JANUARY—MARCH 2018

SANDRA REBEOR and her son, Luke—

5K Fruit Cove Move

The Media’s Misuse of Health Data By Dr. Charles Holmes

In my contribution to the HPQ newsletter, I thought it would be interesting to examine the

use, or rather the misuse, of statistics in media. Health care is commonly associated with our

use of quantitative statistics to add validity to our claims. “Adults need to exercise at least 20

minutes a day – every day” (CDC, 2008). “Vaccines save hundreds of thousands of lives every

day. Vaccines given to infants and young children will prevent 322 million illnesses, 21 million

hospitalizations, and 732,000 deaths over the course of their lifetimes” (CDC, 2014). These

are great statistics and have ample research to back them up. Best of all they are not trying

to sell you on anything beyond basic body maintenance and wellbeing.

But what happens when someone is attempting to manipulate data for the purpose of ‘quick

facts’ or selling an idea or charity? The idea came to me when I was driving home from the

office and the radio was on. As I was driving an ad for Feeding America came over the air-

waves with a celebrity voice stating that ‘1 in 6 children do not know where they will get their

next meal.’ I have nothing against their message, in fact, I likely agree, it seems like a reasona-

ble number and there are a tremendous amount of children in the United States living in pov-

erty. Feeding America is one of our nation’s largest foodbank networks, and they assist hun-

dreds of thousands of individuals of all ages in obtaining meals and food that likely would have

gone unused.

However, my concerns start to rise when you look at their website (http://

www.feedingamerica.org/research/hunger-in-america/key-findings.html) regarding the key find-

ings from their most recent Hunger in America report published in 2014. It is awash with

statistics, 69% of Americans had to choose between utilities and food, 31% had to choose be-

tween education and food, 40% water down food and drinks to extend their use, etc. All are

‘reasonable’, but none have links to the report. If you dig further, you find that the reported

statistics are generated from electronic survey data collected at food banks and partner agen-

cies throughout the United States. You then are required to open a completely separate PDF

document to see the methodology behind their study (Feeding America, 2015).

Take a look at their methods and see if you can find the issue? Feeding America is collecting

its data from individuals who either utilize food banks or from the grocery stores that give to

food banks. This would be akin to trying to determine how popular swimming is in the Unit-

ed States by surveying people who use the local pool or individuals who purchase pool sup-

plies from stores that give to the local pool. It is a biased sample. Again, Feeding America has

done nothing overtly wrong, but it is presenting statistics that are not entirely factual. They

are an organization that functions off of the financial and food donations of others to achieve

their mission. The cause is a noble one, so little fuss is made about data that may not be com-

pletely accurate.

Another statistic was thrown at me on my drive home. This time it was an ad from the

American Heart Association stating that ‘1 in 4 children in the United States are overweight

or obese.’ This also seems like a reasonable statistic given that most developed countries,

especially the United States, are dealing with an obesity pandemic. My master’s thesis and

research were written on the topic so I can speak to the validity of the claim. What causes

concern here is that if the average listener to these ads takes them at face value, you could

assume that 25% of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese and that 16% of children are

Facu

lty n

ote

s

Page 2

Page 3

malnourished or starving, leaving 59% of U.S. children living somewhere in between. This is not

how statistics work, and these health issues are not mutually exclusive. It is entirely possible

for a child to be both overweight and not to know where their next meal will be coming from

or for their family to utilize the services of a food bank.

The final radio ad of interest comes from the Foundation for a Drug-Free World which stated

that ‘more children are dying from prescription drug abuse than heroin, meth, and cocaine

combined’ and that ‘more than 40% of emergency room visits are related to this prescription

opioid epidemic’ (Drug Free World 2017). Again, nothing wrong with the data on its face,

there is an opioid epidemic in the United States according to valid mortality data and physicians

are often overprescribing opioid medication or prescribing medication that is more powerful

than what is needed to treat the issue. The concern is that this website and organization does

not provide any form of methodology for the information they are reporting beyond

‘International Statistics.’ They have a loose reference to an early study done by Columbia Uni-

versity regarding the likelihood of further drug abuse in teens (likely to add validity), but nothing

in regards to where their posted statistics originated. To personally validate the information, I

had to turn to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) given to all middle school

and high school students in the United States by the CDC. It reports that prescription drug

abuse in children is approximately 16.8% and that those numbers do exceed the percentage of

children that reported using heroin, meth, and cocaine (CDC, 2016). This supports Drug Free

World’s statement, but does not absolve the lack of source reporting.

Continued on page 6

Page 3

Fa

cu

lty n

ote

s

The Virtual Reality of Telehealth and Education By Dr. Romona Banks

Technology has become a consistent catalyst for change in the educational and health and

wellness fields. The changes have been made evident with the gradual immersion of technolo-

gy devices. For example, distance education began with correspondence courses (through the

use of paper and pen, the typewriter or the Commodore 64) and has now evolved to instant

communication in an online-technology format (Ipad, Tablet, laptop, or desktop computer)

through gateway portals. The healthcare field has also evolved, from house calls by doctors or

visits to a healthcare facility to telehealth. The transitions in the educational and healthcare

fields could provide a great advantage (to students and clients) as they both continue to

merge and provide the best methods of study and practice for future healthcare practitioners,

essentially they could provide efficient health communications and resources to every com-

munity regardless of socioeconomic status or language barriers. Ultimately, the immersion of

telehealth in the educational virtual world will offer impactful research and application to cur-

rent and future health practitioners.

“Telehealth is defined as a collection of methods (i.e. video conferencing, remote patient

monitoring or mobile health) that enhance health care, public health, and health education

delivery and support using telecommunications technologies (Center for Connected Health

Policy, 2017, para 1; HealthIT.gov, 2017).” Telehealth can be a great benefit in every commu-

nity (rural and urban) by providing education, training and medical services to remote areas

on a massive level (Glassman et al., 2017; McFarland, 2017). The integration of telehealth ser-

vices were demonstrated during the HRSA 2017 Virtual Conference (Health Resources and

Services Administration, 2017). Presenters shared best practices within the healthcare field, in

addition, a telehealth demonstration was provided with a group project. Master of Social

Work (MSW) students used photovoice, “a group analysis method combining photography

Facu

lty n

ote

s

Page 4

Page 5

with grassroots social action, and is commonly used in the fields of community development,

public health, and education (The Audiopedia, 2017, p. 3)” as a research tool to collect and ana-

lyze data for a group project regarding field placement with a focus on service for children, ado-

lescents, and transitional-age youth.

The use of telehealth within the classroom could allow students to apply the concepts that they

have learned during the course (Stanford Graduate School of Education, 2017). Telehealth

could essentially engage the student while providing them with a means to think critically about

a health topic. Furthermore, the process of actively viewing or participating in the implementa-

tion of a health concept evokes a greater understanding of the topic for the student. Several

resources that can be integrated into a health/health communications course are: (1) Second

Life, (2) Healthie, (3) Video Conferencing, (4) MyFitnessPal and (5) Cardiio App.

Second Life is an online virtual world (Wikipedia, n.d.). Instructors and students can take virtual

tours to healthcare facilities (created within Second Life by an individual/institutional designer),

to gain a greater understanding of the terms and concepts that have been discussed in the

course or the instructor can build a course room/environment regarding a specific health com-

munications topic (i.e. a healthcare facility where they invite students into that facility/

environment virtually). Another optional mobile device that can be implemented in the course

room is Healthie. “Healthie is an all-in-one HIPPA compliant platform that transitions/offers

care online (Healthie, 2017).” Healthie provides the practitioner and their client/patient the op-

portunity to practice nutritional care through mobile means (Healthie, 2017). Video conferencing, MyFitnessPal and the Cardiio App are three additional resources that can

be used in conjunction with Healthie (as a means of applying concepts within the course). Video

conferencing could be one of several assignments within the course. Students could be instruct-

ed to provide step by step instructions (as a dietician or nutritionist) to their client on how to

eat healthy. The student could provide a video of their visit to the grocery store, select grocer-

ies for their client and then explain why the particular items are appropriate. Additionally, the

student could take the items home and provide further video conferencing on how to properly

store/use the items to cook a meal. In addition to using video conferencing for the previously

mentioned process, the nutritionist could recommend that their client use the MyFitnessPal app

to record their caloric intake of those items.

MyFitnessPal is a calorie counter app that tracks food intake and physical activity (MyFitnessPal,

2017). In addition to the video conferencing option previously mentioned, the student could

offer this app as an additional resource to their client, potentially providing their client with a

means of motivation (in addition to video conferencing). The Cardiio App tracks the heart rate

(Cardiio, 2017). Integrating Second Life (or a similar software), video conferencing, MyFitnessPal

and Cardiio into the Health Communications curriculum could provide an engaging experience

for students, one that allows them to apply the terms and concepts that they have learned.

Telehealth research and methods are gradually emerging while continuing to provide immediate

and plausible healthcare services to individuals/communities that may not have received those

services otherwise (Glassman et al., 2017; McFarland, 2017). Integrating telehealth within the

classroom could motivate students to learn more about their field of study in order to become

better Practitioners. Furthermore, it allows the student to apply what they have learned, possi-

bly leading them to retain more information. Virtual reality within the educational and

healthcare systems could provide a more effective and efficient means of practice for Practition-

er, essentially leading to better care for their clients. ◆

Page 5

Fa

cu

lty n

ote

s

Page 6

CO

NG

RA

TS

! Page 6

The Health Promotion Quarterly newsletter congratulates the College of Health, Human

Services, and Science on the launch of new programs in 2018.

Congratulations to all involved for your hard work!

Go CoHHSS!!! ◆

Continued from page 3 — The Media’s Misuse of Health Data

The ultimate point of this article is to have you think critically about the information that you

are hearing and seeing and to look into the data for yourself. These three ads frequently run

in tandem on public broadcast stations or AM radio here in Colorado and there are hundreds

more like them. Someone listening could assume that the majority children in the U.S. are

either overweight, starving, or on drugs. This is not the case, but these organizations do posi-

tive work in communities, are funded solely through donations, and there is no agency respon-

sible for making certain the information being presented is factual.

The concept of ‘fake news’ is nothing new, but what is new is that more and more Americans

are not looking further into issues of concern for themselves, they are seeing all headlines and

statements as honest when it comes from a 'trusted' news agency or organization. When you

are looking for facts to support claims, the easiest and safest route to pursue are scholarly

peer-reviewed articles. These are sources that are vetted by multiple experts in the field and

who have no financial stake in the information being presented. These articles can be found in

the Ashford University Library or your local library. One final piece of advice I would pass

along is to try and learn about both sides of an issue. As an example, you can easily find a

wealth of information from spurious sources claiming that vaccines cause autism in children,

but it is only when you look to scholarly peer-reviewed sources will you see that all of the

claims of harm are unfounded. Just as in life, the best approach is balance, finding accurate in-

formation from multiple viewpoints. From there you can easily make an educated decision on

who you believe is telling the truth. ◆

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! F

aculty n

ote

s

What Health Means to Me...

Page 7

Ta

lkin

g H

ea

lth

Page 7

Dr. Pamela Hardy Associate Dean—College

of Health, Human Services,

and Science

Play video

Sandra Rebeor Lead Faculty—College of

Health, Human Services, and

Science

Play video

Page 8

Gro

ce

r’s c

orn

er

Did you know that radicchio and red cabbage are not the same things? I mean apart from the

names those red leaves look pretty similar. But, who would have guessed that they are not

even related?! Turns out that radicchio is a cultivated form of leaf chicory, and the different

varieties of radicchio are named after the Italian regions where they originate. The most

widely available variety in the United States is Radicchio di Chioggia, which is maroon, round,

and about the size of a grapefruit. It’s white-veined, red/maroon leaves should not be con-

fused with red cabbage because, since it is from the chicory family it is not a cabbage. In fact

it is a cousin of the endive and is closely related to the dandelion.

Interesting note about radicchio, in ancient times it

was noted for its medicinal powers. It was lauded as a

blood purifier and a cure for insomnia. More recent-

ly though, radicchio has made a surge into the dining

experiences of Americans due to its taste, texture,

and dramatic color. It is used mostly in salads, but

(WARNING) a little goes a loooong way when it

comes to including raw radicchio in a meal. Given its

bitter, spicy taste, I use radicchio to provide a pop of

color and a burst of flavor in a salad, but I would not

make it the main event. But, not to scare you away,

this bitter taste can be mellowed out when radicchio

is grilled or roasted. In fact, you can completely tame

radicchio’s bitter taste by cooking it gently; this leads

to a caramelized, sweeter, creamier taste.

If you are still concerned about radicchio’s bitter taste, keep in mind that fresh radicchio

leaves hold moderate amounts of essential B-complex groups of vitamins, vitamin K, lutein,

and is also a modest source of minerals like manganese, copper, iron, zinc, and potassium.

Therefore, the next time you are at the grocery store consider adding radicchio to your

shopping list and try this recipe as a side dish with grilled steak or chicken…

Sauteed Radicchio with Honey and Balsamic Vinegar

INGREDIENTS

2 heads radicchio, cored and torn into bite-size pieces

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Rinse radicchio and add to the skillet (do not

drain fully). Season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add

vinegar and honey and stir to combine.

Enjoy! :) ◆

Radicchio, Radicchio…O, Radicchio By Dr. Roxanne Beharie

Page 9

Your

Health C

ale

ndar

January • Cervical Health Awareness Month • Thyroid Health Awareness Month • Glaucoma Awareness Month • 21-27 Healthy Weight Week • 22-28 National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week • 28 World Leprosy Day

February • American Heart Month • Children’s Dental Health Awareness Month • 2 National Wear Red Day • 5-9 Burn Awareness Week • 11-17 Random Acts of Kindness Week • 18-24 National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

March • National Nutrition Month • 19-25 National Poison Prevention Week • 24 World Tuberculosis Day

Next Quarter Conferences SOPHE 2018 - Igniting Change and Innova-tion: The Impact of Health Education April 3-6, 2018 | Columbus, OH 11th National Conference on Health Dispari-ties May 16-19, 2018 | Philadelphia, PA NEHA 2018 Annual Educational Conference (AEC) & Exhibition and HUD Healthy Homes Conference June 25-28, 2018 | Anaheim, CA

Page 10

Re

fere

nces

Dr. Roxanne Beharie is an Assistant Professor with Ashford Universi-ty. Dr. Beharie earned her doctorate in Public Health from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Beharie also earned a BS in Exer-cise Science from the University of Pittsburgh and an MPA in Health Ser-vices Management from Mercy College.

Sandra Rebeor is a full time Instructor at Ashford’s College of Health, Human Services, and Science and primarily teaches courses in the Health and Wellness program. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Campbell University and a Master’s of Science in Health Sciences: Emergency and Disaster Management.

Dr. Charles Holmes is an Assistant Professor in the College of Health, Human Services, and Science at Ashford University. Dr. Holmes’ work primarily focuses on the U.S. health care systems history and im-provement. He also does research work focusing on health education improvement through elementary and middle school interventions.

Dr. Pamela Hardy is an Associate Dean in the College of Health, Hu-man Services, and Science at Ashford University. She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Human Services, Management of Nonprofits specializa-tion from Capella University.

Dr. Romona Banks hails from North Carolina by way of South Caro-lina. Her research interests include positive youth development, enhanc-ing the e-learning/distance learning process, sustainability of nonprofit organizations, and predictors of workplace performance. Dr. Banks has been instructing General and Social Psychology, Community Organizing and Development, Health Communications, Research Methods, and Graduate Psychology online courses since 2012.

Re

fere

nce

s

Page 11

The Media’s Misuse of Health Data

1. American Heart Association. (2014). Overweight in Children. American Heart Association. Accessed on November 14,

2017 at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/Overweight-in-

Children_UCM_304054_Article.jsp#.WgsgJjtrxpg

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need? Centers for Disease

Control – 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Accessed on November 14, 2017 at: https://www.cdc.gov/

physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Vaccines Save Hundreds of Thousands of Lives. Centers for Disease

Control. Accessed on November 14, 2017 at: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0424-immunization-

program.html

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey – Marijuana, Cocaine, and

Other Illegal Drug Use. Centers for Disease Control. Accessed on November 14, 2017 at https://www.cdc.gov/

healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/trends/2015_us_drug_trend_yrbs.pdf

5. Feeding America. (2015). Hunger in America Report 2014 - Methodology. Feeding America. Accessed on November 14,

2017 at http://help.feedingamerica.org/HungerInAmerica/HIA2014-Technical-Volume.pdf?

s_src=W17BDIRCT&s_subsrc=http:%2F%2Fwww.feedingamerica.org%2Fresearch%2Fhunger-in-america%

2F&_ga=2.249549249.751019969.1510678539-1127657136.1510678539

6. Foundation for a Drug-Free World. (2017). International Statistics. Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Accessed on No-vember 14, 2017 at http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/prescription/abuse-international-statistics.html

The Virtual Reality of Telehealth and Education

1. Cardiio. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.cardiio.com/

2. Center for Connected Health Policy. (2017). What is Telehealth? Retrieved from http://www.cchpca.org/what-is-

telehealth

3. Glassman, L., Mackintosh, M., Talkovsky, A., Well, S., Walter, K., Wickramasinghe, I., & Morland, L. (2017). Quality of life

following treatment for PTSD: Comparison of videoconferencing and in-person modalities. Retrieved from http://

journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1357633X17740610

4. HealthIT.gov. (2017). What is telehealth? Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/telehealth

5. Health Resources and Services Administration. (2017). Virtual Behavioral Health Conference: 2017 HRSA Virtual Behav-

ioral Health Workforce Development Conference. Retrieved from https://www.hrsa.gov/virtual-behavioral-health-

conference/index.html 6. Healthie. (2017). Retrieved from https://gethealthie.com/

7. McFarland, R. (2017). Telepharmacy for remote hospital inpatients in north-west Queensland. Retrieved from http://

journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1357633X17732367

8. MyFitnessPal. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

9. Stanford Graduate School of Education. (2017). Virtual reality offers a captivating way to learn-in the classroom and be-

yond. Retrieved from https://ed.stanford.edu/news/virtual-reality-offers-captivating-way-learn-classroom-and-beyond

10. The Audiopedia. (2017). What is photovoice? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7NCr-MOM9k

11. Wikipedia. (2017). Second Life. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life

ALL IMAGES USED WITH PERMISSION.

Special Thanks

A very special thank you goes out to our copy editor for this edition, Heather Auger, Instructor of English, Division of General Education. T

hanks!!

If you would like to be a part of future editions of the Health Promotion Quarterly newsletter, including be-ing featured on the cover, please email Dr. Roxanne Beharie, Editor-in-Chief, at healthpromotionquarterly@ashford.edu.

To view the October 2017 edition of the Health Promotion Quarterly newsletter, press the Ctrl key and click on the picture below: Click the “Follow publisher” button to get notifications of the newest editions of the Health Promotion Quarterly newsletter. Here’s to your health!

“Calm

min

d b

rin

gs inner

str

ength

and s

elf-c

onfiden

ce, so that’s v

ery

im

port

ant fo

r goo

d h

ealth.”

-Dala

i Lam

a