
Open to all students!
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2007
Location: Student Health Services,Rm 118
Times:
8:30am-10:30am:
"Psychiatric illness and addiction in college age population"
10:45am-12:15pm:
“HIV Co-morbidities: Psychiatric Illness and addiction”

To schedule a D.A.T.E , or for more information, contact the ATOD Program at (562) 985-2520.

Top health concerns are broadcasted

Top health concerns in broadcast style
By: Angela Brantley
Health Beat

LONG BEACH, Calif. (March 19, 2007) - Academic databases through Cal State University Library identifies five concerns among college students regarding their health: alcohol abuse, mental disorders, eating disorders, health care costs and sexually transmitted diseases. Fifty-one students have already been taken to hospitals as a result of drinking at Providence College since their fall semester. Providence College’s president, the Rev. Brian J. Shanley, stated...

"I was a little shocked; I just hadn’t wanted to believe the problem was as serious as it was. This has been a wake-up call for me, that yes, we do have this problem. And I think this is the first time we are facing it head on, transparently."

All colleges, internationally, should wake-up to the health issues concerning our college students.

Top five health issues concerning college students

Health concerns for college students are growing
By: Angela Brantley
Health Beat

LONG BEACH, Calif. (March 19, 2007) - Research from academic databases through Cal State University Library identifies five concerns among college students regarding their health: alcohol abuse, mental disorders, eating disorders, health care costs and sexually transmitted diseases.

In regard to the first issue, alcohol abuse, author Jennifer Jordan reported in the Providence Journal that the University of Providence rushed 51 students to the hospital as a result of binge drinking since their fall semester; forty-three of those students were freshmen and sophomores.

PR Newswire gave current statistics, from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, indicating that drinking by college students also accounts for 1,700 student deaths, 599,000 injuries and 97,000 cases of sexual assault in the United States.

The second concern, mental disorders, is also evident in many universities. Suicide, due to mental disorders, is the second leading cause of death for college students, according to Christian Newswire.

The University of Michigan recognizes this concern and created the Fifth Annual Depression on College Campuses conference; this conference was created by experts to inform students about depression and how to treat it, according to Christian Newswire.

The third concern is eating disorders. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 10 million women and 1 million men in the United States suffer from eating disorders; ninety-percent of these people are between the ages of 12 and 25, reported Christine Dell’Amore. College students are not being treated for eating disorders and are being disregarded. “We’re not getting people the help the (need), and that should be setting the alarms off on college campuses,” said Lynn Grete, CEO of NEDA.

The lack of health care for college students is the fourth concern. Students entering into college are left with few options regarding to health insurance. Many students “go bare” or rely on their parents’ coverage as a dependant; although, many plans have age-based cut-offs for dependent by age 19 or 23, according to Aetna online.

In regard to the last issue, sexually transmitted diseases, Bear River Health Department accounts for 67 percent of their STD clients to college students reported Amy Sue Heaton. Bear River District has also reported 15 infections of HIV and 41 cases of AIDS in the past year alone stated Heaton.

One week till midterms- stress levels are rising

Mid-terms are in a week, which means I have a week to do an overview of all my classes. More importantly, the semester is half-way over and I need to start thinking about an interview.

I need an interview for my health beat. Therefore, I need to look at my resources and set up an interview with the highest-ranking health official I can find. The last thing I want to do is wait till last minute.

I am still researching into the Meningitis case at Cal State Long Beach to figure out whether this disease is of great importance. If it is, my interview will most likely be associated with this disease.

Allison goes to Japan

Today, in journalism 311, I interviewed Cal State Long Beach classmate Allison Rogers. I interviewed Rogers with the purpose of trying to get to know her, while trying to find a story. The interview was a perfect first-time experience.

The interview began with questions about Rogers' childhood. The interview then continued until I got the story. Her story was about her trip to Japan.







Allison Rogers has experienced Japan
By: Angela Brantley
Health Beat

LONG BEACH, Calif. (March 12, 2007) Allison Rogers, a student at Cal State University of Long Beach, is one of the many students who are pursuing a career in the public relations professions; what sets her apart is her cultural experience in Japan.

Rogers went to Japan for a week for her cousins wedding and experienced a cultural shock that influenced her career decision. Japan was “one of the neatest places I’ve ever been,” said Rogers. Rogers said she recognized her dreams of traveling abroad through public relations when she had her cultural experience in Japan.

Japan’s architecture was advanced, yet traditional, said Rogers. She was astonished by the prevalence of nudity in advertisements and how different food tasted. The wedding customs, such as the music, were also shocking for Rogers.

At the wedding they played traditional Japanese music, as well as country for her uncle, stated Rogers. The overall experience, “opened my eyes,” said Rogers. This experience in Japan was the one that inspired Rogers to pursue public relations, internationally, said Rogers, and now she is one-step ahead in gaining insight into other customs.

Rogers grew up in Huntington Beach and had never traveled farther than the country of Mexico. Rogers added that her dreams of traveling when she was younger might have added to her career pursuits. When she was in high school she was class president, a waitress and a scholarly student; yet, she felt unfulfilled because of her lack of traveling.

According to Rogers, she said she plans on traveling more and, hopefully, returns to Japan soon.

Meningitis a concern at CSULB

After a case of meningitis broke out at Cal State Long Beach, I will consider changing my top five health concerns list to include this disease.

The Long Beach Press-Telegram reported on the meningitis case at CSULB on March 6. The article included brief information about the woman infected with the disease, the cause of the disease, and the spread of meningitis.

After the woman was diagnosed with meningitis, the student health center at CSULB provided vaccinations and antibiotic provisions for students.

I will seek further information about other cases of meningitis to find out if this disease is a top concern for college students and everyone else.

The official top five health concerns are now posted

Based on research from academic databases through the Cal State Long Beach library the top five concerns among college students are: alcohol abuse, mental disorders, eating disorders, health care and sexually transmitted diseases.

Researching begins

Today I went with my journalism class to the Cal State Long Beach library. We were taught how to locate useful articles, books and statistics for research on our assigned beats. The lesson was very helpful; it gave me a place to start.

Now that I have started my research, I have a good idea of what the top health concerns are for college students. By next Monday, I have been assigned make a list of the top five concerns. After a little more research I will definitely be prepared with a top five list.

Alcohol consumption a concern for college students

Alcohol consumption for the college-aged is a concern among parents, campus employees and the public. Over the years, “binge” drinking is being linked more frequently to college students. According to national researchers, 44 percent of college students are engaging in “binge” drinking.

Excessive drinking by college students, between the ages of 18 and 24, are leading to negative consequences for the student and innocent bystanders. Research suggests that college students are to blame for 1,400 deaths, 500,000 injuries and 70,000 cases of assault and rape. High-risk drinking also harms the students and their performance in school. Twenty-five percent of students who are “binge” drinkers experience problems such as: missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams and receiving lower grades.

If you are a student, between the age of 18 and 24, you need to take precautions before consuming alcohol. Be well informed about the consequences of drinking and establish limits. Drinking can be done in moderation to save the lives of yourself, and others.

First day of the health beat, what should I do?

Welcome to the first posting of the Health Beat. My name is Angela Brantley and I am a student at Cal State Long Beach, where I am enrolled in Journalism 311, with Dr. William A. Mulligan. My assignment is to document my personal thoughts along with health issues affecting students locally and internationally.

I am excited to begin Journalism 311 and to start my journey as a journalist. Although, along with my excitement, I also feel a sense of nervousness to find out if I will make it in journalism.

What I share with most students is the stress that is usually accompanied with school, work and social factors that can affect your day-to-day agendas and even possibly your own physical health.