Posted by admin on Dec 14, 2009 in
Uncategorized This semester, I have been taking a Health Principles class which discusses various issues and practices useful for living a healthier lifestyle. The term paper for this class involves a family tree of diseases with report on the most prevalent one. As someone attending a historically black university, the results of this assignment was a dismal informal study on the health condition of families of African descent. Upon asking my classmates about their findings, I heard all of them report diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension) in their families for generations. Sadly, this is only the beginning of the matter.
The United States Department for Health and Human Services reports that African Americans have higher rates of certain diseases and early death than whites. African American women are also twice as likely to develop diabetes as Caucasian women of the same age. The leading causes of death among African American women are heart disease, stroke, cancer, and kidney disease. Also, African Americans contract sexually transmitted diseases at higher rates, to the point where among women, two out of every three HIV cases are African Americans. These are only a few statistics that show that African women have a major struggle in regard to health.
There are many possible explanations for this unfortunate phenomenon. But there is a very noticeable pattern among these diseases in that they are all “lifestyle diseases,” meaning that lifestyle decisions affect the likelihood of a person developing a particular disease. Our diet, sexual choices, and other decisions we make will contribute to our health conditions in the future. As African women I think we must do ourselves a service by taking care of ourselves, both for our sakes and for our loved ones.
Tags: african health conditions, african women health, lifestyle diseases
Posted by admin on Dec 7, 2009 in
Uncategorized Being an international student tends to brood some of the loneliest situations a person could experience. During this period, one is usually presented with culture shock, the challenge of developing meaningful friendships and entering a confusing world simultaneously. It is difficult to spend years away from home, family and lifelong friends in a strange, unfamiliar and intimidating environment. Some of these situations eventually progress into depression, a far too common occurrence on college campuses.
The boundary of separation amongst students with families overseas is much stronger than those who may have arrived from distant cities or states throughout a country. Simple phone calls for international students are almost always more expensive due to the distance, exacting shorter phone conversations with families. An additional layer to the problem is that international students quite often cannot afford to visit families during breaks; for many of these students, college is the first time they have been separated from their families for such a long period of time.
Dealing with the loneliness of extreme homesickness is difficult, but very possible. The key is to be proactive. Situations involving loneliness and separation are easily improved with a positive outlook. There is an equation that states: an Outcome is equal to an Event plus a person’s Response (E+R=O). In this instance, response is essential. It would be very helpful to make the most out of the college experience by building meaningful friendships, getting involved in on-campus activities and pursuing personal interests. These may not replace family relationships, but they can occupy your time and help keep your mind off homesickness. Sacrifice always brings a reward, and being far away from home to establish a great life is no exception.
Tags: dealing with loneliness, family relationships, international students, interntional student homesickness