icaremyhealth

Walking Assessment

#1 Walking Assessment

Home to Fred Meyer (20 minutes by walk)

Elementary school
Lincoln city park
Christian Center
Food market
Night food
DAIRY Queen
Dutch bros
Some Restaurants
KFC
Spa
Pizza store
Fred Meyer

The place that I’m living is on the inside middle between to main stress. There have 3 schools and 2 church, also 2 city park around my area. I always walk to the bus stop for school. While I was, they’re not much dead end road. Most of them are connect it and get through easily. They are more like a footpath. In my area, there some Interesting phenomenon. Since I said, my house is locating in the middle of two main stress. The one that needs to walk 20 minutes is looking much different than the other one. The other one is closer to my house, and it has more fast food and I consider as a low-income area.

The connectivity of my living area is little up of average. Because most of the road are blocks and large intersection. It just needs to walk more to find a store for food. If I looking for a convenience store, there have one is 5 minutes walk from my house. But, if I want to go to the supermarket, then it will be 20 minutes walk from my house. Most of the time, we will drive to there or drive more further to another store. So, for who is low-income people is will need to take the bus. It needs to walk 10 minutes from the house and take 5 minutes bus to get weekly food. It will get more complex to the supermarket. So, the linkage of my living area is 65% out of 100.

If we talking about the land-use patterns, I think there have some job opportunity, but not for long-term and salary is not high. For any food store, it has walked more than 15 minutes. But we do have a green area. We have 2 city park because there has some school. I think is good for children and elder people to get a little walk. But for safety is little unsafety. The main causing is the park because I found out there have a lot of homeless will stay there for the night. Special the path quality, they all are a footpath and it is a little narrow for more than two people. Some of the houses, they even have fencing at the front yard. When I try to walk by it, it won’t fit for two people. Some of them, even have plant something in their front yard and not settle well, it has less area for people to walk by. The first time I thought it will be fine for walking on those paths because of its school area. They may have more wide for parent and their children to walk by and stay safe. Then I realize that most of the parent is driving and school bus are taking care of it.

Back to the question of is that safe if I’m the one who needs a wheelchair and taking care with the kid and elder people. I think half and half of it. Because the path quality is not wide enough to walk through. In another half, I think that is the school area, the speed of the car is 20 limit. The diver is will diver more carefully and looks more clear by driving slower. I think the area that I’m living has a great view of the park and playground for kids. Even is little unsafety by walking on a narrow path, but it’s a quiet place with fewer crime issues around my house.

Depression in women

Inequality, I bet already have a lot of idea that show up in your brain. Because we all know everyone have experience some inequity. In this world, there some big issues of gender, race or other that are inequality. But we all wordring that how inequality can affect health. I will be talking about what cause inequality in health, and focus on Depression in Women.

Before that, i have some interesting fact that I found from the quiz.
“U.S. life expectancy ranks only 29th in the world. Dozens of countries have surpassed us in the last 60 years.”
“There are stark differences in life expectancy between rich and poor counties in the U.S.”
“African American males in Harlem after age five are less likely to reach age 65 than men in Bangladesh. They are dying not from drugs or violence but from heart disease, stroke and other chronic diseases.”
Continue with it, the rank of African is higher than Japan. I Guess that is the most surprised. Because in my perception, Japanese eat healthy and live healthy. But in other way, they have a lot of mental stress issues in their environment.
“In the U.S. the single strongest predictor of health is one’s position on the class pyramid. On average, those at the top live longer, healthier lives than those in the middle, and those in the middle live longer, healthier lives than those at the bottom.” Before this, there also have another one that. For people who in middle class, they aren’t rice as top class people who can take care their own body by healthy food, and healthy care. But they can eat much than bottom class people, that can cause them to get diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure easily.
“Recent Latino immigrants, though poorer, have better health than the average American, yet within a few years of arrival, their health advantage begins to disappear.” I agree with this one, because I’m also a immigrants from China. I was unhealthy of too thin. But since I moved to Portland for 8 years, I think I gained too much fat.
“American income inequality is greater now than at any time since the 1920s. As the gap between the rich and the rest of us continues to widen, inequities in health also grow.”
Those are the thing i want to share.

From Hausman, we know that he have talk about individual and social group. The writer have gave a example and said that, ” Even though health is both an important component and cause of well-being, if two individuals are unequal in health, it does not follow that they are unequal in well-being. He talked about how A may be healthier than B, but A and B may have different environment issues cause by different friend, also they social issues can affect their mental stress. The food they eat may different. But, they both consistent as health inequality, because there being no fundamental complaint of justice about their comparative situation.

For social groups, the writer said that in Hausman’s view, permit inferences about inequalities in overall well-being. Since that is his argument for defining ‘health inequality’ across social groups, it actually relies on the assumption that individual well-being is the fundamental unit of moral concern. Information about social group health differences will thus often be relevant to conclusions about justice, not because group differences matter and individual differences don’t, but because information about differences in QALYs between well-studied social groups will often license conclusions about the fundamental inequalities that egalitarians care about’ (Hausman 2007, 50).

“We all know that conditions of absolute material deprivation constitute well-recognised risks for ill health and mortality, including inadequate nutrition, lack of clean water and sanitation, and poor housing. A very plausible causal pathway runs from low levels of non-comparative individual income through these material risk factors to lower individual life expectancy.”
Also “One of the most prominent specific risk factors envisaged as the terminus for a psychosocial pathway is (the effects of) stress. As Eric Brunner and Michael Marmot (1999) explain, the long-term effects of stress differ importantly from its short-term effects.”
All of those inequality, do we have solution of it. We do know for healthy that, we have medical insurance. But, then there have another inequality. Not many people who can get a great help by government. Because the first chose to help is the group who are really “needy”. But, they are helping with what they give you. You don’t have any other choses. Every food that can cause you healthy, for people who are low income, they have limit budget to get food. They have limit budget for survivor. They don’t even know how long they still can live. That also cause their mental health. That happen for middle class people, they already have stress by school, work, to get better life. They do have better choices for food, but the limit time and also have to pay for house, car, even insurance. Every stress they have can cause they get depression.

From the research, “Gender have determines the differential power and control men and women have over the socioeconomic determinants of their mental health and lives, their social position, status and treatment in society and their susceptibility and exposure to specific mental health risks.”
“Gender differences occur particularly in the rates of common mental disorders – depression, anxiety and somatic complaints. These disorders, in which women predominate, affect approximately 1 in 3 people in the community and constitute a serious public health problem.”
“Unipolar depression, predicted to be the second leading cause of global disability burden by 2020, is twice as common in women.”
“Depression is not only the most common women’s mental health problem but may be more persistent in women than men. More research is needed.”

“Depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms and high rates of comorbidity are significantly related to interconnected and co-occurrent risk factors such as gender based roles, stressors and negative life experiences and events.”
The fact that “The high prevalence of sexual violence to which women are exposed and the correspondingly high rate of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following such violence, renders women the largest single group of people affected by this disorder.”
Special for woman who are rank and unremitting responsibility for the care of others. That will give themselves more pressure on it.

the another fact that “Economic and social policies that cause sudden, disruptive and severe changes to income, employment and social capital that cannot be controlled or avoided, significantly increase gender inequality and the rate of common mental disorders.”
There will be continue happen for women, the number will continue to rise.

there have many of researches that are showing of psychiatric disorders are largely caused by a combination of stress, environmental, neurobiological, and genetic factors. Inducing for woman, they have been receive some different pressure from different places.
so, the if there can get attention to social factors, especially with regard to inequality, is critical in approaches to mental health; these factors can be improved dramatically through the implementation of appropriate governmental policies and heightened community awareness. Even we know there already have psychological guidance for people who need it, but some of people are feeling uncomfortable, because their own pride and afraid other people to think about them. Special for sensitive people, such as women. Special they are not going to tell anyone who really closes to them. We should let more people learn more about this, maybe people can take the initiative to ask them, how they doing?

#SNAP Food Challenge

Friday night, Sandwich

One Egg
Lettuce
One Cheese
One Beef Bologna
Two toast

Saturday morning, before work, Sandwich

Two toast
One cheese
One beef bologna
One egg

SaturdayNoon. didn’t eat

Saturday Night, fail

Rice (2bowl)
4 Chicken wings
Lettuce with pork
Egg flower and tomato soup
So Good

Sunday fail!!

This is an impossible mission of only using $11 for a weekend meal. As begin, I knew I won’t persevere until Sunday night. Since I saw the number of the $11, I know that won’t possible to cover up for 2 days meal also including Friday night. Even I try not to eat breakfast or lunch. The most difficult thing is how could that possible to including eating healthy. As a Chinese, there has a multeity side dish to serve with rice. The final conclusion of my thought is that I will be starved for three days.

However, Chinese food won’t possible for 2 days meal. I changed to make a sandwich as my health plan for my meal. I can uses toast to make more variety meal, it can serve for lunch and dinner. If I have free time for the morning, I can make a french toast. For the sandwich, I need cheeses and ham, also eggs for protein. By that time, I know what I need to buy for 2 days meal, I thought I can get save more money for snack or other for Sunday dinner as a celebration. When I started to shop, I found out everything I thought was just a sweet dream.

First, I got the toast for $1.99, then I got ham and cheeses, the total is $6.86. That means I only have $4.14 left of the whole budget. I went to get some eggs, then I notice that I don’t have enough money for eggs. If I get the eggs, I won’t have money left for the vegetable. Ever produce are selling as a package. Everything produce is selling as big size with higher price. That how the seller can hypnosis all the consumer, “spending less money with big size produce.” There will have two option for people to choose from. Such a small size sell for $5, but only need to spend $7.50 to get a big size to produce. That is how marketing attracts people to get more. Most of the people will get the bigger size for less price, but are we the only who get that benefit? Special there has some chip is selling as family size. Sound like we are getting some benefit from it, but that just one of their marketing way to sell. From the article, “Pounding Away At America’s Obesity Epidemic”, it said, “More than 50% percent of the food dollar is spent outside the home now.” Because my sister said, “ homemade will be more expensive, spiral for healthy food.” I wonder maybe people not just because they don’t have time for cooking. There are so many option and different restaurants out there to cater for what you want. Moreover, people don’t need to cook and clean up at the end. Most of the people like to go out and be more convenient.

When I try to get vegetable, there have some organic. There are more expensive than the regular one. I found out that most of the product which come with organic is more expensive. For people who are low-income, they don’t have any choice, because they don’t access to healthy foods. That brig out what AMA research, they are saying there have some people disagree of obesity as a disease. That was the lifestyle of how people choose. Some of them choose their lifestyle as overeating and inactivity. In this situation, for people who are low-income, they don’t have enough money to purchase healthy food. As this challenge, I only have $11 for the weekend. I got toast, cheeses, and ham. I saved some money to trade some eggs and vegetable with my family. That also means I only can eats sandwich for the whole weekend. I was successful to get until Saturday morning. The second day I started feels tired of it, that’s why I didn’t eat the sandwich for lunch on Saturday. I started to get some stress and I felt my brain just stop thinking. I became more irascibility really easily. At that night, I was eating rice with my joyful smile. I realize that I ate more than I usually eats. That was from the last reading, some people will eat more when they get stress, they turn that stress to the impetus to get more food. That how eating connects to our emotion. After I didn’t eat for once, I start to miss other food. special my family were eating rice in front of me, that was an impossible mission.

#1 Health Issue

Our health is closely related to our life. Whether we eat or live in, it can affect our health. However, few people know that our social status is also strongly related to our health. While I was making the SNAP Food Challenge, I found myself by $11.00 to cover the weekend meal, even including the dinner on a Friday. I knew from the beginning that it was an impossible task, but I tried. When I was trying, I realized that it was impossible for me to eat healthily. Because if I want to eat healthily. You have to go to the supermarket and buy any fresh ingredients, and you need to cook it at home. In another way, I can eat healthy sandwiches. But I found out that getting a sandwich, it needs to cost $3. So the most likely way to get full is to eat fast food. But fast food is an unwise choice. Because it’s not a healthy choice. So health and food are closely related. In this challenge, I found that people with low-income are more likely to be obese. It is also possible that their mental stress is so great that they become unhealthy.
For people who are low income, they have no choice, because they can’t get healthy food by their low income. In the article I read, ” Socioeconomic status is the most powerful predictor of diseases, disorder and injury, and mortality we have,” says Tom Boyce, MD, Chief of UCSF’s Division of Developmental Medicine within the Department of Pediatrics. So people who are low incomes have no less stressed than others. Especially women, for them, they need additional time to work, they need to maintain a certain income. They need to take care of their families or themselves. They need to pay for the food and housing, they have to pay any other kind of expenses, it must be taken out of her wages. Especially now there are many single mothers, they need to work harder. Because of any payment need to pay. it casing any these pressures come from different sources, and a lot of women get depressed. In fact, there have 1 In 8 women experience depression In their time life. Besides, they don’t have extra time for any other activities except going to work. Even if they have a little time, they may choose to rest at home. Because usually go to work is already too tired for them. After all, it’s a waste of time and money to go somewhere else to relax. For low-income women, they have to spend more time to work, then they can both to survive and to take care of their loved ones.
Therefore the government is slowly changing this situation. Now they provide some fund for low-income people. They can eat more healthy, and having more healthy options instead of cheap, time-saving fast food. Moreover, when I was doing the Walking Assessment, I found that the environment for people live in is also closely related to health. From the same article, “The same socioeconomic status: Two. To three times fewer supermarkets with fresh produce, two to three times more fast-food outlets three times more likely to lack outdoor recreational facilities “. As a result, low-income people are able to eat fast food in a more convenient way. But it’s also an option for what they want to eat outside. It’s cheaper, after all. However, where they live there don’t have that much opportunity for them to exercise. They don’t want to waste time to go to a specific place to exercise. So the government can begin to get a little change by the living environment.

Reference

Cooper, J., K., Cooper, & J., K. (2010, October 20). Segregation Sickness. Retrieved from https://www.questia.com/magazine/1G1-241515051/segregation-sickness

Conway, C. (2016, January 06). Poor Health: When Poverty Becomes Disease. Retrieved from https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2016/01/401251/poor-health