HBB 2.2
 

 

Overview

A nationwide survey sponsored by the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy looked at high school seniors' knowledge levels in four areas: income, money management, saving and investment, and spending. On average, participants in the 2000 survey answered 51.9% of the questions correctly—a failing grade based upon a typical grading system used by schools.

A similar survey was conducted in 1997, where the average score was 57.3%.

Methodology 

Dr. Lewis Mandell, Dean of the University at Buffalo School of Management, conducted both the 1997 and 2000 studies. Data for the 2000 study were collected in February and March. A written, 45-minute exam was given to 723 seniors in public schools across the nation.

Some Results

—Less than half (46%) of the students in the 2000 study knew that retirement income paid by a company is called a pension (30.3% thought such income is called Social Security).

—Only 31.7% of the students knew that you can check your credit history for free if you are turned down for credit because of that information. Most (53%) thought it can be checked for free at any time.

—Some 60.7% of the students knew that only paying the minimum amount on a credit card will result in the highest dollar amount in finance charges.

—Less than a fourth of the students (23.4%) knew that over an 18-year period, stocks would likely have the highest growth (compared to a US Government savings bond, a checking account, or a savings account).

—Most students (83.2%) knew that a bank savings account is the safest place for college money (compared to placing it in a closet at home, in stocks, or in corporate bonds).

—Findings differed by race and ethnicity. The average score for Caucasian students was 54.5%, compared with 53.6% for Asian Americans, 45.3% for Hispanics, 47% for African Americans, and 38.6% for Native Americans.

—Males scored slightly higher (52.2%) than females (51.6%), on average.

—Students who own stocks in their own name scored similarly to students who don't own stocks (52.6 %).

—Students who got a regular allowance when growing up scored worse (48.9%) than those who did not get an allowance (51.9%).

—Students whose parents often discuss money matters with them (or in front of them) scored similarly (52.6%) to those students whose parents sometimes or rarely do so (52.5% and 52.4%, respectively). However, students whose parents never discuss money matters with them or in front of them scored lower (42.5 %).

Conclusions

The researcher believes that just having personal finance courses is not the answer, but that how the information is taught also is important. The survey results indicate some higher levels of knowledge among those students who had interactive classroom experiences.

Further, the survey findings suggest that experience alone is not the best teacher of money management. Simply having an allowance, credit card, or stocks does not guarantee that a student has greater knowledge about money management or can manage money more wisely.

FP 3-1

3/02

Abstract

Post-September 11 Patriotism, Civic Involvement and Hopes For The 2002 Election Season

 

 

Prepared by:   Sue E. Williams, Ph.D.
                        338 HES Building
                        Oklahoma State University
                        Stillwater, Ok 74078
                        405/744-6825

                        sarahk@okstate.edu

 

Harwood Institute for Public Innovation (2002, February).  Post-September 11 patriotism, civic involvement and hopes for the 2002 election season.  New Patriotism Project Report Improving Political Conduct in America, Bethesda, M D. The Harwood Institute.

FP 1-16

03/02

Update

Welfare Reform

 

 

Prepared by:   Sue Williams, Ph.D.
                        Family Policy Specialist
                        337 HES Building
                        Oklahoma State University
                        Cooperative Extension Service
                        Stillwater, OK  74078-6111
                        (405) 744-6825

                        sarahk@okstate.edu

 

 

 

 

 

Of all the issues facing Congress this year, none offers a better opportunity for substantial and bi-partisan progress than welfare reform. The landmark measure, passed by a Republican Congress and signed into law by President Clinton in 1996, is up for renewal this year.  It could be a notable achievement in what threatens to be a time of bickering and frustration on other fronts.                                            

Although there are serious disputes about how durable the gains of the past five years will be, no one wants to go back to the old welfare system.  By linking welfare benefits to work, the new system has introduced the discipline and rewards of the mainstream economy to neighborhoods that for too long were isolated in poverty and hopelessness. 

It is now being tested for the first time in a slumping economy, and so far seems to be holding up fairly well.  Until the recession hit, progress was remarkable.  Welfare rolls were cut by 57 percent.  Earnings for single mothers rose, teenage pregnancy declined and so did child poverty.

 Not all of this can be attributed to the 1996 law; a strong economy during the 1990s and changes in tax policy, notably the expansion of the earned income tax credit, probably has as much to do with the gains as welfare reform did. 

But there is general – if not universal – consensus that law-makers in 2002 can build off a success, rather than search for a remedy for systemic failure, as many of them felt they were doing with last year’s education reform effort. 

The second advantage is that key players in both parties are accustomed to working across partisan differences.  One major Democratic bill is being drafted by Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, who, as governor of his state, was a leading player in the National Governors’ Association effort that produced the 1996 law. 

When I saw Carper the other day, the first thing he told me was that he had invited another, former governor, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, to meet informally with a group of senators of both parties who, like them, are ex-governors.  Thompson, during his long run as governor of Wisconsin, became perhaps the boldest welfare innovator in the country, and is now perfectly positioned to help the White House and Congress take the next steps in advancing that agenda. 

It will not be easy.  A threshold question for governors and legislators, most of whom face difficult budget squeezes, is whether the federal government will renew its financial commitment to welfare reform.  As welfare rolls have declined, some in Congress have tried to renege on the $16.5 billion the feds pledged to put annually into a block grant to the states to help pay for the changes. 

The people remaining on welfare have more handicaps in finding jobs than those who left the rolls earlier.  The steady federal funding has allowed states to expand the day care, transportation, counseling and job training services that enabled more and more women to find employment.  

It is rumored that the Bush budget will call for no cutbacks -- or expansion – in the federal payment, but it will be a battle to keep that figure from being reduced on Capitol Hill. Other issues loom: Some liberals will try to soften the work requirement or lift the five-year limit on cash benefits the 1996 law set for most recipients.  During a January 2002 briefing, Democratic Leadership Council officials, including former Clinton White House domestic policy aide Bruce Reed, argued strongly that any such retreat would be a mistake. 

Instead, they said, policy-makers should look for leverage points to bring a similar regimen to bear on fathers who are not living with or supporting their children.  Many would argue that it is fundamentally unfair – and demoralizing – for single mothers to be nudged into the workplace while the fathers of their children hang out on street corners night and day. 

Some conservatives want to earmark welfare funds for those who marry.  Marriage is a good thing, and two incomes are certainly better than one, but the government has little experience as a marriage broker.  Reed and others point out that teenage pregnancy is a serious barrier to marriage, so focusing on reducing out-of-wedlock births may be the most useful goal of federal programs. 

Everyone knowledgeable on this subject re-cognizes the challenges in changing a welfare culture into a working culture.  Most also realize that trimming welfare rolls is but one step to-ward the real goal of eliminating poverty and raising incomes. 

But if partisan battles can be avoided, there is a chance for something good to happen. 

Sources:
Broder, D.S., Washington Post, http:// www. washingtonpost.com/wp- dyn/articles/A40853-2002Jan25.html

FR 7-22

3/02

Abstract

“What Happened to the World?”

 

Prepared by:   Elaine Wilson
                        Parenting Specialist
                        238 HES, Oklahoma State University
                        Stillwater, OK 74078-6111
                        (405) 744-7186
                        emwilso@okstate.edu

 

Greenman, Jim.  (2001).  What Happened to the World?  Helping children cope in turbulent times.  Bright Horizons Family Solutions.    www.brighthorizons.com/talktochildren/ 

On September 11, 2001, three blocks from the World Trade Center, a little girl left her child care center with her teacher to reunite with her mother.  Stepping out onto the sidewalk, as her eyes, ears, and nose took in the gray air and ankle-deep debris, the amazed child exclaimed for all of us, “What happened to the world?”  The teacher could offer no answer other than “You’re safe with us.  Let’s go find your Mom.”  And that is just what they did. 

What are we to answer? 

 Children need our strength.  Adults largely set the emotional landscape for children.  Your child wants to know:  Will I be okay?  Will you be okay?  Will everybody I care about be okay? 
The common emotional reactions to trauma include shock, confusion, fear or worry, grief, anger, guilt, helplessness, sadness, isolation or alienation, hopelessness.  Direct quotes from children and teens guide parents to ways to respond and role model strength.

The ages and stages approach is especially helpful, telling us how the child feels and what the child needs.  Children under 3 know something is up. Preschool children know more than you think, and much of it is incomplete or misconceived.  Elementary school age children know much more than you think and want to know more.  Junior high and high school youth know much more than you think and they want to know more, but not always from their parents, and they may or may not want to share.
Changes to help children cope with stress include:

1.         Be available.

2.         Provide a peaceful household.

3.         Listen, listen, and listen some more.

FR 7-4

03/02

Abstract

Studies Highlight Need To Improve Care For Low-Income Children

 

Prepared by:   Elaine Wilson
                        Parenting Specialist
                        238 HES, Oklahoma State University
                        Stillwater, OK 74078-6111
                        (405) 744-7186
                        emwilso@okstate.edu

 

Xiang, Z. & Schweinhart, L.  (2002). Effects five years later:  The Michigan school readiness program evaluation through age 10.  www.highscope.org
 

 Further, Extension Educators involved in teacher in-service for the Character Critters program can teach Developmentally Appropriate Practices and positive guidance techniques to early childhood educators.  These two best practices show high positive impacts for all children with the greatest gains for low income, minority male children, the group most negatively impacted by the effects of poverty and inappropriate early childhood learning activities and discipline techniques.  By showing teachers how to develop lesson plans and interest center activities to reinforce character education stories, extension can improve the quality of early care and education for the children who need it most.  

A recent study found that the Michigan preschool program for at-risk children improves student performance in kindergarten, as well as five years later.  Teachers rated children who had participated in the program significantly better than their peers who didn't attend the program in language, literacy, logic, math, music, movement, creativity, social relations, and initiative.  In fourth grade, 24 percent more program students passed the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) reading test and 16 percent more passed the MEAP math test than their non-program classmates.  A third fewer program students had to repeat a grade than non-program students, saving the state $11 million annually. 

The Michigan assessment shows that at-risk children, including those from low-income areas, can be dramatically and positively impacted by a high-quality preschool experience.  However, many low-income children are not getting the early learning experiences they need to be ready for school.  Studies in Philadelphia and Massachusetts have found that many children are in poor quality child care environments. Children most likely to be in poor quality care, and as a result are less ready for school, live in low-income areas. The studies report that:

·         Children from low-income families are more likely to be in poor quality care;
·         Well-trained providers are crucial to pre-school social and cognitive development; and
·         Child care centers and family homes vary widely in the quality of care they provide 

In November 2001, a study of the school readiness of children in Philadelphia found that:

§       65 percent of parents say affordable, high-quality care is hard to find, with Latino, African-American, and low-income parents disproportionately affected;

§       Child care workers, both in centers and homes, are sensitive to the children in their care, but they lack the key quality skills to support child health, safety, and school readiness. Informal caregivers most often lack these skills, and minority families are more likely to use informal care; and

§       Early care and education has a poor funding base and the associated costs are borne by parents. The average annual fee for a Philadelphia pre-schooler is $5,512 which is 19% of median family income in the city.

The Massachusetts Department of Education commissioned a study on the cost and quality of preschool classrooms in the state and released the results in late 2001. Researchers studied preschoolers (age 2.9 to 5 years old) in licensed centers and found there is considerable variation in quality among Massachusetts centers--more than half of the state's centers did not meet the ECERS-R benchmark for "Good" care. The study also found that:

§       Centers serving low-income and low/moderate-income families were rated as poorer quality than centers that serve predominantly moderate/high-income families;

§       Centers serving low-income and low/moderate-income families used assistant teachers, rather than teachers, for a greater proportion of classroom time than moderate/high-income centers;

§       Centers with lower child/staff ratios and better educated teachers provide higher quality care; and

§       Higher quality care costs significantly more than lower-quality care, and higher labor costs are strongly related to higher levels of quality.

The report concludes, "Children attending centers that serve predominantly low-income or low/moderate families are less likely to receive the level of early care and education that will prepare them for school and later life."

The Philadelphia and Massachusetts studies affirm that lower-income children are less likely to be in high-quality care, and thus are less likely to enter school ready to succeed. The studies each point out that early care and education situations in their regions are comparable to those in the rest of the nation.

"Early to Rise: Improving the School Readiness of Philadelphia's Young Children" are available online at home.uwsepa.org/media/publications.html. Copies of "The Cost and Quality of Full Day, Year-round Early Care and Education in Massachusetts: Preschool Classrooms" are available online at: www.wcwonline.org/earlycare/index.html.

Further highlighting the need for a strong start for low-income children, a North Carolina evaluation found that low-income children are falling behind. Major findings include:

§       Children from lower-income families are less likely to have very good or excellent health than children from higher-income families (76 percent vs. 91 percent);

§       Children from lower-income families are less likely to seem eager to learn than children from higher-income families (82 percent vs. 94 percent);

§       Children from lower-income families are more likely to have very low scores on a measure of social skills than higher-income children (28 percent vs. 10 percent);

§       Children from lower-income families are more likely to have very low scores on a language measure than higher-income children (38 percent vs. 6 percent); and

§       Children from lower-income families are more likely to have very low scores on measures of early math skills than higher-income children (37 percent vs. 9 percent).

A primary conclusion of the study is that serious gaps exist between children from lower-income families and those from higher-income families when it comes to school readiness.  As a result, the study finds that low-income children in North Carolina enter school at a significant disadvantage.

Copies of "North Carolina's Kindergartners & Schools" are available online at:

www.fpg.unc.edu/~schoolreadiness/reports.htm.

 3/02

 

Resources

 

Prepared by:   Elaine Wilson
                        Parenting Specialist
                        238 HES, OSU, Stillwater, OK 74078-6111
                        405-744-7186
                        email:  emwilso@okstate.edu
                        website:  fcs.okstate.edu/parenting

 FR 7-4 

The First Years Last Forever (CD-ROM).  Importance of day-to-day experiences for infants and toddlers brain development: brain research, developmental stages up to 3 years, parenting answers. 

Quality Child Care: Making the right choice for you and your child (videotapes).  Emphasis on parents’ fears and concerns, use references and referrals.  Discussion of infants, toddlers, and preschooler care in centers, family child care, an in-home care.  Selecting child care, partnership with provider and first day feelings. 

FR 7-19 

Character Begins at Home--English Version; Character Begins at Home--Spanish Version (videotapes).  Two vignettes of character portrayed in a family, family reading scene, panel discussion.  Trustworthiness 27:58; Respect 28:12; Responsibility 27:34; Fairness 27:28; Caring 27:43; Citizenship 27:33

COM 12

3/02

Abstract

Bowling Together – Civic Engagement in the U.S. after September 11, 2001 

Prepared by:  Renée A. Daugherty, Ph.D.
                       137 HES Building
                       Oklahoma State University
                       Stillwater, OK 74078-6111
                       405/744-5776
                       radaugh@okstate.edu 

Putnam, R.  (2002, Feb. 11).  Bowling together:  The United States of America.  The American Prospect, 20-22.

 

 

 

 

 Introduction 

Almost two years ago, Putnam wrote the book Bowling Alone, noting that restoring civic engagement in America “would be eased by a palpable national crisis, like war or depression or natural disaster, but for better and for worse, American at the dawn of the new century faces no such galvanizing crisis.”  Now we do. 

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a change in the political consciousness and engagement of Americans post Sept. 11.

 

Design and Method
In a nationwide sample, 500 Americans were surveyed using the same survey of civic attitudes and behaviors that Putnam had used in 2000, asking everything from voting to choral singing, newspaper readership to interracial marriage.  The survey period extended from mid-October to mid-November, 2001.
 

Findings
The level of political consciousness and engagement is substantially higher than a year ago in the U.S.  Findings are reported below around several themes.

Government
The most significant change was in trust in government.  Trust in federal government was up 44 percent, and trust in local government was up 19 percent.  Americans were more likely to have attended a political meeting or worked on a community project (6 percent).  While this may be due to the “rally ‘round the flag” spirit, Putnam says it also reflects a sharper appreciation of public institutions’ role in addressing not just terrorism but other urgent national issues. 

Trust in One Another
We trust one another more (11 percent) from neighbors and co-workers to shop clerks and perfect strangers.  More Americans reported having cooperated with their neighbors to resolve common problems.  Fewer of us feel isolated socially.  At the same time, we are now less likely to have friends over to visit (decreased 6 percent), and television viewing increased from about 2.9 hours to 3.4 hours per day. 

Trust across Ethnic and Social Divisions
Levels of trust increased – whites trusted blacks more, Asians trusted Latinos more, and so on.  Americans also expressed greater open-mindedness toward intermarriage across ethnic and racial lines, even within their own families.  Because the study in 2000 did not specifically ask about Arab Americans, there were no data to determine if trust has declined, but Putnam indicated that it seems likely that it has.  Similarly, the study found that Americans were somewhat more hostile to immigrant rights (11 percent decrease). 

Generosity and Volunteerism
The findings showed that Americans have become somewhat more generous, though changes are more limited than anecdotal reports would suggest.  More people in 2001 than in 2000 reported working on a community project (6 percent) or donating money or blood (7 percent).  Occasional volunteering was up slightly, but regular volunteering (at least twice a month) is unchanged at one in every seven Americans.  Compared with figures immediately after the tragedy, Putnam’s data suggest that much of the measurable increase spent itself within a few weeks. 

Changes by Demographic Group
Most of the changes in civic attitudes were found to be relatively uniform across ethnic groups, social classes and regions, though some changes registered more sharply among younger Americans (aged 35 and under).  Interest in public affairs grew by 27 percent among younger people, compared to 8 percent among older respondents.  Trust in the “people running your community” grew by 19 percent compared to 4 percent among older respondents. 

Conclusion
The spike in political awareness has not led most Americans to run out and join community organizations or show up for club meetings that they used to shun.  Generally speaking, attitudes (such as trust and concern) have shifted more than behavior.  Will behavior follow attitudes?  If the answer is no, then the blossom of civic-mindedness after September 11 may be short-lived.
In the aftermath of September 11, a window of opportunity has opened for a sort of civic renewal that occurs only once or twice a century.  The gap between attitudes and behavior suggest that so far that capacity remains untapped.  Civic solidarity is a “moral resource” – unlike a material resource, it increases with use and diminishes with disuse.  Changes in attitude alone, no matter how promising, do not constitute civic renewal. 

Results suggest that Americans feel both more united and more comfortable with the nation’s diversity.  There is a more capacious sense of “we”. 

So far, America’s new mood has expressed itself largely through images (such as the attacks themselves and the Ad Council’s I am an American campaign) and gestures (such as the president’s visit to a mosque). 

Images matter.  But images alone do not create turning points in a nation’s history – that requires institutional change. 

And given that young Americans (aged 35 and under) are more open to political participation than they have been in many years, educational and political leaders should seize this moment to encourage youth’s engagement in political and social movements. 

The wartime mobilization can also spark progress toward social justice and racial integration, much as the experiences of WW II helped to generate the civil right movement of the 1950s.  Survey data suggest that Americans today are more open than ever to the idea that people of all backgrounds should be full members of our national community.  Now is the time to translate that national mood into concrete policy initiatives that bridge the ethnic and class cleavages in our increasingly multicultural society.

F&N 4-0

3/02

Abstract

2000 Home Food Safety Study

 

Prepared by:   Barbara Brown
                        Food Specialist
                        321 HES/NSCI
                        Cooperative Extension Service
                        Stillwater, OK 74078-6141
                        (405) 744-6824
                        bbrown@okstate.edu

 

Daniels, R., Daniels, B., Gilmet, P. and Noonan, D. (2001) 2000 home food safety study.  Audits International, 60 Revere Drive, Suite 800, Northbrook, IL 60062.

 Historically studies on food safety practices in homes focused on consumer knowledge, not on performance.  This was the third study conducted to evaluate the food handling practices of home in North America.   

The research was done by (AI) Audits International, a company that provides independent information about safety and food quality at retail cost.  Company services include restaurant food safety evaluations, product and package performance evaluations, crisis assistance or resolution, and product retrieval.  Audits International evaluates systems and products in thousands of restaurants, foodservice facilities, supermarkets, and other retail outlets each year. 

The 2000 Home Food Safety Study included 115 households in 74 metropolitan areas.  Auditors (registered dietitians) observed meal preparation, service, post-meal cleanup, and handling/storage of leftovers.  The inspection required approximately 60 minutes of evaluation time, generally spread over few hours.  Each auditor utilized an objective critical control point approach for home evaluation, similar to that used in restaurants.  Performance was compared to standards from the 1999 U.S. Food Code.   

Households were not chosen at random.  Auditors evaluated the homes of willing acquaintances that had not participated in the past.  All participants were volunteers, they probably believed they would perform well, and were better educated than the average U.S. population. 

Violations were categorized as major or critical. Critical violations can, by themselves, cause foodborne illness or injury.  Major violations are frequently cited as contributing factors to foodborne illness.  To achieve a rating of acceptable performance, a household had to receive no critical violations and no more than four major violations.   

Twenty-four percent of households met criteria as acceptable performance.  Seventy-four percent had at least one critical violation.  The percent of clean kitchens in the year 2000 survey rose compared to the year before.  Seventy-two percent of households inspected in 1999 found at least one critical violation. 

There were several types of violations found in the household kitchens.  Each violation has been shown to be a factor in foodborne illness.  The violations were:

1.          Inadequate cooking – 16% of kitchens
2.       Not enough safeguards against contamination – 25%
3.       Poor personal hygiene – 37%
4.       Improper storage – 15%
5.       Inadequate holding time or temperature – 32% 

The results were compared to a study done by FDA in August 2000.  FDA examined full service restaurants and found the following comparable problems:

1.       Inadequate cooking – 15% of the restaurants
2.       Not enough safeguards against contamination – 44%
3.       Poor personal hygiene – 53%
4.       Improper storage – 20%
5.       Inadequate holding time or temperature – 63%
 

AI made the following conclusions:

§         Despite all efforts, three-fourths of the population is still committing critical violations during meal preparation.

§         Forty percent of food safety errors are attributed to lack of education, 40% to a lack of conscious awareness, and 20% to a lack of motivation.

§         When results of food safety practices in the home are compared to those in restaurants it is clear that people perform no better at home than do restaurant employees.

 

 

F&N 2-4

3/02

Abstract

Good Marriage Extends Life for Heart Patients.
(Good Marriage is Good Medicine for the Heart)

 

Prepared by:   Youmasu J. Siewe, Ph.D. MPH, CHES
Health/Family Development Specialist
315 HES, Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74075
Tel: (405) 744 6825       
Email: Siewe@okstate.edu
Web: http://www.fcs.okstate.edu/health/

 

Coyne, C. J; Rohrbaugh; Michael J.; Shoham, Varda.; Sonnega, J. S.; Nicklas, M . and Cranford, James A. (2001) Prognostic importance of marital quality for survival of congestive heart failure. The American Journal of Cardiology, 88 (5), 526-529.

 

 

 

Overview:
Although less is known about the specific contribution of marital functioning, mounting evidence indicates that social support and happy marriage is associated with better outcomes of all causes of death, as well as heart disease. One out of every three deaths occurring across the world are now due to heart disease and stroke, six times more than HIV/AIDS related deaths. Since heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country, Lovers have reasons to celebrate not only the exchange of Valentine dinners, balloons cards and candies but also to celebrate the valuable benefit that love has on the heart. Love reduces stress, depression, and anxiety, which are also risk factors for heart disease.  

Method:
Interviews and the use of a “quality of marriage” assessment tool was used to obtain data from 189 patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). This sample comprised 139 men and 50 women.  The sample and their spouses were examined as predictors of patient survival for 48 months after assessment. They were later compared with predictions based on illness severity, using the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class.  Data was analyzed using Cox regression methods to measure outcomes. 

Result:
Marital quality predicted 4-year survival as well as patient’s concurrent NYHA class. Adjusting for congestive heart failure severity did not diminish the prognostic significance of marital functioning. Prediction of survival from marital quality appeared stronger for female than for male patients. 4-year survival rates were 52.5% for females, and 68% for male patients.        

Conclusion:
Happily married male and female patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), a form of heart disease are more likely to survive and live longer than patients in unhappy marriages. When marital quality and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class are considered jointly, they both make statistically significant contributions to the prediction of patient mortality. 

Discussion - Other Findings:

A relationship between happy marriages and survival of heart patients has also been documented in the following studies:

·         Case Western Reserve University asked a sample of 10,000 married men, with no history of chest pain (angina): does your wife show you her love? Men answering “yes” were found to experience significantly less angina in the next five years, than husbands responding “no” to the question

·         Yale University study: 119 men and 40 women were surveyed before they submitted to angiographies (procedure done to examine blockages in blood vessels) test.  Those who reported feeling most loved and supported, were found to have fewer blockages in the arteries than those who reported lot feeling loved.

·         Harvard University study: Random sample of 126 male students were asked to describe the nature of their relationship with their parents. Medical records of the students were studied 35 years later when students were in their 50s.  More than 50% of the men who did not perceive warm relationship with their mothers had been diagnosed with serious illnesses such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, ulcers, and alcoholism.  Only 45% of men who cited loving relationship with their mothers had developed these conditions. For fathers the respective numbers were 82 and 50 percent

F&N 1-5

3/02

Update

Nutrition Misinformation

 

 

Prepared by:   Janice Hermann, Ph.D., R.D./L.D.
                        Nutrition Education Specialist
                        313 HES/NSCI
                        Cooperative Extension Service
                        Stillwater, OK 74078-6111
                        (405) 744-6824 

American Dietetic Association.  Position of the American Dietetic Association: Food and Nutrition Misinformation. JADA, 2002: 102; 260-266.

 Nutrition Misinformation 

Despite enormous advances in the science of nutrition, leading to many recommendations regarding healthy eating, misinformation about the role of nutrition in health flourishes. Due in part to change in the healthcare system, consumers are taking greater responsibility for self-care, and are actively seeking nutrition and health information.  These changes have increased opportunities for nutrition misinformation.  Consumers are overwhelmed with diet and health information.  Unfortunately, it is not always easy to distinguish nutrition facts from misinformation.  The danger of nutrition misinformation is that it can have harmful effects on the health and economic status of consumers.

Nutrition products have been found to be among the most commonly misused.  Older adults are most often targeted for nutrition misinformation.  Up to 60% of health fraud victims are older adults.  Another group targeted for nutrition misinformation is individuals trying to lose weight.  As the population is becoming more overweight, Americans are spending billions of dollars to combat obesity. 

Dietary supplements are a particular concern due to the rapid increase in the market and changing federal regulations.  Dietary supplements are no longer limited to vitamins and minerals, a multitude of herbal, botanical, sports and other products are available.  Dietary supplements including herbs and botanicals remain largely uncontrolled and unregulated, provided their labels contain no health claims.  The Dietary Supplement Health Education Act of 1994 established guidelines for health claims and labeling of dietary supplements, but moved the burden of proving the accuracy of claims, safety, and quality from the manufacturer to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The move to having to prove harm rather than safety can provide a false sense of credibility to a product simply because the FDA has not discovered or taken action against it.  Monitoring dietary supplement claims is an overwhelming task for the FDA, with over 1,000 new dietary supplements are added annually to the already 29,000 already available.

The health consequences of nutrition misinformation to consumers can include delay, or failure to seek legitimate medical care, or to continue essential treatment, undesirable drug-nutrient interactions, effects of nutrient toxicities or toxic components of products, or the interference with sound nutrition education.  Economic harm of nutrition misinformation to consumers can occur when needless products are purchased. 

Sources of Nutrition Misinformation

The media is the leading source of nutrition information for consumers, even though nutrition information may be scientifically based.  Far too often popular media capitalizes on preliminary research data to enhance audience and readership ratings.  In addition, promoters quickly turn legitimate research findings into product and service sales pitches.
Media nutrition reports rarely provide enough content for consumers to accurately interpret the advice given, and frequently information is missing that allow consumers to realistically apply the information to their own lifestyle.  Another confounding issue is that although consumers are interested in nutrition studies, twenty percent of consumers report being confused about information they hear. 

The Internet is an upcoming consumer source of health and nutrition information.  An estimated 100 million consumer accessed nutrition and health information on the Internet in the year 2000.  The emergence of the Internet as a source of nutrition information reflects the fact that consumers are taking more active role in their own healthcare.  However, it is important for consumers to be aware that the accuracy of information on Web sites is not governed by any regulatory agency.  Many sites contain questionable, inaccurate or alarming information.  E-mail, chat rooms and bulletin boards can also provide a forum for the exchange of unreliable nutrition and health information. 

Multilevel marketing companies may also be a source of nutrition misinformation by promoting unproven products such as herbs, dietary supplements, and weight loss products.  Product literature may contain illegal claims or misinformation may be supplied through anecdotes or testimonials. 

Communicating scientifically based nutrition information 

Providing consumers with objective, scientifically based nutrition information is challenging.  State Cooperative Extension Services are a governmental agency that provides reliable nutrition and health information to consumers.  State Cooperative Extension Service professionals have a major role in advocating for and promoting sound, scientifically based nutrition information to consumers, and evaluating the accuracy and reliability of nutrition information.  One way State Cooperative Extension Service professionals can have an impact on promoting healthful lifestyles is by communicating sound nutrition messages to consumers and translating scientifically based nutrition information into healthy practices and behaviors.

Update

The Psycho-Physiology of Stress

(How the body is affected and responds to stress)

 

Prepared by:                       Youmasu J. Siewe, Ph.D, MPH, CHES
                     Health/Family Development Specialist
                      315 HES, Oklahoma State University
                      Cooperative Extension Service
                        Stillwater, OK 74078-6111
                        Phone: 405 744 6824     
                        Web: http://www.fcs.okstate.edu/health/
                        Email: Siewe@okstate.edu

 

Introduction:

 

 

 

 

 

The pace and style of American living has been blamed for producing the stress and tension that many find so unbearable. Some seek quick relief through excessive use of alcohol, use of illegal drugs or abuse of prescription drugs, and excessive eating. A lot has also been written about stress in scientific journals, books and the internet. This “update” is an outcome of an extensive scientific literature review on how the body responds to stress.

Stress and Research:

Hans Selye (1936, 1956), was the first to conceptualize stress as it is understood today. Seyle defined stress as the response to real or imagined demands made on the body. Living individuals have to experience stress which produces positive and negative results.  Stress causes a "wear and tear" on the body because of the continuous physical, psychological or social demands made on the body and related adaptations required of the body.

What exactly causes Stress?

Stress is caused by stressors. Stressors are real or imagined situations that require the body to cope or adapt.  Stressors can be physical, emotional or social. Examples include looking for work or starting a new job; dealing with relationships or the challenges of being in a marriage; adjusting to extreme cold or hot weather; being sick with a virus or other pathogen; dealing with the challenges of being famous, etc.  

How does the body respond to stress?

Once exposed to a real or imagined situation, the body goes through what is commonly known as the fight or flight response.  This is a stress response that involves a complex set of physiological reactions that occur very quickly and in the following order: 

• First, a change occurs in the environment. The person’s sensory receptors (e.g., eyes and ears) detect the change and send messages to the brain via somatosensory fibers. This message basically says, “Something’s out there; what do you think of it?” The limbic system is the part of the brain associated with emotion and may send out the message, “I think that’s a definite threat! Red alert!”  The part of the brain that responds to the emergency call is the hypothalamus, which is responsible for a wide variety of functions from sleeping and waking to sexual response. The hypothalamus sends out the warning to the rest of the body by doing four things very quickly. First, it sends a message directly to the adrenal glands, which are located on top of the kidneys, to release two hormones: epinephrine (adrenaline), and norepinephrine (noradrenaline). These two hormones race through the bloodstream to speed up the body’s organs in preparing for fight or flight. For example, the rate and force of the heartbeat will increase significantly. According to research from the University of Maryland, the heartbeat of a cigarette smoker can reach an additional 38 beats per minute when under stress.
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  Second, the hypothalamus releases a chemical called corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF). The CRF carries the warning message to the nearby pituitary gland, which responds by releasing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The ACTH travels quickly to the adrenal glands, which receive the message and release a variety of chemicals in response, especially cortisol and aldosterone. Cortisol is responsible for supplying the body with necessary energy for the situation, which it does in a variety of ways; for example, it stimulates the liver’s release of cholesterol, fats, protein and glucose, and it takes energy from the immune system, thus temporarily shutting the immune system down. Aldosterone is responsible for increasing blood pressure for maximum readiness, which it does by helping the body maintain a high sodium level (and therefore a high level of water) in the blood.
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  Fourth, the hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary gland to release another two hormones: oxytocin and vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone; ADH). These hormones are responsible for keeping the blood pressure elevated, so that the heart, muscles and brain can get the o