Stress and College

by Kevin Yuan


Stress is simply a fact of nature, forces from inside or outside the world affecting an individual. The individual responds to stress in ways that affect not only the person himself but also the world around him. Because of the large amount of stress in our modern lives, we usually think of stress as a negative experience. This phenomenon is accompanied especially with students starting out in college, whether it is social stress, academic stress or other stresses. Studies done by several entities such as ABC news, The Bullet, and several college campuses have revealed a possible new phenomenon revealing that the Class of 2014 are more stressed than older peers. According to a survey conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles reported that “this year’s freshman class rated themselves as having the lowest emotional health in the past 25 years.” The survey included the responses of over 200,000 incoming freshman at four-year universities. Tevya Zukor, director of Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Mary Washington, states herself that “the research being conducted on college and stress does tend to indicate that students are entering college with greater levels of stress…” Noting the clear rise in stress levels of those entering college, we must explore the facets contributing to this phenomenon.

The two most common stresses encountered by college student include academic stress and social stress. Obviously, the workload of college is exponentially more involved than that in high school and it comes with less help and hand-holding from parents and teachers. With challenging classes, scheduling events and issues to handle, and the necessity for a more independent nature of the learning, college requires entering students to adjust in an ephemeral amount of time. Coupled with the academic stress encountered by an entering college student, stresses involved with leaving one’s support structure, creating a new network of friends and dealing with being away from home make adjusting to the college life quite difficult.

The facets mentioned thus far explore the typical stresses an entering college student faces upon attending school but linked with these common stresses include the weak economy and the limited market of jobs for college graduates. Because of the bad economy, students are indirectly affected by its negative percussions. Professor Steven Greenlaw of the economics department at the University of Mary Washington reports that he has “students whose parents have been laid off because of the recession… they have serious problems going to school and staying in school.” Because of this, more and more college students are holding temporary jobs now in order to pay tuition and survive financially while in school. Many students share the same concern as Romen Borsellino, a junior at Amherst College in Massachusetts who claims that ‘I am torn in three different directions…I have to do something to make money, got to build a resume and find something I like to do. That alone is terrifying, especially during a busy school year.’ Many college students also say that pressure rises significantly after freshman year as they move closer to graduation in which they must eventually seek jobs in a weak economy. 

The decrease in job opportunities and the deflating economy has undoubtly affected entering college students in a significant way. Not only do entering college students have to worry about academics and social aspects of college but they have to worry about finding a job in the next four year.

Occupy! A Public Health Perspective

By Cecilia Bonaduce


I can't help but view the Occupy movement through the eyes of a Public Health major.  The media focuses almost exclusively on the myriad of goals and opinions promoted by the movement and on the actions taken by protestors in cities around the country.  Though I find this interesting, I find most of my attention captured by the Public Health efforts taken by the movement.  


With such a large scale movement, incorporating both marching and camping out, what actions can the government or private organizations take to protect public health during these times?  What actions are necessary, during times of protest, to promote public safety and health?


Though a seemingly innocent and procedural, the question of how to promote public health and safety with the Occupy movement is particularly contentious because this debate has been used, traditionally, to limit the scope of actions protected by the First Amendment.  Nevertheless, taking actions to protect public health is important and should not be cast aside simply because it is politically uncomfortable.  


Injury

Rubber-bullet Injury

As the movement heats up across the country, encampments are finding a need for first aid stations.  Oakland demonstrates the evolution of this need very well: what started out as a small and nonviolent demonstration has now both expanded and experienced police brutality during the past few weeks.  The media has reported many cases of protestors being shot with rubber bullets, attacked with tear gas and pushed around by police.  In addition to physical confrontations with police, there is serious risk of injury during marches and during police raids of the camps.  Protestors can trip and get trampled by crowds, they can hurt their ankles while running etc. etc.. The media seems to exclusively report negative and unethical examples of police action; however,  there are proven risks associated with large groups of demonstrators camping out in the streets.

  

Occupy LA First Aid Station

Occupy Oakland - Tear Gas

Hygiene

Tents do not come with plumbing.  Though this may seem painfully obvious, think about the implications.  Tent-towns are forming and growing across the nation, mostly concentrated in large cities.  There are protestors who have been living in tents for weeks and weeks. Occupy LA realized this conundrum quickly and provided the tent-town with rows and rows of portable toilets. Without this service provided by the government what would the demonstrators do? I will leave that for the reader to consider.  


In addition to the problems associated with a lack of restrooms, there is a problem when it comes to waste disposal.  While visiting Occupy LA, I noticed a significant amount of trash, both nonorganic and organic, decaying or piling up on the sidewalk, outside of tents and next to food-preparation stations (tables, stove tops, grills etc).  The lack of proper waste disposal puts the environment at risk, makes healthy food consumption and preparation in the encampments unlikely and burdens government clean-up crews...workers...the 99% that the movement claims to protect.

Occupy Oakland

 

Occupy LA

Final Thoughts


The permutation of efforts by Occupy and by the government are slowly addressing the health and safety needs of the people.  The Medic Tents are capable of treating minor injuries, the portable toilets provided by the government represent an invaluable service and, despite their flaws, the constant police surveillance means that if a significant injury were to occur, help could be on the way rapidly.

*********

About the Author: Cecilia Bonaduce studies Public Health with a concentration in infectious disease at UC Berkeley. As Chief Blog Editor of PHA Blog, she enjoys contributing articles in addition to her duties as Editor. Cecilia plans to take a year off to work in the public health field before applying to medical school. Additional interests include cooking, singing and Cal Boxing Club.

Infectious Diseases and Public Health

By Alice Huang 

Infectious diseases, which are also referred to as communicable or contagious diseases are caused by germs or pathogenic microorganisms such as fungi, viruses, bacteria and parasites among others. From their name, these diseases are highly infectious or contagious, which means that their means mode of transmission is from one individual to another either directly or indirectly. The transmission of these diseases occur in a number of ways such as through physical contact, body fluids, contaminated food, transmission by vector organisms and airborne inhalation among others. Research indicates that infectious diseases are very dangerous and that they are responsible for more deaths than any other single cause (Britannica Educational Publishing, 2011).

The history or background of infectious diseases can be traced back to many centuries ago and it is believed that most of them such as malaria, may have originated from the tropical forests of Africa. This is also one of the reasons why these diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis are referred to as tropical diseases. Over the years, a lot of research has been dedicated into the cures and sustainable solutions for eradicating communicable diseases, most of which have borne fruits through major developments (Britannica Educational Publishing, 2011). The research has helped in coming up with ways to control, treat, eradicate and prevent the diseases. Without doubt, these researches have helped in solving millions of people across the globe.

For instance, small pox, which is regarded as one of the most dangerous infectious diseases, was completely eradicated in 1979, after the discovery of the small pox vaccine. Infectious diseases are often classified in accordance to their causes. For instance, as indicated earlier, the major causes of infectious diseases include bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and parasites among others. Some of the major infectious diseases in the world include tuberculosis, malaria, various types of flu such as swine flu and avian flu, small pox, chicken pox, typhoid meningitis, tetanus, Hepatitis B, Syphilis and Measles among others. 

Majority of these infectious diseases are life threatening and they therefore have a major impact on the lifestyles of people. For instance, it some of them are very expensive to treat once contracted especially in terms of finances and time needed for patient management. They also affect the daily lives of people such that whenever there is an outbreak, people have to stay very alert to avoid infections especially for those transmitted through the air (Britannica Educational Publishing, 2011).

 Majority of these infectious diseases are preventable through vaccines and medication after consultation with medical professionals. However, one of the basic and most effective ways of preventing the spread of communicable diseases is by observing hygiene in all aspects of our daily lives. Community awareness is also another way to prevent communicable diseases, in this way the government and some NGO’s are actively involved in educating the communities on ways and measures to curb spread and diseases. In most cases vaccines and medication for such diseases is offered for free. In addition, other cures and solutions for prevention of infectious diseases include immunization, especially for newly-borns which should be kept up to date, eat healthy and hygienically foods, use antibiotics as per the prescription of the doctors, seeking medical attention if infection persists even after medication, being cautious around al, wild animals as well as unfamiliar domestic animals, avoiding unprotected sex, staying alert especially when visiting undeveloped and high risk disease areas as well as areas of insect infestation. 

Some of the major infectious diseases in the world including tuberculosis, malaria, various types of flu such as swine flu and avian flu, small pox, chicken pox, typhoid meningitis, tetanus, Hepatitis B, Syphilis and Measles among others attract major scrutiny from the governments and organizations.

**********

About the Author: Alice Huang is  a sophomore at UC Berkeley, with a major in Molecular and Cellular Biology. She loves to write and writing has become her way of expression for the occurrences in her daily life! She is interested in public health primarily because she likes learning about nutrition and thinks that maintaining a healthy body is more important than trying to find cures to the variety of diseases out there in the world.