|
Click HERE for 2008 Community Health Assessment
FIRST CLASS TIPS
for Traveling Well
 Traveling for business or pleasure can be fun, but it can sometimes put extra demands on your body and its natural defenses. A little extra planning and packing can help ease travel stress.
Rest up. Get plenty of sleep one to two days before your trip.
Prevent motion sickness, On a plane, request a seat over the wing or toward the front, where the ride is smoother. On cruises, request a room mid-ship, stay in the center of the deck, and avoid heavy foods and tobacco smoke and other strong odors.
Avoid cross your legs on lengthy plane rides. Get up and move around hourly. You'll reduce your risk of blood clots in the legs resulting from prolonged sitting (pull off for breaks during long car trips too).
Bring a sleep kit. Lack of sleep (due to hotel noise, for instance) can leave you irritable and stressed. Bring earplugs, an eye shield and a neck pillow for more comfort. More good sleep tips: Avoid heavy meals and strenuous exercise just prior to bedtime.
Did you know ...
Airplane air is drier than the Sahara desert.
It's true. Plane cabin humidity is often 10% or less; the Sahara averages 25% humidity. Dehydration contributes to jet lag, so drink lots of water during and after your flight -- and avoid alcohol and caffeine.
Need HELP with your maintenance prescriptions? You may be eligible for help from HealthQuest, a pharmacy service serving Anson and Union counties. Click Here for more information.
Medicines are dispensed at the pharmacy in Anson Community Hospital from 3:30-5:00 every 4th Tuesday: Jan. 27, Feb. 24, March 24, April 21, May 19, June 16, July 14, August 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 1, Dec. 29.
Click Here to learn more about the Anson Diabetes Self Management Program.
Did you know you can get prescriptions for over 350 drugs filled at Wal-Mart for only $4.00 for a 30-day supply? Click Here to see a list of covered drugs.
See the Healthy Ansonians "Links to Resources" or helpful information, such as finding a doctor in your community.
|
Dr. Donna Breitenstein discusses the most common causes of unwanted pregnancies among teenagers and why they choose to engage in what adults consider risky behavior. |
'Sex education' on table at May meeting
|
The Healthy Ansonians Task Force met in the fellowship hall at First Presbyterian Church, Wadesboro, on May 19. Dr. Donna Breitenstein of Appalachian State University and director of the N.C. Comprehensive School Health Training Center addressed the issue of teen pregnancy, an initiative that Healthy Ansonians will be focusing on in the next four years. Breitenstein also is a member of the N.C. Institute of Medicine’s Task Force on Adolescent Health.
Teen pregnancy declined 38 per cent between 1990 and 2004, Breitenstein said, but at the same time the numbers of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) was going up because teens were engaging in anal and oral sex to prevent pregnancy. The number of teen pregnancies has begun to rise again, “but we don’t know why. It’s a complicated issue,” Breitenstein said.
Every 28 minutes a North Carolina teen becomes pregnant; 404 girls ages 10-14 became pregnant in North Carolina in 2007, she said. By their senior year, 70 per cent of teens are sexually active.
Breitenstein said that a 2009 parent opinion survey released by the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina shows that 91.8 per cent of N.C, parents believe that sexuality education should be taught in schools; of these, 93.5 per cent think that public health professionals should choose what is taught. (Visit www.APPCNC.org to read the entire report.)
By law, N. C. schools must teach seventh grade students about condoms; and eighth graders must be taught all methods of contraception. Both focus on effectiveness and failure rate.
The current legislative mandate is to teach abstinence as the best and most certain way to prevent unintended pregnancy. Only one abstinence curriculum, Making a Difference, has been shown to delay sexual activity, and that only by months. And, Breitenstein said, teens who take the virginity pledge are just as likely to have sex and less likely to get protection.
House Bill 88, which has passed the House and is now in the Senate, would allow parents to choose from an evidence-based
| comprehensive curriculum that includes abstinence (“sex education”), an abstinence-based curriculum, or opting their child out of the program. Twelve school systems in the state already teach comprehensive sex education, Breitenstein said, because local boards of education approved the curriculum following a public hearing.
Breitenstein handed out check lists for Task Force members. One asked for the top five reasons many teens are sexually active. Choices were: peer pressure; confusion of love and sex or to be loved; “bragging rights”; curiosity; alcohol or drug use (being under the influence of drugs or to get drugs); imitation of adults (rite of passage); influence of media (“sex sells”); lack of supervision; low self-esteem; to get or keep a boyfriend/girlfriend; it feels good; and hormones.
A second check list asked why teens took risks that might result in pregnancy or STDs. Members could choose the top five of ten: personal fable (“It can’t happen to me”); lack of information; misconceptions; failure of product (usually human error); belief that the product will not work; desire to get pregnant/have baby; risk-taking; lack of access (or perceived lack of access) to birth control; fear of side effects; rebellion; perception that contraception will interfere with pleasure, spontaneity; and failure to believe they have a fulfilling future.
While no definitive top five were selected, members were made aware that the issue is, indeed, complicated. Most parents and educators agree on the importance of preventing unintended pregnancies and reducing the risk of STDs, and agree that children should be taught about and encouraged to have healthy, loving, committed relationships. The area of disagreement lies in the issue of safer sex. Breitenstein said that there is no evidence that talking about sexuality, disease prevention or contraception equates to giving permission.
To read more about the goals of school-based sexuality education, and how these programs differ, HERE.
To read the Family Life/Sexuality Objectives in the 2006 N.C. Standard Course of Study in Healthful Living, Click HERE.
|
| 
|
Are you at risk
for developing diabetes?
You can prevent or postpone Diabetes 2
How? | Find out by attending our FREE diabetes Prevention Program
Funded by Kate B. Reynolds Foundations Grant and Anson United Way |
- Over 40
- Over weight
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes in immediate family
- African American, Alaskan, American Indian
Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander
| - Dark skin around neck or armpits
- Blood vessel problems
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Diabetes during pregnancy or
Overweight newborn
| Taking Care of the Neighborhood
www.carolinashealthcare.org |
|
| Coming to a Location Near You... |
|---|
|
Healthy Ansonians
Mobile Screening Clinic
In 2009, The Mobile Screening Clinic will have served Anson County for 10 years. Click here to see how many citizens have visited since 1999. |
Click HERE
|
|
