HS 301 Exam 3
What evidence do scholars such as Christopher Barnes and Christopher Drake cite to back up the claim that the US is facing a public health crisis due to lack of sleep?
Barnes studies decision making, organizational behavior, sleep and fatigue issues in the workplace. Drake studies factors that predispose individuals to sleep disorders, with a focus on insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders. Reports show that only 31% of high school students sleep the recommended 8 hours and nearly 30% of adults report of only 6 hours of sleep. The lack of sleep has implication for physical health, mental health, cognitive outcomes, work performance, and sleep safety. Sleep deprived individuals are less effective in making decisions, low engagement, high risk of obesity and chf, more injured, more involved in motor accidents
Explain the idea of the "eight Americas
The "eight Americas" were defined based on race, location of the county of residence, population density, race-specific county-level per capita income, and cumulative homicide rate.
The Physical Environment
Access to recreational facilities◦ Transportation infrastructure◦ Access to fast food outlets ◦ Access to stores that sell fresh fruits and vegetables
How do mortality rates in the eight Americas compare to the other OECD nations?
Compared to other OECD nations most of the eight Americas are at the top for mortality rate.
What policies do they recommend to address this problem?
Establish national standards for middle and high school start times that are later in the day: 8:30am Stronger regulation of work hours and schedules End daylight saving policy. Educate about sleep habits and how electronics are bad. Blue light from screens sends signals to brain to reduce amount of melatonin produced (the natural sleep aid chemical in your body) Improve access to treatment for sleep disorders.
Explain the concept of GDP.
GDP stands for Gross Domestic product. GDP is the monetary value of all final goods and services produced in a country during a given time period (usually one year)
What explains the link between affluence, depression, and anxiety?
Higher rates of depression and anxiety. For boys in particular, this was due to popularity among classmates This is a result of achievement pressures from parents who emphasized accomplishments over personal character and isolation from adults both emotionally and physically. Many upper class children were left unattended at home more often and for longer periods.
What remains unsolved with solving down stream sleep problems?
How to make it a bigger standard to have people sleep more; have the public know about the huge risks and effects about sleep deprivation. This phenomenon is single handedly changing how our health is becoming because of the the short-term and long-term effects.
How do non-fatal health outcomes in the US population compared to those in the other OECD countries?
If you can survive some of the things that can kill you at younger ages in the US (car accidents, drug overdoses, childbirth), then you are likely to live about as long as someone in another OECD country.
Describe the overall relationship between mental health and socioeconomic status.
In wealthier communities, there is a higher pressure to achieve so kids have more anxiety/depression and may use substances compared to inner city kids who do not have high pressures to achieve and use substances to fit in. Additionally, kids in high SES areas have more access to these substance use than lower SES kids.
What are some of the health consequences of obesity?
Increased risk of all causes of death (mortality) high blood pressure high cholesterol type II diabetes coronary heart disease Stroke gallbladder disease Osteoarthritis cancer( endometrial, breast, colon, kidney, gallbladder, and liver) low quality of life mental illness body pain and difficulty with physical functioning.
Social and Demographic Explanations
Inequality- The US has much higher levels of inequality, which affects health Health disadvantage is shared by all SES groups, but not proportionately
What are some of the causes of mortality that are particularly high in the US compared with the other OECD countries?
Infectious diseases, complications of pregnancy, transportation accidents, accidental poisoning, homicide
How much does the US spend on health care as a fraction of GDP? What do our peer nations spend as a fraction of their GDP?
Our peer countries spend between 8 to 10 percent in 2014 on their health care spending.
Explain what is meant by the "rectangularization" of survival.
Live longer, fewer kids so the age pyramid becomes more of a rectangle Rectangularization is the result of fewer deaths at younger ages and middle aged individuals dying early. The population used to be shaped like a pyramid. In the 1950's Children under age 5 were 11% of the population while adults over 80 years old were 1% of the population. Research shows that in 30 years we will have the same number of people under 5 as over 80.
Why do students from high SES families appear to be at more risk for mental health problems today than their counterparts in the past?
Major shifts in aspirations and values toward materialism In 1967, 86% of college freshmen rated "developing a meaningful philosophy of life" as an essential life goal In 2004, only 42% of college freshman agreed Over the same timespan, values of "being well-off financially" and "attaining a prestigious job" rose in importance The goal of getting into a top college is more competitive than ever Applicant numbers have doubled or tripled in recent years
Name at least three factors that may contribute to the US/OECD gap in health outcomes
Medical Care and Public Health Individual Behaviors Social and Demographic Explanations The Physical Environment
How does the US healthcare system rank internationally? On what measures are we faring reasonably well? On what measures do we rank poorly?
Medical care received in the US is not systematically worse than in other OECD nations. Lack of coverage may be an exacerbating factor. We ranked well on Care process: we ranked number 5. US health care tends to excel in areas involving the doctor-patient relationship. Wellness counseling related to health behaviors, chronic disease management, end of life discussions. We rank poorly on: Access, administrative Efficiency, Equity, Healthcare Outcomes. Ranked 11,10,11,11. Ranking 11 means last
Medical Care and Public Health
Not systematically worse Those who lack it are worse off though Both insured and uninsured less healthier than other European countries
How is obesity defined in a public health context?
Obesity is defined by BMI (body Mass Index).
How have obesity rates across the country changed over the past several decades?
Obesity rates have grown extremely high especially in the southern regions of America. More prevalent with Black Adults & Hispanic Adults than White Adults in 2012-2014
What explains the link between poverty, depression, and anxiety?
People who live in poverty are at increased risk of mental illness. Those living in poverty are also more likely to experience asthma, diabetes, heart attacks, and other physical health problems. ---What explains this? Poverty is tied to stressful lives, difficult childhoods, and more ACEs, Possible over-diagnosis of mental illness. ---Growing up in poverty is a risk factor for physical and mental health problems.
What do social scientists mean when they say that aging is new?
Relatively few humans have experienced aging. Until the 2000 years, the average lifespan of human beings was not much more than 30 years.Today, the average lifespan in developed countries is nearly 80 years. Historically speaking, aging has not been normal.
What can be gained from downstream approaches to solving sleep problems?
Short-term effects Hunger & preference for high-calorie foods Car accidents Less attractive and less approachable in appearance More likely to catch a cold Reduced emotional regulation Longer-term effects Less focus and more memory problems Increased risk of heart disease and some cancers Increased risk of stroke Reduced sperm count in men
Individual Behaviors
Smoking Drinking Diet
Explain socioemotional selectivity theory. How does it explain the greater sense of well-being often reported in old age?
Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) is grounded in the uniquely human ability to monitor time (Carstensen, 1993, 2006; Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999). According to SST, a core constellation of goals operates throughout adulthood, including basic goals associated with attachment and control as well as goals associated with instrumental needs and emotional gratification.
Explain the benefits and drawbacks of BMI approach
The benefit is that it is an easy way to calculate if an individual is unhealthy either by being underweight, or obese, etc. The drawbacks to this approach is that it does not work for everyone. It only works for the majority of individuals.
What are the benefits of providing geriatric specialty care to the elderly population? Why are there too few geriatricians?
The benefits of geriatric specialty care would be better for elderly individuals. Research was done between two groups: Half of the elderly saw a geriatric specials, while the other half were asked to see their usual physician. Within 18 months, 10% of patients in both groups died. BUT... the patients who had been seen by a geriatric team were ⅓ as likely to become disabled, ½ as likely to develop depression, and 40% less likely to require home health services. There are few geriatric and primary care specialists because these fields are among the lowest pay in medicine. Elderly patients sometimes cannot hear, have poor vision, and may have impaired memory. You may have to slow down and repeat yourself. Doctors are trained to treat diseases and leave the rest to take care of itself, however, aging isn't something you can fix. Many doctors simply just don't like taking care of the elderly. Instead applications for radiology and plastic surgery are achieving record numbers.
What are some of the social implications of this new phenomenon of aging?
The social implications of this new phenomenon have been attitudes and paying for services. Older people are viewed as wealthy, selfish and uncaring due to the negative stereotypes that have come along with aging. They are seen as too dependent on society; a burden. These views evolve into stereotypes and age discrimination. The next implication is paying for services. This implication comes from the challenge to balance the working population and the retired elderly. If the age-dependency ratio is too high, the working age population will have to increase how much of their own money the have to put into benefits for the older population. The more elderly, the more money that the working population has to pay. Inheritance nows come in the opposite direction; instead of older people leaving money or wealth for their children, they will receive money through welfare. The younger populations will have to hand over a third of their lifetime's paycheck for their future welfare, whereas the other past generations made small contributions and have collected big claims. It frustrates the working population.
What are the top actual causes of death in the US?
Tobacco (435,000 deaths) -- 18.1% poor diet and physical inactivity (365,000) -- 15.2% alcohol consumption (85,000) -- 3.5% Microbial agents (75,000), -- 6.67%; toxic agents (55,000), -- 4.49% motor vehicle crashes (43,000), -- 3.82% firearm incidents (29,000), -- 2.6% sexual behaviors (20,000), -- 1.78% and illicit drug use (17,000) --1 .5%
What are some downstream approaches to solving the problems associated with lack of sleep?
Turn off all devices before bed and keep them out of bedroom. Start by getting 30 min more sleep. Have a 'thrive' buddy. Get blue light blocking glasses. Wear them for 90 min before you go to bed while on computer, phone, or watching tv. (Amazon $10)
What often happens to well-being as individuals begin to enter middle age? As they begin to exit middle age?
U-curve: There is a slump in happiness around age 40 Happiness starts to climb again around age 50
How does US life expectancy compare with that of other industrialized nations today?
US life expectancy is lower than that of other high-income countries. The difference began 50 years ago but has gotten greater ever since.
How do levels of anxiety, depression, and substance use differ between teenagers from low-income vs. high-income families? What explains these results?
affluent: Depression, anxiety, and substance use associated with perfectionist strivings and having parents who emphasized accomplishments over personal character Isolation from adults Both physical and emotional Among upper-middle-class families, the students were left home alone for many hours each week. There's also the feeling of having to maintain a state of well-being that creates a barrier for affluent teenagers to reach out for help. poverty: People who live in poverty are at increased risk of mental illness. Incidence of depression: 31% of Americans are living under the poverty line. 15.8% of those in poverty depressed. More likely to experience asthma, diabetes, heart attacks etc. Explaining the disparities and leading to stressful lives, difficult childhoods, and more ACE's possible over-diagnosis of mental illness.
What is "nutritionism"?
it's the ideology of believing that the nutrient is the key to understanding food, focus on the nutrients within food; moral eating - moral aspects of eating a social stigma
