http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersComService4/idUSKEN86767820080918
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Barbershops become urban community health centers
Barbershops become urban community health centersThu Sep 18, 2008 3:10pm EDTBy Terri ColesTORONTO (Reuters) - African-American communities in the shadows of the University of Pittsburgh's buildings are getting sick and dying sooner than their white counterparts, of preventable diseases -- and Dr. Stephen Thomas wants to change it.An outreach initiative involving local barbershops and beauty salons is a step in that direction.Epidemiological data shows that African-Americans suffer a higher burden of premature illness and death than Caucasians, said Thomas, director of the university's Center for Minority Health. They have higher rates of infant mortality, HIV/AIDS and mental illness. HIV is the leading cause of death among African-Americans 25 to 44, for example, and rates of death from cardiovascular disease are 30 percent higher in black adults than white adults, according to the American Medical Student Association. Diabetes is 70 percent more prevalent in blacks than whites, and prostate cancer hits African-American men 66 percent more frequently than Caucasian men, with twice the death rate.Pittsburgh is not unique in this, Thomas pointed out - there are black communities around universities across the United States where residents have higher rates of diabetes, obesity and heart disease. "Simply because they are geographically close does not mean they benefit from the technology that's there," he said of the schools.But although the disparity has been measured, we don't fully know why it exists, or how to remove it, Thomas said. Culturally appropriate strategies to address and attack the health disparities between blacks and whites are needed, he said.To that end, the Center for Minority Health has created Take a Health Professional to the People Day, which falls on September 18 this year, its seventh. The program works to bridge the academic community and African-American neighborhoods in Pittsburgh by developing a health partnership that involves neighborhood barbershops and beauty salons and their staff and owners as lay health advocates, Thomas said.The program works with ten barbershops and salons in the city, and 200 Pittsburgh health professionals have signed up to visit the shops on Take a Health Professional to the People Day to provide health screening to people in the surrounding neighborhoods. The screening goes from basic exams to cancer screening directly in the barbershops with blood tests and rectal digital exams, Thomas explained. Last year the participating health professionals were able to screen 700 people in one day; with more signed up this year, he expects they'll be able to see a higher number of patients this year.Private insurers will also be on-site at the barbershops in order to take people through signing up for private insurance. Many people qualify for insurance, Thomas said, but have never had someone help them through the complicated process of applying.The work goes beyond the one-day screening, however. Barbers are trained in CPR and the use of automatic defibrillators, for example, and serve as conduits for getting health information out to community members.The outreach effort is focusing on barbershops because they serve as meeting places in African-American communities, where the conversation frequently strays from hair and the owners are seen as leaders in the community."No conversation goes without commentary," Thomas said, recalling one incident in a barbershop that underscored why they can be such a powerful tool. A man who had recently had a heart attack was getting his hair cut, and he, the barber and the shop patrons were discussing the new medication he had been prescribed. The barber pointed out that the pills might prevent him from keeping up his "obligations," referring to the possibility of erectile dysfunction as a side effect of the medication.He could tell by the look on the man's face during the conversation that with that knowledge, he wasn't going to take the pills, Thomas said. "That's when we realized that a barber can have more credibility than a doctor."A lack of trust of health professionals among African-Americans is part of what is keeping them at a disadvantage, Thomas said. Much of that mistrust stems from the infamous Tuskegee experiment in which poor black men with syphilis were left untreated for decades.That notorious episode eventually led to increased protection for clinical trial participants, but the effects of it are still seen in black communities today, Thomas said. President Clinton formally apologized for the clinical trial in 1997, and that began a change, he said, but more still needs to be done to reach these communities through their mistrust. "We believe that it's time for atonement."The program has partnered with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., which offers a credit course studying health disparity that uses Take a Health Professional to the People Day as an urban immersion experience for its graduate students.The field work involved in the trip to Pittsburgh for Take a Health Professional to the People Day helps health professionals understand the realities of health disparities and gain cultural confidence, said Dr. W. Charles Huskins, associate director for the Mayo Clinic Center for Translational Science Activities in Rochester, Minnesota. It also allows them to see first-hand some strategies for engaging the community in prevention initiatives.The feedback has been incredible so far, Huskins said while in Pittsburgh. "They're seeing things that they would not necessarily have seen in Rochester," he said.Increasing the diversity among health professional is an important step towards engaging communities in public health and their own care, said Dr. Eddie Greene, director of Health Disparities curriculum development and director of the Office of Diversity at Mayo Clinic Rochester. But it is also important to make sure that health professionals who are already working have that same sensitivity, he said, and initiatives like Take a Health Professional to the People Day and the Mayo Clinic's course help to achieve that cultural competence.Thomas, Huskins and Greene hope the program in Pittsburgh can serve as a model for expansion to other parts of the country and other groups, such as Native Americans, Hispanics and rural Americans, who also experience health care disparities. With their programs and Take a Health Professional to the People, the University of Pittsburgh and the Mayo Clinic want to be a role model of cooperation for other institutions surrounded by minority communities dying from things they are experts in, Thomas said. "That is no longer acceptable morally, and it is no longer acceptable scientifically."How do you think health disparities can be reduced? Let us know: HealthMatters@reuters.com© Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world.Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersComService4/idUSKEN86767820080918
Posted by Stephen at 9:58 AM 0 comments
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
2007 Weight Trend
The truth be told. This chart tracks weight over 2007. Weight ranged from a high of 200.8 on May 7 to a low of 191.6 on July 1. My average weight over the year was 194.6. Using the average for the year my BMI is 29.6 (overweight). See BMI calculator at link below:
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
The body size I have:
The body size I want to be:
Today, Sunday August 24, my weight is 193.6. There is WORK to do with special focus on increasing physical activity ! That is the key. Now is the time to "walk the walk" ... 30 min. of vigorus physical activity three to five days per week. To accomplish this I will join Sandra in her yoga class and join the HBFP body toning class at the Kingsley.
There are many challenges including, but not limited to, my travel schedule and eating outside the home. The opportunity is to take more control over my schedule and make adjustments with physical activity in mind. The HBFP schedule of activity is below:
http://www.cmh.pitt.edu/hbfp_act.asp
Keep hope alive !
Stephen
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Tales From the Scales: Thomas's Promises
UNIVERSITY TIMES
MARCH 6, 2008
“I don’t suspect we lost much,” said Thomas’s Promises team captain Mario Browne of the Center for Minority Health as he anticipated this week’s midpoint weigh-in.
The CMH team rose from an initial rank of 185th in the first week of the competition to 152nd after week 4. Their strategy for tipping the scales even more in their favor: Regardless of the weather, no heavy corduroys or sweaters are allowed at the weigh-in, Browne joked.Competition really isn’t high on their list of incentives, he said. “We’re not so much interested in the race; we’re more interested in the social support and the motivation to do something,” he said.That’s taking shape as CMH director Stephen Thomas has supported the team’s commitment to exercise twice a week at the Kingsley Association in East Liberty, where the CMH Healthy Black Family project offers classes ranging from body toning to African dance.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, instead of coming directly to campus, Browne is among the CMH staffers who start their day with a 45-minute yoga class at Kingsley. Although the team has concentrated on moving more, team members also have made some changes in their eating habits. One has stocked up on water in the office and traded sweets for yogurt with frozen berries stirred in. Veronica Sansing said she’d committed to giving up pork, chocolate and fried food, although when the Girl Scout thin mints arrived, she decided two out of three would have to do.Tiffany Kinney said some members have taken to bringing their lunches instead of going out to eat. She was pleasantly surprised that bringing soup for lunch saves cash as well as calories. Browne said the hardest part of the weight race has been dedicating time to it, noting that his co-workers have high-stress jobs with multiple responsibilities.
His lament is familiar. “You never have enough hours in the day to do it all,” he said, adding that it’s often hard to escape the desk at lunchtime to take a walk or a class, or even to find something healthful to eat.“The American lifestyle is the hurdle,” he said, thankful for his director’s support of the team’s goal to exercise at Kingsley. “We look at it as a quality improvement,” Browne said. Reducing stress through exercise will increase productivity and make them better employees, he said. Plus, practicing what is preached makes an impact —especially when an exercise class teacher can acknowledge the presence of co-workers from the staff. “We are public health. We have to teach. We have to model what we teach,” Browne said. On a recent rainy Tuesday, Browne unrolled his yoga mat and slowly began stretching along with co-workers Kinney and Sansing under the guidance of CMH health coach Felicia Savage.The slow movements and the focus on holding each position are hard, said Sansing, who is more accustomed to the faster movement of dance.
Barefoot, Savage padded quietly across the exercise studio’s hardwood, encouraging the students to concentrate on their breathing as she helped them fine-tune their technique.Although the movement is at a snail’s pace, the workout is intense.Browne said later in the day someone in the office pointed out to him that he was smiling. He hadn’t quite realized it, but even though the exercise class was hard, after he’d finished and showered, he felt good. And it showed.
—Kimberly K. Barlow
http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=7993&-Find
MARCH 6, 2008
“I don’t suspect we lost much,” said Thomas’s Promises team captain Mario Browne of the Center for Minority Health as he anticipated this week’s midpoint weigh-in.
The CMH team rose from an initial rank of 185th in the first week of the competition to 152nd after week 4. Their strategy for tipping the scales even more in their favor: Regardless of the weather, no heavy corduroys or sweaters are allowed at the weigh-in, Browne joked.Competition really isn’t high on their list of incentives, he said. “We’re not so much interested in the race; we’re more interested in the social support and the motivation to do something,” he said.That’s taking shape as CMH director Stephen Thomas has supported the team’s commitment to exercise twice a week at the Kingsley Association in East Liberty, where the CMH Healthy Black Family project offers classes ranging from body toning to African dance.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, instead of coming directly to campus, Browne is among the CMH staffers who start their day with a 45-minute yoga class at Kingsley. Although the team has concentrated on moving more, team members also have made some changes in their eating habits. One has stocked up on water in the office and traded sweets for yogurt with frozen berries stirred in. Veronica Sansing said she’d committed to giving up pork, chocolate and fried food, although when the Girl Scout thin mints arrived, she decided two out of three would have to do.Tiffany Kinney said some members have taken to bringing their lunches instead of going out to eat. She was pleasantly surprised that bringing soup for lunch saves cash as well as calories. Browne said the hardest part of the weight race has been dedicating time to it, noting that his co-workers have high-stress jobs with multiple responsibilities.
His lament is familiar. “You never have enough hours in the day to do it all,” he said, adding that it’s often hard to escape the desk at lunchtime to take a walk or a class, or even to find something healthful to eat.“The American lifestyle is the hurdle,” he said, thankful for his director’s support of the team’s goal to exercise at Kingsley. “We look at it as a quality improvement,” Browne said. Reducing stress through exercise will increase productivity and make them better employees, he said. Plus, practicing what is preached makes an impact —especially when an exercise class teacher can acknowledge the presence of co-workers from the staff. “We are public health. We have to teach. We have to model what we teach,” Browne said. On a recent rainy Tuesday, Browne unrolled his yoga mat and slowly began stretching along with co-workers Kinney and Sansing under the guidance of CMH health coach Felicia Savage.The slow movements and the focus on holding each position are hard, said Sansing, who is more accustomed to the faster movement of dance.
Barefoot, Savage padded quietly across the exercise studio’s hardwood, encouraging the students to concentrate on their breathing as she helped them fine-tune their technique.Although the movement is at a snail’s pace, the workout is intense.Browne said later in the day someone in the office pointed out to him that he was smiling. He hadn’t quite realized it, but even though the exercise class was hard, after he’d finished and showered, he felt good. And it showed.
—Kimberly K. Barlow
http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=7993&-Find
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Stephen Thomas Lifestyle Profile
These are the facts. I will also attempt to post weekly physical activity logs. At present I do weekly weigh-ins every Sunday.
Details to Follow
SBT
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Tales From the Scales: Thomas' Promises
University of Pittsburgh
University Times February 7, 2008 40(11)
by Kimberly K. Barlow
“We’ve got some work to do,” Rosalie Jones said with a sigh as she learned her weight at last week’s initial weigh in. Jones and fellow Center for Minority Health staffer Tiffany Kinney faced the numbers together as members of the CMH-based team Thomas’s Promises.
They, along with Vikki Garner, Angela Hicks, Angela Howze, Karen Reddick and team captain Mario Browne have joined forces as members of the team named for CMH director Stephen Thomas.
Kinney noted that having the team for support is a benefit. “You don’t want to be the slacker,” she admitted. She and Jones joked that anyone who wanted to stop for a hamburger on the way to the weigh-in might risk being kicked off the team.
Team members haven’t devised a detailed strategy, but for now are focused on getting moving. Their plan is to alternate between walking the stairs in Crabtree and Parran halls and exercising along with CMH Healthy Black Family Project participants in classes such as yoga and body toning at the Kingsley Association in East Liberty.
“We want to consume our own product,” team captain Browne said, noting that the CMH staff work on the Healthy Black Family Project, which aims to help participants avoid diabetes and high blood pressure.
“We are the people that we serve,” he said. “We experience the same issues, the same time challenges, the same stress with family and work.” And, like anyone, they also struggle with getting and staying motivated, keeping active and eating well. “We decided to unite as staff and support one of our own products,” he said.
While Jones and Kinney each hope to lose 25 pounds, the number of pounds the team hopes to lose as a group hasn’t yet been tallied, Browne said.
In addition to the official weight race team members, other CMH faculty and staff are encouraged to move along with the group. Browne said the CMH office members will support each other regardless of their official team status.
Faculty member James Butler didn’t sign up as a team member, but he’s not letting that dissuade him. He plans on walking with the group, adding that his goal is more to tone up and maintain rather than lose substantial amounts of weight. “Maybe five pounds,” he said.
He’s looking forward to an extended cruise with his wife this summer. “And I want to be cruise-worthy,” Butler said.
Browne said communication among group members will be through email and word-of-mouth since the office is small and staffers see one another frequently. He said he would like the weight race activities to add another aspect to their interaction. “We don’t want it to be just like what we already do together, which is work,” he said. Rather, he wants the team to have an opportunity to take a break from work and lower stress levels, in turn giving team members more energy to do work tasks together.
Browne said he’s noticed that participants on “The Biggest Loser” often don’t have a well-developed game plan at the start. “They just want to be on the show and lose weight,” he said. As the weeks go on, he said, they evolve and develop a strategy. “I suspect that’s how our team will be,” he said, adding he’s interested in seeing what works or doesn’t work for his team. —
Kimberly K. Barlow
University Times
http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=7936&-Find
University Times February 7, 2008 40(11)
by Kimberly K. Barlow
“We’ve got some work to do,” Rosalie Jones said with a sigh as she learned her weight at last week’s initial weigh in. Jones and fellow Center for Minority Health staffer Tiffany Kinney faced the numbers together as members of the CMH-based team Thomas’s Promises.
They, along with Vikki Garner, Angela Hicks, Angela Howze, Karen Reddick and team captain Mario Browne have joined forces as members of the team named for CMH director Stephen Thomas.
Kinney noted that having the team for support is a benefit. “You don’t want to be the slacker,” she admitted. She and Jones joked that anyone who wanted to stop for a hamburger on the way to the weigh-in might risk being kicked off the team.
Team members haven’t devised a detailed strategy, but for now are focused on getting moving. Their plan is to alternate between walking the stairs in Crabtree and Parran halls and exercising along with CMH Healthy Black Family Project participants in classes such as yoga and body toning at the Kingsley Association in East Liberty.
“We want to consume our own product,” team captain Browne said, noting that the CMH staff work on the Healthy Black Family Project, which aims to help participants avoid diabetes and high blood pressure.
“We are the people that we serve,” he said. “We experience the same issues, the same time challenges, the same stress with family and work.” And, like anyone, they also struggle with getting and staying motivated, keeping active and eating well. “We decided to unite as staff and support one of our own products,” he said.
While Jones and Kinney each hope to lose 25 pounds, the number of pounds the team hopes to lose as a group hasn’t yet been tallied, Browne said.
In addition to the official weight race team members, other CMH faculty and staff are encouraged to move along with the group. Browne said the CMH office members will support each other regardless of their official team status.
Faculty member James Butler didn’t sign up as a team member, but he’s not letting that dissuade him. He plans on walking with the group, adding that his goal is more to tone up and maintain rather than lose substantial amounts of weight. “Maybe five pounds,” he said.
He’s looking forward to an extended cruise with his wife this summer. “And I want to be cruise-worthy,” Butler said.
Browne said communication among group members will be through email and word-of-mouth since the office is small and staffers see one another frequently. He said he would like the weight race activities to add another aspect to their interaction. “We don’t want it to be just like what we already do together, which is work,” he said. Rather, he wants the team to have an opportunity to take a break from work and lower stress levels, in turn giving team members more energy to do work tasks together.
Browne said he’s noticed that participants on “The Biggest Loser” often don’t have a well-developed game plan at the start. “They just want to be on the show and lose weight,” he said. As the weeks go on, he said, they evolve and develop a strategy. “I suspect that’s how our team will be,” he said, adding he’s interested in seeing what works or doesn’t work for his team. —
Kimberly K. Barlow
University Times
http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=7936&-Find
Tales From the Scales: 12-week weight race launched
Tales From the Scales: 12-week weight race launched
The techniques differ, but 1,300+ Pitt employees are aiming for better health, fewer pounds in University-wide race weight-loss race.
And they’re off!Have you noticed more walkers out at lunchtime? A proliferation of pedometers around campus? Fewer treats in your office’s break room? No more pizza deliveries to your department? More colleagues carrying gym bags to work?Credit the MyHealth Weight Race.
CLICK BELOW FOR FULL STORY AND SUMMARY OF ALL TEAMS BEING TRACKED:
http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=7935&-Find
The techniques differ, but 1,300+ Pitt employees are aiming for better health, fewer pounds in University-wide race weight-loss race.
And they’re off!Have you noticed more walkers out at lunchtime? A proliferation of pedometers around campus? Fewer treats in your office’s break room? No more pizza deliveries to your department? More colleagues carrying gym bags to work?Credit the MyHealth Weight Race.
CLICK BELOW FOR FULL STORY AND SUMMARY OF ALL TEAMS BEING TRACKED:
http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=7935&-Find
Truth Telling: Thomas' Promises
I was born 55 years ago, 1953 in Columbus, Ohio. Yes, today is my birthday. I know far too many people I grew up with who died many years ago.
Yesterday my staff surprised me with a Birthday party. Complete with cake, ice cream and YouTube blasting Stevie Wonder's rendition of "Happy Birthday" crafted for Dr. King. This was followed by the Beetles version of the traditional birthday song.
I was indeed surprised, and reluctantly told them I was 53. Then my wife came to join us and I told them was 54 (technically correct since it was Feb. 8th). Finally, I publically acknowledged that I was indeed 55.
What is the problem with AGE ... considering the alternative. Today I received phone calls from my sisters and they begin the phone call with the Stevie Wonder version of Happy Birthday. I shared the story above and learned that the sensitivity with AGE can be traced back to my grandmother, Mable Cradle. My sisters reminded me that not of us really know the ages of our uncles, aunts and even my mother and father spoke little of their actual age ... especially my mother. In fact, my aunt "B" considered it the height of "insult" to even ask about her age.
Now, what is that all about! So, talking with my sister LaDonna I agreed to BREAK THE SILENCE ON AGE... and tell the truth.
So, why stop there. This blog "Thomas' Promises" is dedicated to the CMH staff who have accepted the challenge of losing weight in response to the University of Pittsburgh's Great Race. This theme is based on the GREATEST LOOSER TV show and more than 1,300 UPITT staff have signed up.
The Thomas' Promises Team, led by Mario Browne, is being tracked by the University Times newspaper along with a few other teams. The first story can be found at the link below.
http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=7936&-Find
I am encouraging the Thomas' Promises Team to contribute to this Blog as we all come to grips with the challenges and opportunities we face to promote health and prevent disease in our personal lives and in our family.
Dr. T
Yesterday my staff surprised me with a Birthday party. Complete with cake, ice cream and YouTube blasting Stevie Wonder's rendition of "Happy Birthday" crafted for Dr. King. This was followed by the Beetles version of the traditional birthday song.
I was indeed surprised, and reluctantly told them I was 53. Then my wife came to join us and I told them was 54 (technically correct since it was Feb. 8th). Finally, I publically acknowledged that I was indeed 55.
What is the problem with AGE ... considering the alternative. Today I received phone calls from my sisters and they begin the phone call with the Stevie Wonder version of Happy Birthday. I shared the story above and learned that the sensitivity with AGE can be traced back to my grandmother, Mable Cradle. My sisters reminded me that not of us really know the ages of our uncles, aunts and even my mother and father spoke little of their actual age ... especially my mother. In fact, my aunt "B" considered it the height of "insult" to even ask about her age.
Now, what is that all about! So, talking with my sister LaDonna I agreed to BREAK THE SILENCE ON AGE... and tell the truth.
So, why stop there. This blog "Thomas' Promises" is dedicated to the CMH staff who have accepted the challenge of losing weight in response to the University of Pittsburgh's Great Race. This theme is based on the GREATEST LOOSER TV show and more than 1,300 UPITT staff have signed up.
The Thomas' Promises Team, led by Mario Browne, is being tracked by the University Times newspaper along with a few other teams. The first story can be found at the link below.
http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=7936&-Find
I am encouraging the Thomas' Promises Team to contribute to this Blog as we all come to grips with the challenges and opportunities we face to promote health and prevent disease in our personal lives and in our family.
Dr. T
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