The Arkansas State University Wellness Program Newsletter
http://www.clt.astate.edu/wellness
Know Your Numbers & Real Men Get Checked
Prevention for the Month
September is the month for Cholesterol Education and Prostate Cancer Awareness. Should you know your numbers? Should you participate in prostate cancer screening on a regular basis? Read on. Welcome to all of the new employees to the ASU family. Each year the Employee Wellness Program publishes this newsletter on a monthly basis throughout the academic year for all ASU employees. Its purpose is to increase the health awareness on campus. Thanks for reading and providing feedback last year. We look forward to another year of Health In Our Hands!
Know Your Numbers
Cardiovascular disease is the #1 cause of death in both the United States and Arkansas. A high proportion of these deaths are preventable by reducing the important risk factors for heart disease, including smoking, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, family history of heart disease, being male, diabetes, obesity, high blood cholesterol, and a high-fat diet.
The amount of saturated fat in your diet is related to your blood cholesterol level. Beware of foods that are labeled "low-cholesterol" or "cholesterol-free" but are likely to contain a good amount of saturated fat. It is the saturated fat in your food, not the cholesterol, that has the greatest affect on your cholesterol level.
The National Cholesterol Education Program has developed a two-tiered set of recommendations that stress physical activity and sensible foods. Its Step I plan, geared to most patients, strongly resembles standard dietary guidelines for the general public. It suggests that people take in less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day, with fats accounting for no more than 30 percent of total daily calories (saturated fats 10 percent). The group's Step II diet offers a tougher regimen -- a daily cholesterol limit of less than 200 mg and only 7 percent of total calories from saturated fat -- for patients with a high risk of heart disease, those with existing cardiac problems, or anyone who didn't get results on the Step I diet (Hippocrates 12(5):30-37, 1998). Do you know your cholesterol levels? If not stop by the Annual Employee Health Screening - details below.
ASU Employee Health Screening and Benefits Fair.
On Thursday, October 8th, St.
Bernard's, ASU Human Resources, and your Wellness Program are teaming up
to bring a health & benefits extravaganza of sorts. All ASU employees
are encouraged to come over to the Reng Center Ballroom on this day to
learn, and ask questions!, about all of the benefits offered to us through
Human Resources and to participate in the health screening. We have even
heard of some pretty neat door prizes that will be given away this year.
Health measures that will be taken are blood pressure, height, weight,
blood cholesterol and glucose levels, and pulmonary function. Just a reminder,
if you would like the blood tests to more accurately reflect your status,
you will need to consider a 10-12 hour fast (only water) before having
it done. If you can't or don't fast, the numbers will still be accurate
but can be changed by the foods you have recently eaten. However, fasting
or not, your levels should still be in the "good" ranges at the screening
if you are not at risk for related diseases. The Health & Benefits
Fair will start at 10:00 am. The Human Resources staff will be available
until 3:00 pm and the St. Bernards crew will continue until 5:00 pm. Hope
to see everyone there.
Real Men & Prostate Cancer
Name a disease that is as important to men as breast cancer is to women, gets little media coverage, and is not often discussed. That's right - prostate cancer. Screening tests can often detect prostate cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to be successful. Screening for prostate cancer in men without any symptoms of prostate disease can help detect cancers at an earlier stage. Since prostate cancer screening became relatively common (about 1985) the prostate cancer death rate has dropped.
After a careful review of the scientific evidence and issues surrounding prostate cancer screening, the American Cancer Society recently updated its prostate cancer screening guidelines. The new guidelines state that "both prostate specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examination (DRE) should be offered annually, beginning at age 50 years, to men who have at least a 10-year life expectancy, and to younger men who are at high risk. Information should be provided to patients regarding potential risks and benefits of intervention. "The Society's previous guideline recommended that all men age 50 and over receive annual DRE and PSA.
Possible risk factors for prostate cancer currently under investigation include:
1) African-American race. The incidence rate of prostate cancer is nearly two times higher in African American men when compared to white men;
2) Increasing age. Besides being male, age is the single most important risk factor for the development of prostate cancer;
3) Family history of prostate cancer. Some studies have shown an overall two- to three-fold increase in the risk of prostate cancer in men with a positive family history. The number of affected family relatives and younger age at diagnosis appear to be influential familial factors;
4) Diet. A diet high in animal fat may approximately double the risk of developing prostate cancer;
5) Hormonal factors. Men with high plasma testosterone levels may be at an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, exceeded only by lung cancer.Prostate cancer incidence rates are expected to continue to decline and may stabilize at the rates in effect prior to the widespread use of PSA screening. Generally, survival has an inverse relationship with the stage of cancer at time of detection--the more advanced the stage, the lower the survival rate. According to the most recently available data, 5-year relative survival rates by stage of disease at diagnosis are: 100% when cancer is diagnosed at a local stage (confined to the prostate), 58% of prostate cancers are diagnosed at this stage; 94.1% when cancer is diagnosed at a regional stage (cancer has spread to surrounding tissue), 18% of prostate cancers are diagnosed at this stage; 30.9% when cancer is diagnosed at a distant stage (cancer has metastasized), 11% of prostate cancers are diagnosed at this stage. (American Cancer Society, http://www.cancer.org)
Hit With a Double Whammy!
The last two issues of Arkansas Health Counts, published by the Arkansas Dept. of Health, have not presented a pretty picture of the state of health of Arkansans. A left jab was thrown when they published data showing that only 10% of us get enough moderate physical activity on a regular basis. Recommendations are 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week of moderately intense exercise. The next blow was thrown in the following issue which stated that 34% of Arkansans are obese. The increase in obesity in Arkansas is three times the increase observed nationally. A body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more is considered obese. To find your BMI, multiply you weight in pounds by 703, then divide that number by your height in inches squared.
If you fall into either of these categories, take your health into your own hands before the double whammy is followed by the knock-out punch.
Noontime Exercise
We are fortunate to be able to continue with the lunch hour circuit training sessions from 12:10 to 12:45 in the Fitness Room in the HPER complex. Also, Dr. Cindy Albright is continuing to lead water aerobics during the noon hour at the pool in the HPER complex. Everyone is welcome regardless of fitness level.
The Arkansas State University Employee Wellness Newsletter is published monthly during the academic year by the College of Nursing and Health Professions and edited by the Wellness Coordinator. Health and wellness questions should be addressed to Jim Farris, Ph.D., ext. 3591 or jfarris@crow.astate.edu.