Advocacy Project: What you want to know about asthma and allergies

Asthma: What is it?

So as you have read in my previous posts I am trying to show you the effects of asthma and allergies.  Most people have a general idea of what they are, but not to much after that.  For example; did you know that allergies are the main cause of asthma? Some other questions that people may wonder is why are they so bad for you? and also what effects can they have on you?
To start out this activity I would like you to take a short quiz about asthma just to see how much you already know about it. The quiz is brought to you by WebMd, and is very short.  It also provides some great feedback to your answers.

• Take the quiz here

Since you know have an idea about what you would like to learn I included a fact sheet from the EPA. It gives you some general knowledge about the subject.

• Some of the information could be general knowledge, but some of the other information may be things that you didn't know.

I have included a brochure from the CDC. That goes over important factors such as triggers to asthma and how asthma is treated. 


One of the main triggers to the development of asthma is outdoor air pollution, there are many ways that you can control your exposure and here is a flyer created by the CDC that can help you to do that.


Now that you have read the information and took the quiz, it is probably easier to see that asthma is a much bigger problem that we may have thought. To end just write two three things that you learned throughout this activity about asthma that you did not know before.


Thank for your time! 

Advocacy Project: Letter and Fact Sheet

Facts about Asthma and Allergies

According to the CDC asthma is a disease that affects your lungs and it affects both children and adults. And is a key component in the Healthy Peoples 2010 respiratory goals.


Asthma Prevalence Rates


17.5 million of U.S adults suffer from asthma


7.1 million children in the U.S have asthma


According to a study done by the CDC overall children born in the U.S have greater odds than children born outside of the U.S to develop asthma.


Number of visits to health care facilities in which asthma is the primary diagnosis is just over 13 million


Nearly 3,500 people in the U.S die annually from asthma


Some important triggers of asthma include:
• outdoor air pollution- caused by industry and automobile emissions, therefore it is important to pay attention to air quality.
• Dust mites
• second hand smoke- also called environmental smoke


American spend nearly 90 % of their time indoors therefore indoor allergens can be a big factor in asthma rates.


By 2012 it is the EPA’s goal to reduce indoor asthma triggers and has created a variety of educational activities to do so.


May has been designated as possible National Asthma awareness month, therefore it is important for our representatives to keep informed and vote Yes as on the issue.


All information found at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asthma.htm


http://www.epa.gov/asthma/awm/index.html
Letter to representative:


December 3, 2010


James Oberstar
U.S Senate
2365 Rayburn HOB
Washington , D.C. 20515


VOTE YES ON H.RES. 407 Designate the month of May as National Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month


By allocating the month of May as National Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month we will be able to better educate the American people of the effects and problems that asthma creates. Designating a month toward awareness will create more educational programs in schools and in workplaces. As a college student pursing a degree in health education I feel that there is great need for such recognition towards the problem of asthma in our country. If people become more aware of it will be able to begin working on ways to reduce the number of people effected by eliminating the factors that cause it whether they be environmental, or not.


The educational programs created for the month of National asthma and awareness month will help to education the public on the following issues: causes of the diseases, disparities to the condition, and environmental factors that may contribute to it. Some of the most common factors that are linked to asthma are secondhand smoke, dust mites, and outdoor air pollutions. Industry is the main concern of outdoor air pollution. Some of these risk factors are very modifiable. Just over 20 million U.S citizens suffer from asthma and by becoming more aware of these issues people may take the steps necessary to help prevent themselves and their families from developing asthma. In turn if less people are getting sick this means that they will have lower health care costs and me more productive in our economy.


Industry and health care companies would be the biggest opponents of this bill. Industry that produces the harmful pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, may not want to reduce their emissions of this. It may cost them more money and less productivity. Health care companies also may oppose such awareness, they like them money that they receive from all of peoples health care bills. Yet we should all know that health is more important than money.


I appreciate your past support on related issues. We hope that you vote Yes on bill H.RES. 407 Designate the month of May as National Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month.

Advocacy Project: Issue overview

Introduction:

Many people do not know the effects that allergies and asthma can have on an individual.  Studies show that a reduction in indoor allergen levels can help to reduce the rates of allergies and asthma in individuals.  Therefore there is need for more education on the subject to help to reduce the rates of allergies of asthma.  By designating the month of May as National Allergy and Asthma Awareness month we would be able to combat the issue by focusing on primary prevention techniques by educating the people.

The following bill H.RES. 407 "Designate the month of May as National Allergy and Asthma Awareness month" By doing this we would be able to combat the issue by focusing on primary prevention techniques by educating the people.  Providing more access to cleaner air solutions, and hoping that industry can see the problems that they cause as well.

Who is effected by the issue?

Like most instances all people are effected weather it is in a negative or positive way, but when it comes to this situation specifically families with a low social economic status are the ones mostly effected.  Of those children that are exposed to poor indoor and outdoor air quality are greatly affected, because they are being exposed to such things at a very young age.  Specifically children that live in poverty, and have not only bad outdoor air, but indoor air.  This is because many of them live in poverty, have poor ventilation systems, and no way to access air quality testing products.  

What are the consequences of the issue?

As stated earlier the more you are exposed to poor air both indoor and out, the more susceptible you will be to developing allergies or asthma.  The consequences for these can be very devastating.  Asthma many times can lead to death, it the attack is bad enough.  Research from a study done in 2009 from the Department of Pediatrics shows that incidents of death can also be correlated strongly with certain kinds of allergens.

What is the economic cost of the issue?

The economic cost to this issue can be very great to everyone. As it is with any health issue it is very big economic cost when it comes to the cost of our nations health care bill.  As more and more people become sick the higher our bill will be and the more we will be paying.  This also makes it hard for people to spend money on the economy.  Its an ongoing cycle.  However I'm sure that pharmaceutical companies like this and are doing well because so many people have to buy medication.

What is the social impact of the issue?
According to an article from Pub Medhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2044870 There can be a lot of social impacts of the issue of asthma.  It can affect schooling, employment, level of physical activity, social interaction with peers, and relationships.  

What are the barriers?
One of the biggest barriers to the issue is lack of affordable health care to the people that are most at risk for getting asthma.  Many of the people that have low socio-economic statuses are the ones that are at the greatest risk for developing asthma and allergies do not have the money to afford health care to address the issue.  Another barrier is lack of education and the understanding of the problem its self.   

What are the resources?

One of the main resources that we will need to address the issue is more education on the problem. That is why designating May as National Allergy and Awareness month will help a lot.  If we offer more education on the topic more and more people will become aware and want to take a stand to help this problem. 

What is the history of the issue?

Though it may seem like this subject would have a lot of history, it is actually quite a new topic.  The first diagnosis of asthma was not made until the 1960's.  However it is probably as old as the human race. It has been steadily growing since the diagnosis, since we have been polluting our earth more and industry has kept .  Hence the reason why we need more education on the subject.  

Allies and Opponents?

Some opponents would definitely be big industries.  They do not want to have to try to make the air cleaner.  Because for them that would mean that productivity would have to change in some way, which in some ways it might decrease.  Also many insurance companies may not want people to be more educated on the subject, because then they may not have as many people sick with incidents of asthma and allergies.

Your recommendations?
My recommendations would be to let the people be more informed on the issue. Be designating the Month of May as National Asthma and Allergy and Awareness Month people would have the benefit of more education on the issue.  I think that education is the best way to help prevent disease and we would be doing just that.

The following information was found using the following websites
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1474709/pdf/envhper00436-0331.pdf
http://web.ebscohost.com.libpdb.d.umn.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&hid=7&sid=00923b6e-519c-41e4-af91-0f2f41126cd9%40sessionmgr15

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/ THOMAS

Objective from Healthy people 2010: Reduce Indoor Allergen Levels

The progress quotient chart showed no current data towards this goal.  Which I feel helps to justify the need for it even more.


Disparities: Exposure to allergies is greater in people whom live in urban areas


Opportunities & and Challenges:
 No low cost methods are available for people to check the allergen levels in their homes.  Also many buildings that have already had codes were not required to keep health considerations in mind, such as allergen reduction.  Many of the new ventilation processes may help to improve moisture and air quality control, and in turn may have a positive impact on indoor allergy levels.  Effective moisture control helps to reduce rates of dust mites, and cockroaches.  Use of ventilator fans in bathrooms and kitchens may help to greatly improve allergy levels.  However many building designers are not aware of the benefits of this.


Emerging Issues:
There has been a steadily increasing number of deaths from asthma and allergy related problems.  It has greatly increased awareness of the problems these types things can create.  In 2000 the Institute of Medicine released a publication called " Clearing of Air: Asthma and Indoor Exposures".  It overviewed new evidence listing the relationship between asthma and indoor air, and allergens from dust mite, mold, pets, and gas appliances.  People do now see the need for more education, hence why this bill is needed. 


H.RES.407
Title: Expressing support for designation of May as "National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month"
Sponsor: Rep Castor, Kathy
Co- Sponsors: 102 : follow link to see all
Latest Major Action: 5/28/2010 passed/agreed into the House.  On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolutions.
Recommendation: Vote Yes for H.RES. 407 : Expressing support for designation of May as "National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month"
My political representative: James Oberstar

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Welcome to Sustainability With Sam

Hi my name is Samantha Jenson and I am a Senior Health Education Major. I love being around people and being able to strike up conversations with complete strangers. I think that getting to know people is very important in life so you can better understand who they are. I also enjoy going outside, enjoying nature, listening to music, and living an active lifestyle. I love to exercise and I love enjoying the outdoors. I just learned how to blog this year, but I am getting very excited be able to do it on a regular basis now. In this class my blog will be about why its important to sustain the environment and the resources that we have as well as many other important issues regarding nature, recycling, and environmentally friendly lifestyles.

There are 6 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

1. Advocacy Project
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If you notice at the bottom of this post, the categories will be listed as labels. This post is has been labeled with all five kinds of posts. You will also see the number of each kind of post in my Labels Gadget at the top of the page. All post titles from now on will begin with one of the categories above.

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Overall I think that this will be a very good experience learning how to blog this semester.

I look forward to reading every body's blog posts and others reactions to them. I think that it will be a great and new way for our class to interact together and look forward to the results.