University of the Fraser Valley Nursing Students' Health Fair

Where do you turn if you have health-based question, but it’s not urgent enough to call your doctor? Nursing students at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) know it’s sometimes hard to find up-to-date information and that’s one of the reasons why they organize an annual Health Fair.

Each fall, UFV’s fourth-year nursing students host a public health fair, where they provide face-to-face information about a number of common health issues. This year’s event took place at Sevenoaks Mall in Abbotsford on Friday, October 17. Topics covered by the nursing students include the newly introduced HPV vaccine, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, arthritis, childhood asthma, and preventive dental care for pre-school-aged children.

UFV Nursing faculty member Sheila Edwards says it’s a great opportunity for the students to thoroughly research a health issue and then present material and resources to the public in a friendly, informative way.

With the HPV vaccine being introduced to all Grade 6 and Grade 9 girls in this school year, Edwards says her students decided it was the perfect time to openly discuss the vaccine, its benefits, and the risks of cervical cancer. Their goal is to provide health-based answers to parents, girls, and women between the ages of nine and 26 years of age, and the public in general.

The students also determined that many parents have questions about dental care for preschool children; so again, this was a topic they have researched and are hoping to share their information.

The public health fair is part of UFV’s community health course taken by fourth- year nursing students. Edwards says it is a great opportunity for the students to deal directly with the public, while learning about topical issues. UFV nursing students have hosted these public health fairs for about nine years now.

New article: "Literacy and Health: Implications for Active Living"

"Literacy and Health: Implications for Active Living"
by Irving Rootman and Joan Wharf-Higgins in
Alberta Centre for Active Living's WellSpring (October 2007 Vol 18, No. 4)

"What’s in this article for you? This article focuses on the following main topics:

• What is literacy and health literacy?
• Why should active living practitioners be interested in literacy and health literacy?
• Do people understand communications about physical activity?
• What can you do to address literacy or health literacy in your practice?"

Read more:
http://www.centre4activeliving.ca/publications/wellspring/2007/october.pdf

US health education in barbershops and beauty salons

As part of its mission to train the next generation of physicians and scientists, the Mayo Clinic Center for Translational Science Activities (CTSA) offers the Health Disparities Field Experience, a unique course through Mayo Graduate School. For this year's fieldwork, course scholars and faculty are joining with the Center for Minority Health (CMH) at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health in its innovative program called 'Take a Health Professional to the People Day' on Sept. 18, 2008. This event has been recognized nationally with a feature on the Web site of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Health disparities — the gaps in health care access and outcomes among different populations — lead to higher rates of chronic illness, disability and death from preventable causes for minorities. Now in its seventh year, Take a Health Professional to the People Day deploys teams of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and public health educators to 10 barbershops and beauty salons in inner-city Pittsburgh to deliver health information and health screenings to customers. In 2007, 150 health professionals screened more than 556 African-Americans in these neighborhood settings.

Why take health education efforts to barbershops and beauty salons?

These settings are effective because they are familiar community assets and trusted institutions in African-American neighborhoods where people gather to connect and exchange information. "Far too many African-Americans have no 'medical home' to access health care services, so government programs that promote 'taking a loved one to the doctor' are not as effective for this community," explains Stephen B. Thomas, Ph.D., director of CMH and the Philip Hallen Professor of Community Health and Social Justice. "Therefore, CMH created Take a Health Professional to the People Day. By focusing our efforts on a single day, we believe we can help generate a greater understanding of the importance of regular health screenings while at the same time reaching people who tend to have the least access to health care." In addition, the program serves as an excellent training opportunity for health professionals, who benefit from engaging minority populations outside of the clinical environment.

For more information about Take A Health Professional to the People Day, the NIH-NCMHD Research Center for Excellence in Minority Health Disparities, and other activities of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Minority Health, visit the University of Pittsburg Center for Minority Health Web site.

Community Health Discusssions

CHNET-Works! a project from Community Health Research Unit, University of Ottawa is hosting a series of Fireside Chats (FREE pan-Canadian discussions for community health professionals - via telephone/internet conferences). October, November and December 'chats' are focusing on: Climate Change and Health, Healthy Aging and Food Insecurity. Discussions need to include perspectives re: social ceterminants of health.

Info and registration: www.chnet-works.ca and click on Fireside Chats

[posted on the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) listserv October 29, 2008 by Dot Bonnenfant, CHNET-Works! Animateur]

Upcoming topics:
Climate Change and Health: shedding light November 20/08

Canadian Falls Prevention Curriculum - an UPdate February 5/09

Climate Change and Health: newHealth Canada Report November 13/08

Children Vulnerable to Environmental Contaminants December 10/08

Health Care: Preparation for Age of Scarce Oil October 30/08

Climate Change and Health: A Breath of Fresh Air November 7/08

Healthy Aging: Housing, Support Service and Health November 26/08

Food Insecurity: The Cost of Living - a tool December 5/08

Info Tech and Health Promotion.... December 4/08

Healthy Aging #2 - Aging with Dignity February 12/09

Skateboarding and Youth: What's working? December 3/08

Making Preventive Health Care Work for You

Making Preventive Health Care Work for You—A Resource Guide for People with Physical Disabilities (110 pages)

Covers:
Ways to make preventive screening work for you
Can you have a disability and still be healthy?
How can you increase your odds for a healthy life?
What are your risk factors?
What is routine health screening?
Will your doctor tell you what you need?
Why is routine screening especially important for people with disabilities
Why are checkups important?
What about vaccines?
What is healthy lifestyle counselling?
How can you create your own routine screening and immunization plan?
Why is it important to have good relationships with your providers?
Should you speak up?
Why is it important to plan ahead?
How can you improve your communication with your health care providers?
The DES script: A tool for improving communication
How can you understand and remember information from visits with health care providers?
How can you be sure to get your test results?
What else should you know about routine screenings and vaccines?
Organizations and web sites
Routine preventive screening for people with disabilities: Tips for health care providers
Various tools and checklists

Available from the Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions (CDIHP) in the following versions:
Braille Ready File
Large Print version Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word Document Version
Portable Document Format (PDF) Version
http://www.cdihp.org/products.html#prevent

Ontario Health Promotion Summer School

Time sensitive

15th Annual Ontario Health Promotion Summer School (2008)

Health Promotion Under Pressure: Strengthening Community Action
presented by the Centre for Health Promotion, University of Toronto

June 23 - 25, 2008
(Preschool courses June 22, 2008)
Location: Westin Prince Hotel (Toronto)
at Don Mills and York Mills
Please identify the name of the event when reserving your accommodation (University of Toronto, Ontario Health Promotion Summer School) so as to take advantage of their reduced rates for Summer School guests.

Contact Information
Lisa Weintraub, HPSS Coordinator
416-469-4632 or hpss@rogers.com

Watch an introduction video about the Health Promotion Summer School by Suzanne Jackson, Director, Centre for Health Promotion and Co-Chair of HPSS 2008 (in French).

Listen to Pepper Lazore and Walter J. Cooke talk about the First Peoples' program.
** Videos are in .wmv format and will require Windows Media Player**

The Ontario Health Promotion Summer School is funded by:

* ONTARIO MINISTRY OF HEALTH PROMOTION
Healthy Eating and Active Living Strategy
Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy
* CANADIAN HERITAGE

http://www.utoronto.ca/chp/hpss/generalinfo.html

BC Coalition for Health Promotion September newsletter

Check out the BC Coalition for Health Promotion's September 2007 "Communities Invest In Health Promotion" newsletter. It's available at the BCCHP website along with previous issues.

Articles in the current issue include:
Coalition Hosts International Network
Report on The 19th IUHPE World Conference
Creating a Culture of Health Promotion
Green Prescriptions: An Important Partner in Health Care
Going Green: Getting to the Heart of the Matter
Advocacy: Tool for Change and Route to Personal Wellbeing
The Parable of the Dangerous Cliff
Empowered Communities