Tanning Beds

I think that tanning beds are a huge public health issue for many reasons. It is promoting cancer rays in college campuses. I think that it is horrible selling point for apartment complexes to upsell their place by promoting tanning. You should not have to sell "cancer" to students to sell your product. These days, people think it is attractive to look tan and pretty, and healthy, however; in a week, that tan fades. In return, ten years down the road you will have cancer rays and wrinkly skin.

To tan or not to tan? That is the question!

We all know how popular tanning is. Nearly 30 million people tan each year in the U.S. With shows like Jersey Shore that promote tanning to be a hot style, and furthermore, advertise the option of tanning beds, tanning has become a phenomena in our younger generation. Millions of Americans make tanning a priority in their life just to get that “sun kissed” look. We chose tanning beds as our source for “This is Public Health” because people need to be informed and educated on the short and long term effects using a tanning bed can cause. We need to prevent all the harm that is caused by these salons. We chose to place our public health sticker on a tanning bed at 40Fifty Lofts, a popular apartment complex that houses college students. Young adults and college student tends to be the target population to educate on tanning beds and salons. The population of these individuals are growing where now it slowly not only being young adults but teenagers as well.
There are many potential health risks associated with tanning. Although it may make you look and feel beautiful, there are long term affects that you may not be aware of. There’s a belief that indoor tanning is “safer” and does not damage the skin which leads to a more frequent use of these tanning beds. Unfortunately this is not the case. Indoor tanning involves the use of light bulbs which produces ultraviolet rays which can damage skin cells causing premature wrinkles and age spots. One can always look and feel beautiful without harming themselves. There are other options such as sunbathing naturally but with a high UV protection sunblock to still get some rich color and be safe.

Washing your hands to stay healthy

All our lives we have been taught that when we cough or sneeze, touch door handles, use the bathroom, or even every now and then when its been a while; that we should wash our hands. It is important that people keep their hands clean since this is one of the primary mediums through which germs are spread. We are always on the move, touching everything and using our hands all the time. Our group decided to take a picture of a sink at a local frozen yogurt establishment called "you say when". We chose this location because this is a recent food establishment that has opened near campus, and has become a popular place for many college students. In this domain of yogurt treats, there is a buffet style of toppings for your ice cream that you put on yourself, hence the name "you say when". The importance of the sink is so that the employees can wash their hands before and after handing out samples and while helping customers choose their yogurt dish. This addition of a sink helps prevent the spread of infections by the simplest of means... a simple hand washing. It is important to wash hands to help reduce the spread of germs and infections. It has been made law that food establishments must have their employees wash their hands before putting gloves on, after taking gloves off, when they are about to use the cash register, and every so often just to ensure a healthy and clean environment for everyone. By requiring employees to wash their hands, and encouraging customers to do the same, we are saving the trip to the doctor of potentially getting sick by transmitting germs, reducing costs, and ensuring our health. Who do we have to thank for this? None other than public health, helping keep the community informed and up to date on how to prevent the spread of infections, and introducing laws that require employees to wash hands, and encouraging the rest of us to do it as well.

Picture taken at "You say when" on fowler. In the picture: Neeti Pradeep, Jerin Madhavappallil, Taken by Michael Rojek

Contagion

The place that we chose to place our public health sticker was the Muvico Starlight 20 movie theater. The reason we picked this location is because of the movie, "Contagion" that premiered on Friday, September 9, 2011. This movie is about the bird flu and how when it first showed up, it took the world by storm. Most people did not understand the disease or how it was being transmitted, and this caused terror and fear around the world. Also because of this, the transmission was causing death and the officials were not sure how serious the disease was or how to stop it. The fact that the disease could be turned into a weapon was a scary thought, for not only officials, but the community as well. With the way that the disease was going, it was transforming itself into more resistant strands. This represents public health because the whole movie is about controlling this strand of bird flu and trying to keep the public safe and healthy, and this is the main goal of public health. During the movie, they are using epidemiology to find out the source of the disease, and to find a cure, treatment, and a vaccine for this disease. Also during the movie, they are trying to let the public know what is going on in order to keep them safe, so they know how to protect themselves. This is important because it is the job of public health to keep the public safe and informed about diseases.

Group Members:

Kayla Pinckney

Amanda Stevens

Alexandra (Sandy) Szymanski

Jessica Horal

Think Before You Throw! Don't Litter

It's safe to assume that the majority of us have littered at least once in our life. We probably never thought about what happens to that gum wrapper or cigarette butt when we throw it out of our car window; maybe it gets washed away or swept up, but our small bit of litter definitely doesn't make a difference right? Wrong. Every time we litter we are contributing to the slow-but-sure degeneration of our planet.

We chose to place our This is Public Health Sticker on a sign for the "Think Before You Throw" anti-litter campaign that promotes awareness of how our actions affect our environment. It's no secret that the streets of Tampa are full of litter and garbage, we can see that everyday driving to and from school. We placed the sticker on a sign near the corner of Bruce B. Downs blvd. and Fowler ave. in Tampa.

This is important to Public Health because it is a major source of urban pollution, and it happens every day. Litter creates an eye-sore for any community, affects the wildlife, clogs the storm water drains, and wastewater collection systems, ultimately affecting our health in a negative way. Not to mention it's expensive to clean up. The funny thing is, that for a problem as huge as the amount of litter and garbage that floods our roads, the solution is simple...Don't Litter! Statistics show that people litter because it's convenient and that they believe someone will pick up after them. If drivers and pedestrians would just "think before they throw" and realize that it isn't anymore convenient to toss your garbage out the window than it is to keep a plastic bag in your car to collect garbage and take it inside to dispose once you get home or to wherever you're going, the Tampa Bay area would be a lot cleaner. Campaigns such as this are great visual reminders to keep ourselves in check when driving and walking, and to be conscious of how our actions affect our community.

By: Mohammed Elshaer, Gurtej (TJ) Walha, Samantha Restivo, Alex Moore-Brocato, and Zachary Senter (photographer)

Food Scavengers in Downtown St. Pete

How many of you have ever eaten from a hot dog stand in the middle of downtown St. Pete? Probably not many, because this is not the typical site to see when walking amongst several business professionals entangled with the waitresses and homeless people downtown seems to attract. Not to mention dozens of tourists that fill the busy streets and sidewalks throughout the season. Well economically Mr. John, the owner of the convenient hot dog stand our group ran into, has become extremely successful. John has a portable hot dog stand where he serves well… hot dogs. He also serves drinks and provides condiments, napkins, and utensils to eat with. If this doesn’t scream out to you PUBLIC HEALTH, than I’m not sure it exists. We chose this location because it was in the middle of down town. It is a fast, cheap, and convenient way to grab lunch on the go. We found it interesting how John made every attempt necessary to stay sanitary and well kept. He had a hand washing station on his cart with soap and paper towels. John wore gloves when preparing a meal and changed his gloved in-between uses. John had a cooler with ice, where he kept the drinks, as well as the meat not yet used. He provided costumers with a trash can to eliminate pollution and trash on the streets. I think he does an amazing job with delivering people with affordable and decent food, being that it comes from a mobile cart on the side of the street.

By: Alyssa Bedard, Andrew Laughery, Kim Tran and Ariana Neddermann

Fight the Germs with Sanitizing Wipes!

We chose to place our public health sticker on shopping cart disinfect wipes in shopping centers. This location seemed fit for the project because hundreds of people are touching the shopping carts daily and this can be a health hazard not only because germs are being spread from hand to hand but also because the germs are around all of the food in the store. This represents a public health issue because direct contact is an easy way for germs to be spread. Researchers say that shopping cart handles are one of the dirtiest surfaces in the public health world, and cleaning them can only be beneficial. Germs being spread is an important issue because if one person goes into the store infected with something it can spread quickly due to all the contact with the shopping carts. In comparison to using hand sanitizer rather than sanitizing wipes, you can wash your hands and the handle on the cart so it is more likely for the germs to be killed with a wipe. The H1N1 virus was when the sanitizing wipes became present in the shopping centers and the wipes were used not only as a precaution of spreading the germs, but from killing them as well. Although there is still a 99.9% probability that the germs will all be killed with the sanitizing wipes, there is a still a small chance that germs can be passed on. With this being said it is important to take notice to the primary prevention measures and continue to wash your hands and the shopping cart handles.

By: Taylor Philipson, Eric Eshelman, and Brittany Dickinson