Blog 5

My inspirational woman is Rebecca Lolosoli. She is the founder of Umoja Uaso Women Organization in Kenya. Born in Kenya, Lolosoli married at age 18 and began selling goods and also advocating for women who were victims of rape by British soldiers who were training nearby her village. As a survivor of violence she teamed up with other women who are also survivors and established the women's village of Umoja. With hard work and dedication from selling beads, Lolosoli and these other women built a school for their children and other surrounding villages. Lolosoli received the Global Leadership Award from Vital Voices in 2010 and continues to fight for women rights in Kenya.

 

I first heard about Lolosoli and her work through the movie, Half the Sky, and she became an inspirational woman to me. I admire her hard work and how she has fought to improve the lives of many women in Kenya. She empowers women and fights to end harmful and unsafe cultural practices and violence against women which is very imperative to women's health.

I have very much learned a lot from all the topics covered this semester but the one that has been most interesting to me is "Women in the Workforce". As I read through the chapter I saw how women were belittled some years back and how much improvement has been done to make sure that women get the same rights as men. I know that there are still more work to be done because women still get discriminated in the workforce and do not get paid the same as men but I know it's a work in progress and I pray that soon women wouldn't have to endure these discrimination ever again.

Reference

PBS. (2014). Rebecca Lolosoli. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/half-the-sky/rebecca-lolosoli/

Blog 4

There are several things a woman can do to reduce their risk of assault whether daytime or nighttime. The number thing is to be aware of your surroundings. You never know who is watching or following you so it will be wise to be vigilant of the things around you and unusual activities. Nowadays, we see most people walking and texting on phone and not paying attention to whatever is going on around them. This kind of behavior will put a woman at risk of assault because they will not know or see when someone is approaching them. Taking a self-defense class is another way a woman can reduce her risk of assault. Self-defense classes will teach you at least the basics of how to defend yourself in case of attack.

During nighttime, women are more vulnerable to assault. Therefore, it is not advisable to walk alone at night. It is advisable to walk in groups at night and even daytime than walking alone. Parking garages are also known for assaults. If working late, call for security if one is available if you are going to walk to your car alone. Women should avoid parking in the dark because they can be easily assaulted due to the lack of light. In addition, when approaching your car, make sure your keys are easily accessible before you get to your car. If you have to look for your keys in your purse when you get to your car and an attacker is following or approaching you, you won’t be able to get into your car fast enough to be safe. This makes you an easy target for assault.

Tasers and pepper sprays are also weapons a woman can use to reduce her risk of assault. They are small to carry in your purse and have in close contact to defend yourself in case of attack. These are just a few ways a woman reduce her risk of assault. 

Blog 3

I took the opportunity to interview my mom since she is leaving with a chronic illness. My mom, Cecilia, was diagnosed with Renal Failure in 2007 and was placed on medications to help manage her illness. In 2012, her health deteriorated and both her kidneys shut down and was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). She was immediately ordered to undergo dialysis. Now, she must does peritoneal dialysis treatment every night to be able to live a normal life.

As I interviewed her, she told me that for her 40 years as nurse she never thought that she will deal with this kind of illness in her midyears. She said its really hard for her to be active. The illness has rendered her physically incapable of handling most of her daily chores. She doesn't have that energy she used to have. She said she easily gets tired, her heart beats faster, she always feels weak, and dizzy. It's hard for her to work and often times falls sick and will call off duty. Her doctor has ordered her not to more than 3 hours a day. She said she always need assistance from family to survive and go through daily chores which she never thought she will need in her 50s. She mentioned that it brings frustration because of all the burden is on her family. She said anxiety has been a serious issue with this illness because death can occur at any time. She can critically get very sick and probably die so she becomes anxious.

When asked what she are is to health her health despite her disease, she said that she complies with the treatment the doctor has prescribed for her. She goes for frequent clinic lab works, follow nurses/physicians orders. and exercise. There are some foods that she does not eat due to her kidneys inability to excrete waste. She is cautioned to be careful with her potassium, sodium and phosphorus intake. She eat well so her albumin will be in the normal range. Her water intake must not be more or less than the required intake as prescribed because too much will cause overload since the kidneys cannot excrete. Too much phosphorus will make her bone brittle, vulnerable to falls and osteoporosis. In addition, too much or too low potassium will disturb her heart function.

She said it's been hard living with ESRD but what keeps her going is her family and the favor of God for her to make it through it. As she on the list for a transport all she can do is pray and wait.

Blog 2

Most parents find it difficult to have “The Talk” with their children but it is very important that every parent make out time to talk to their kids about this sensitive topic. Talking about sex, and or puberty with them will help and guide them to make smart choices as they grow up. Parent's shouldn't wait for their children to initiate the talk but make it a habit to approach them first. I personally did not "The Talk" with any of my parents are I was growing up. All the information I received about puberty, sex, and relationships was from school and it shouldn't be that way .

 First of all, location should be considered when having this conversation with your child. I’ll suggest that it takes place in your home so that both you the parent and the child feel comfortable. Having “The Talk” in a public place will not be a good idea because the child might feel shy to even ask any questions that might be bothering them because people are around. Secondly, during the "The Talk", the parent should talk about puberty and what changes they will encounter as their body changes. Talking about sex should be another important topic to discuss. Let them understand that these changes are normal and teach them how to handle desires or pressures that comes with these changes. It is imperative to not just lecture your child  but encourage them to ask questions about things that are bothering, things they see on media, and things they hear at school and other places. If you the parent is not sure about something, before you initiate the talk get the information you will need so you can accurately answer any questions your child might have. If in doubt, a trip to your doctor will be beneficial in answering any additional questions you are not sure of.

As children grow, they come in contact with so much information about sex, and relationships from the internet, TV and many other sources, most of which are not reliable. Parents should make it a point to talk to their children as early as possible and continue the talk as the grow to make sure that they understand what their body is going through, and guide them through it.

Blog 1

As a young adult and a woman, the health issues I am most concerned about are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and obesity. The annual reports of STDs in the United States in overwhelming, affected about 20 million people a year. More than half of these cases are among adolescents and young adults. The implications of STDs can cause lifelong health issues in women that can be irreversible if not treated early. Obesity is also a major health issue in the world especially in the United States. Lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating habits has contributed greatly to the increase in obesity. I believe these two health issues are not giving much attention in our societies and need to be addressed to improve the quality of life of people.

I got the opportunity to Interview Miss Joan Smith, a 25 year old African American and a student at Texas Tech University. Miss Smith states that stress, cancer, stroke and obesity are the health issues that of most concern to her. She talks about how many things such as school, family, and friends makes her stressed out and causes her sometimes to become sick. Miss Smith express her fear for cancer because it is the number one killer in women. She says even the healthiest people are getting cancer and even though health professionals can tell you what to do but there’s still the chance she can get it. Miss Smith is concerned about stroke because her grandmother (maternal grandmother) died from stroke. She believes it’s genetic and there’s a possibility she might get it and that family traits can keep going on. She is concerned about obesity because it can bring diabetes, heart attack and can lead to osteoporosis. She stress that the junk foods are accessible to us making us fat.

I also interviewed Ms. Susana Rodriguez, a 30 year old Hispanic woman with 2 children. Ms. Rodriguez is concerned about high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. She states that high blood pressure runs through her family and there’s a possibility she will get it. She also mentions that the type of foods available to us such as fast foods are not healthy for our health.

After interviewing Ms. Rodriguez and Miss Smith, I realized that we have similar health concerns in regards to obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. These 3 diseases are interrelated and having one of them can lead to the other. I personally believe that taking primary prevention methods can prevent many health issues that arises in the future.

My Bio

Hello and welcome to Addai's Blog. My name is Benedicta Owusu-Addai. I am currently a senior at Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas. I will be getting my Bachelor of Science degree in Health Studies with emphasis on Pre-Occupation Therapy. I will also be getting my minor in biology upon graduation. I choose health studies as a major because it's been my desire to educate people about the essence of living a healthy lifestyle and as a health educator I will be able to make an impact in my community by helping people achieve the maximum quality of life. I have a great interest in Public Health and I plan on also getting my master's in that area to broaden my knowledge about public health.

I was born in Ghana, West Africa and relocated to the United States when I was fifteen. I lived in Houston, Texas for 10 years before relocating to Arlington, Texas last year. I am the fifth child out of six siblings. During my leisure time I like to cook, read, watch movies, online shop and I love spending time with my family and friends. I am taking  this class because I want to learn more about women's health and the many disease that affect our health but are not given much attention. My expectations in this class is to be able to acquire more knowledge about the factors that affect women's ability to access proper health care worldwide. One thing that I believe makes me unique from others is my nurturing personality and my passion to serve others.