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.