Healthy aging; Exercise for Life; Pudgy Progeny?

Prevention for the Month

If you could buy a pill or eat a new food fad to improve your health would you do it? If you could change a few personal habits just a little bit and get the same effect, would you do it? For almost the past 50 years, health related research has pointed to lifestyle choices as the major factor in maintaining good health and preventing disease. A recent report in the American Journal of Public Health (October, 1998) presented evidence that middle-aged men who don't smoke, are not obese, have low blood pressure, and low blood glucose levels will age the healthiest. The study followed 8,000 men for 28 years. Healthy aging was defined as staying alive, being free of chronic illnesses and physical and cognitive impairments. Besides the four major factors of health, there were two "strong predictors of survival." These were low alcohol intake and good lung function. This report underscores the volumes of research that point to risk factors that can largely be controlled by our lifestyle choices. It is never too late to begin a change in your "wellness" behaviors and live both healthier and happier.
 

ASU Faculty and Staff Report Noon-hour Supercircuit Conditioning is Changing Their Lives

Here's what some of your fellow friends and co-workers are saying about participating in regular exercise of moderate intensity:
    "I was able to do two pull-ups at the park and my husband (who doesn't work-out) couldn't do even one! I couldn't do that last year."
    "I have more energy after the workouts, feel better during the week, and have noticed a good increase in overall body strength this semester."
    "I've toned up my arms and stomach this semester."
Come and join your coworkers for 35 minutes of fun and exercise at a level that is just right for you. The goal is to exercise and engage in activities that promote overall health and fitness in adults. In other words, Exercise For Life. Hope to see you there! - details below.

Get In On The action!

Your Employee Wellness Program is dedicated to promoting healthier lifestyles for the ASU family. especially through health promotion at the worksite. Two fitness programs are available to ASU's faculty, staff and spouses:

SUPER CIRCUIT: M,W,F: 12:10 - 12:45

WATER AEROBICS: M,W,F: 12:00-1:00

    For information on water aerobics, you can call Dr. Cindy Albright at x-3066. For information about Super- circuit Conditioning, E-mail Dr. Jim Farris at jfarris@crow.astate.edu.
    Also, there is a group forming for early morning (6:00 am) lap swimming at the HPER complex pool. For info, contact Dr. Debbie Clymer in Communication Disorders at x-3106.
    Get in on the action! Make physical activity a part of your life. Lack of physical activity is now clearly shown to be a risk factor for heart disease.

ASU Employee Health Screening and Benefits Fair.

There were over 200 participants in the health screening and benefits fair. For those of you who participated in the health screening, your results should have been mailed to you and received by now. Compare your results to last years report and see where you stand. If this was your first time, hang on to your results for comparison. If you have ANY measures that are outside of normal ranges, you will be sent educational materials from the crew at St. Bernards. You may also want to consider a follow-up visit to your primary care physician and/or make changes in your lifestyle that will improve your health.

    OVERALL RESULTS:

We haven't changed much in the last three years. Blood pressure and cholesterol are still health problems at ASU. Almost 20% of those tested have high blood pressure and just over 75% have high blood cholesterol levels (this has increased every year). If your blood cholesterol is over 200 mg/dL, you are at risk for heart and vascular disease. If you have both high blood pressure and high cholesterol, please see your doctor - this is a serious health concern. The results for faculty and staff are similar. Because the numbers for blood pressure and cholesterol have been consistently high for the last three years, ASU employees would definitely benefit from healthy lifestyle and nutritional changes. In some instances, medical intervention may even be necessary. If your ranges were all normal, congratulations! If not, look for the educational materials in the mail within the next couple of weeks and seriously consider adopting healthy behaviors that will help to prevent disease and improve your overall health.

If you took the time to fill out the health risk questionnaire, THANK YOU. That information is still being analyzed and results are upcoming.

Slothful Parents, Pudgy Progeny?

Could it be that we are raising, and setting an example for, a generation that will be at high risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other health problems? Recent reports seem to indicate this is a very strong possibility. Did you know that only 10% of Arkansans, ages 6 and above) get regular physical activity of moderate intensity (Arkansas Health Counts 4(2), 1998). Also, 34% of Arkansans are obese. This indicates a 21% increase in obesity during the last two years which is three times the national increase (Arkansas Health Counts 1(2), 1995). Obesity levels for ASU employees are similar to those of the state of Arkansas (data from the last three years of health screening). ASU employees are at risk for cardiovascular disease, heart disease, cancer, stroke, pulmonary disease, and diabetes all of which are among the top ten causes of mortality in the state of Arkansas (Arkansas Primary Care Source Book, 1997).

Following in their parents footsteps, the number of overweight kids doubled in last 25 years. The estimates range from 11%-22% nationally (6-17 yr). Most of this increase has occurred since 1978. There are also estimations that 4.7 million kids are overweight.

Not only are kids overweight but a well rounded diet may be lacking. In the October issue of Pediatrics, researchers reported that kids are getting most of the main vitamins and minerals from breakfast cereal and not much from the foods they eat the rest of the day. The 4,008 kids between the ages of 2 and 18 in this study appeared to be eating foods with a lot of energy (fats) but not a lot of nutrients. The diets were lacking fruits and vegetables. School lunches in the ASU region may not be helping in the area of reducing the fat in the foods our kids eat. An analysis of a local school districts weekly lunch menu indicated an average of 42% calories from fat with high levels of saturated fat. The USDA recently initiated a school nutrition campaign with a goal to cut the fat from school lunches while serving more fruits, vegetables, breads, and grains. Another area related to schools may be overweight and unhealthy kids. There are a number of instances in the Jonesboro area where children who live only one-quarter of a mile from school, ride the bus for 45 minutes to get to or from school instead of walking for 5 minutes each way. This is not necessarily the school's fault but may lie more in the hands of the city fathers and the exercise unfriendly streets of Jonesboro and Craighead County.

Poor nutrition and lack of activity appear to be the prime culprits in this area of poor health. Parents can help their children to make better food choices by incorporating more fruits and vegetables in meals and eliminating fatty snacks. Parents can also encourage physical activity for the entire family. This can be fun for both the children and the parents. Parents can also support their school district's attempts to improve nutritional offerings and increased physical education classes that focus on lifetime activities and fitness. There are a few easy ways to raise an unhealthy generation. But, there are a number of ways parents can take their children's health into their own hands and raise a healthy generation while having fun and staying healthy too.

Fun and Fit

Hats off to Larry Olson, Ed Bennett, Gail Hudson, Laura Cremeens, Renee Emerson, Sherry Eskridge, Joel Gambill, Rich Carvell, Zach Lawhon, Russ Shain, Paula James, and Herman Strickland for making a consistent weekly effort throughout the month to exercise regularly. Are you participating in moderately intense exercise for 30 minutes a day, at least 2 days per week? If so you qualify for the Fun and Fit list - email Dr. Farris and let him know!