Fit2BTide S09.E09: National Public Health Week

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa. Happy Sunday, y'. All. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And my Lord, we are on the brink of April. [00:00:18] Speaker B: Can you believe it? [00:00:19] Speaker A: No. You know, we've been talking all March Madness and not in the basketball kind of ways over the past couple of weeks, and now it's so crazy to think that it is April. You know, we've come off of the heels of spring break, and so I feel like our students are kind of transitioning back to that mindset of, like, okay, we just got to get her done. Or they're probably freaking out, thinking, oh, man, like, I. There's so little time for me to make up what, you know, this hole that I could be in. I don't know. [00:00:52] Speaker B: Yeah, right. Because the last day of lecture on dead Week, you know, is April 24th. Yeah. So, I mean, it is short, sweet, jam packed in that whole month of April because we. We have graduation ceremonies starting May 1st. [00:01:08] Speaker A: That is insanity. Now, from a faculty perspective, where is your mindset at this point? You know, is it kind of a like, okay, I'm in it to win it. Like, let's just get her done. You know what? I don't know. [00:01:20] Speaker B: I still have so much more to teach, so I am kind of. I'm not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel just yet. [00:01:28] Speaker A: Sure. [00:01:29] Speaker B: You know, I still think, no, we have a lot more. We got ground we have to cover. We have, you know, more exams. So I'm kind of. To me, I feel like I'm in the thick of it, in the middle of it, instead of being on the cusp of, hey, you know, two more weeks, two more lectures, we're done. I'm still kind of very much head down, nose to the grindstone. [00:01:47] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I. I totally feel that. You know, and I'm hoping despite the pollen, it's nice having the better weather. You know, Nika, I don't know if you remember that. I guess it was that Monday of spring break where pretty much Alabama experienced every type of weather possible that day, from tornadoes to snow to sun, to. [00:02:11] Speaker B: Reminded me of when my children were little and they had meltdowns and temper tantrums and. But then were the happiest they could be, all within like a five minute span. They went through every. They cycle through every emotion and every feeling because they were, you know, they were two. Yeah. I felt like the weather was two years old. [00:02:32] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, the weather was definitely having a two Year old temper tantrum. It was, it was really interesting, but [00:02:37] Speaker B: they were not getting that candy bar in the checkout line that it wanted. So it's like, fine, I'll just snow on you. [00:02:42] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:02:42] Speaker B: And then it got what it wanted. It's like, fine, then I'll just, you know, pollinate you. Yeah. I mean, it was crazy. [00:02:48] Speaker A: It really was. And you know, it's again, you know, April weather. You know, we were accustomed to knowing that tornadoes can happen during this time period too. But hopefully the cold, cold is behind us. [00:03:02] Speaker B: I, I hope. I would like to plant some flowers. How about you? [00:03:05] Speaker A: The same. The same. There's definitely some yard work that needs to be done. I need to, you know, put down some mulch, all of that stuff. And I'm like, man, I really am middle aged when I'm talking about that kind of stuff. And it's getting me excited. [00:03:18] Speaker B: I really care about my lawn care and I never thought I'd be that person, but I am and I'm loving it. [00:03:24] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll own it. We'll own it for sure now. And you know, I know we've, we've talked about in the, like the types of chores that we like to do in our house. What is the most, what gives you the most instant gratification when it comes to yard work type of things? [00:03:40] Speaker B: Pressure washing. [00:03:41] Speaker C: Aha. [00:03:42] Speaker A: I remember you saying that. [00:03:44] Speaker B: Yes. I've done it since I was in high school, which I got introduced to it because I was a lifeguard at a public pool and we, you know, had to pressure wash the, the pool deck to open the, the pool up for the season. And I mean, I fell in love. [00:03:58] Speaker A: Yeah. To me I feel like it's like outdoor vacuuming. I mean, I know that probably mowing the lawn is more akin to vacuuming, but just that instant gratification, like you're going over a section, you see it cleaned out, you see immediate immediately. [00:04:13] Speaker B: It is lovely. Well, what about you? What's your favorite outdoor activity? [00:04:18] Speaker A: What is it? I think it is mowing the lawn. Now, do I actually, am I actually the one that's mowing the lawn right now? Not necessarily. It is my husband that's doing it, but sometimes just pick weeds. Yeah, that feels good. [00:04:30] Speaker B: And people, you know, will laugh at you when you say, hey, get outside and get active. Picking weeds, mowing the grass, pressure washing, that is cardio and that is strength training because you don't really think about how many times you squat down, you bend over, you pick something up. You know, you're just Trying to get a task done, but to kind of relate this back to health. You're working out. Oh, yeah. [00:04:51] Speaker A: Functional fitness, man. Well, listeners, you know, you're probably thinking, oh, my goodness, are they going to be talking about yard work all day? We definitely are not. We actually have some exciting things that we're going to be chatting about today. We've got another fantastic, exciting guest per usual. But we're going to give you a little teaser, you guys, we got to take a break. Go grab a beverage, get hydrated, run to the restroom. Do what you got to do. You are listening to Fit to be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. Wv uafm, tuscaloosa. [00:05:34] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the Capstone. [00:05:40] Speaker A: That's right. And today we are going to be talking about National Public Health Week, because, Neeka, I hear it's coming up next month. [00:05:49] Speaker B: You know, it is. It's April 6th through the 10th, and we are, in my world, excited and geeking out, dude. [00:05:58] Speaker A: We, you know, we have to. We have to be the ones to recognize these weeks. You know, for myself and, you know, the area that I work in, you know, we recognize it because we have so many health educators on our staff. You know, I also geek out internally for, like, my National Nutrition Month stuff and National Registered Dietitian Day, but we gotta talk about public health. And we figured there is no better way to have this conversation than to have a UA student who is majoring in public health. So we'd like to introduce Erin Elliott, who is a UA senior majoring in public health. And so, Erin, thank you for being on the show with us today. [00:06:35] Speaker C: Thank you for having me. [00:06:36] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. And so, you know, this is always the part of the show where we like to hear some details about our guests. So, Aaron, can you tell us about your hometown and what made you choose ua? [00:06:49] Speaker C: Yes, I'm actually from Tuscaloosa. I've grown up here my whole life. I grew up around the Hillcrest area, so I was very close to UA at all times. I actually chose UA because I. I don't know. I've never thought of anywhere else to go. My whole family went there, so it's kind of like a bloodline thing. [00:07:07] Speaker A: Yeah, don't. [00:07:08] Speaker C: Don't like, you know, don't ruin the bloodline. You know, you gotta go, gotta go to ua. And honestly, I think it was the best choice for me. You know, I'm a Homebody. I love my family, and UA is just right there with them. So I thought it was the perfect place for me to go. [00:07:23] Speaker B: I love that you hear so many people. They're like, I want to go. I want to get as far away as possible from wherever they grow up. [00:07:28] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:07:29] Speaker B: You know, so that's refreshing to hear. [00:07:31] Speaker A: Yes. And so, you know, Aaron, we mentioned that you are a senior majoring in public health. What initially drew you to this field or when you started your journey at the capstone? Were you originally in public health to begin with? [00:07:44] Speaker C: Yeah. So honestly, I started as a nursing major here at ua. And, you know, I was kind of in the weeds of, like, figuring out what I wanted to do as far as, like, healthcare and if I actually wanted to be a nurse. I worked in a hospital for a couple months. I was like, is this really for me? I know I still want to be in healthcare. I know I still want to make a difference in people's life. But I didn't know exactly what route I wanted to go. And so, thanks to UA's career center and some of their counseling, they were like, why don't you go for public health? And I was like, okay. But, like, you know, what exactly could I do with that? And so they showed me, like, the different things. And so I ended up going for health ed and promotion because I was like, well, you know, I like to be in a community of people, and I like to, you know, educate on health topics, especially ones that I'm passionate about. And so she was like, go for it. And that's how I started with public health. And I've enjoyed it ever since. I really have. [00:08:38] Speaker A: Nika, I loved seeing your, like, smile and head nod when Aaron mentioned the career center and kind of getting that assessment done. You were like, oh, yeah. [00:08:45] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. They're great at that. You know, they help you figure out what your desires and your passions and your talents are, and they have let you really, like, funnel it down to, like, exactly what would inspire you, you know, to go and do every day for the next 40 years of a working career. So I'm so excited that you utilized it. It worked for you, and. And now you are exactly where you're supposed to be. [00:09:10] Speaker A: So, you know, thinking Aaron, you know, you are a senior now. You've been in the program for a while. We're kind of curious. What's something you've learned in the program that's completely changed how you've seen everyday life, you know, especially now looking at campus and just life in General through that public health lens, I would say, [00:09:29] Speaker C: you know, with my courses I've taken here at ua, one that specifically stuck out to me was the health disparities class I took. And it's made me really, like, recognize the little, like, nitty gritty. You get down into it, like, what is a health disparity? And I've been able to recognize more, you know, oh, like this town doesn't have a lot of healthy food options. You know, they're kind of in a food desert where their only healthy food option is Dollar General. [00:09:54] Speaker A: Right. [00:09:55] Speaker C: And I'm like, oh my gosh. Like, that's actually very common. Being from Alabama and you know, traveling to rural counties, as I often do, I'm just like, oh my goodness, like, we're going to need a little more healthier options here. But not just that. I'm like, even with, like, noticing my own personal actions, like, if I'm wanting to make a healthier behavior choice, I'm like, oh my gosh, this is like the transtheoretical model. I need to get into that good behavior change and, you know, I want to stay on that, you know, healthy path. But in my mind I'm like, oh my gosh, this is what I learned in class. So it just makes me really, like, pick out the little things that I've learned in class and apply it to my everyday life, which was something I really hadn't done before. [00:10:38] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:38] Speaker C: Which is pretty cool. [00:10:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:40] Speaker A: Nika, for you, do you, you know, kind of just thinking about some things that Aaron said, like if you're interacting with someone, you know, whether it's somebody in your family and you're talking about their health stuff, do you start thinking about, like, the different frameworks and theories? Like, oh, okay, well, within the health belief model or the trans theoretical model, like, this person is definitely pre contemplative. Like they are not in the action stage right now. [00:11:03] Speaker B: I do. I, I did it, I did it more when I was in grad school and was having to, you know, be tested on it all the time. But I, I, you know, it's just part of my life. I see the behavior, the human behavior side of it now, and it makes me actually have a little bit more grace for people because I realized that there is a science behind why we, we engage or don't engage in certain behaviors, whether they're healthy or not healthy. And it helps me understand and have a little bit more patience with people because I realize, okay, this is, these are the barriers you're facing. These are Maybe the skills or the education or the help or the tools that you're lacking. And this is why you're not making this choice. And what can we do to help move you towards better health? [00:11:54] Speaker A: Yes. And I mean, I think that just between what you've shared and what Aaron shared, it's such a good example of why it's important for people to have these academic underpinnings if they're to, you know, be a health coach or they're doing anything where they're, you know, helping instigate behavior change for someone. Because if they don't have that and they don't have that understanding and they just see it as this very, very linear process of, hey, I told you to change xyz, like why haven't you done it? And they're not taking all these other things into consideration, then it's not fruitful, you know. [00:12:29] Speaker B: Right. Because I think if you don't have those academic underpinnings, you're going to see it through your own, your own lens, your own bias, and you're going to be like, well, this worked for me and this wasn't hard for me. And you have to learn that you're not everyone. And the reasons why people do things are very numerous, you know, so you gotta know the science and in those kinds of things and the theory behind it to really, truly help a person. You can have all the passion and the, the want to in the world, but you do have to merit with that academics to be, you know, effective. [00:13:05] Speaker A: Absolutely. Now Aaron, you are a senior in public health. You also happen to be doing your advanced practicum placement, that culminating experience with the Department of Health Promotion and Wellness. And so since that focus on college student wellness, are there certain health topics or dimensions of health that you think are the most pertinent to UA students in this season of life? [00:13:28] Speaker C: Yeah. So I would say as a fellow UA student, what I've noticed the most would be like the indulgence on alcohol and the kind of overdoing of that also is like sleep. Not getting enough sleep. That's one of my, like my, my main project this semester is on sleep and how college students will be sleep deprived, they're not getting enough sleep, and how that's affecting not just their physical but also their mental. And so that's something I've noticed personally. Also, you know, financial, we've had an uprising and like, like student betting and, you know, using your money on choices that maybe aren't so smart. And that's just what I've noticed as a student here, it could be different in other areas of the United States, but here at ua, I think those are like the main three that I personally have noticed. [00:14:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Now, Nika, for you, with that public health hat and even just as a faculty member and in that advisor role that you've had, do you feel like those are pretty spot on, you know, when you're thinking about those dimensions of health for students that, you know, whether it's unhealthy coping mechanisms, whatever that looks like, whether it's alcohol use or not getting enough sleep, whatever else, or financial wellness. [00:14:45] Speaker B: Yeah. So the main veins are always there, the unhealthy coping mechanisms, Those change. So I was kind of surprised when you said student betting, because I'm not in that world, you know, and so I know that just financially, it's stressful to be in college because you're having to learn how to manage your money budget. Some people don't have, you know, the privilege and the blessing of having to not have to work a job while in college. And the cost of everything has gone up. So I've always known that financial stress is high, but I didn't realize until Erin said it that a lot of the money is going on like betting. Yeah. [00:15:25] Speaker A: I know that our collegiate recovery community, their clinical staff, they've been doing a lot more work related to helping students with addictions related to sports betting, things of that nature. And, you know, and then also, what is that ripple effect when it comes to, you know, parents, you know, unknowingly supporting that habit and what that looks [00:15:50] Speaker B: like, but thinking that you're sending money for groceries and you're not? Yeah. [00:15:54] Speaker A: It's like, oh, and it's March Madness time. So cute. [00:15:58] Speaker B: So much hungrier right now. I wonder why. [00:16:00] Speaker A: Yeah, it's like, what is happening? Well, y', all, we're having such a great conversation right now. We've got to take a break, though. But on the flip side, we are going to continue this conversation about public health and have Aaron join us in that. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone. Wvuafm tuscaloosa. [00:16:31] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nneka on 90.7, the capstone. And today we are talking about National Public Health Week. And we are joined by our guest, Aaron Elliott, who is a senior in our own public health degree here at Alabama. So, Erin, thank you again so much for taking the time to join us on Our show this week. [00:16:53] Speaker A: Of course. [00:16:53] Speaker C: Thank you so much for having me. [00:16:56] Speaker A: So I just want to say, you know, we, we mentioned that it's National Public Health Week. We've talked a little bit about it. But Nika, I'm just going to ask you straight on, especially as our faculty member at the table who is within the program, what is public health? [00:17:13] Speaker B: So the, the definition that, you know, you are to get is that public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. So there's three P's of public health. Right. Ready? Do you know, I'm Aaron, you want me to put you on the spot? No. Preventing, promoting and protecting. So we want to prevent things from happening. We want to promote good health behavior. And you know, we want to protect the health that you have. And so where healthcare, you're one on one with a doctor or a nurse and they're looking at you individually. Public health, we zoom out and get a bird's eye view of like populations. And so we try to change things upstream. So instead of saying, hey, this restaurant does not need to have a smoking section, we say, nowhere needs to have a smoking section. Yeah, let's, let's look, let's look at everybody. You know, but you know, there are certain pockets of public health because it's very vast that, like the, when we were talking listeners, if you're listening to the segment before, I said I was not very aware that the financial stress for college students nowadays is coming from sports bedding. That's not my area that I am drawn to. Sure, there's other areas. So we need people in that area that understand it. Whereas the same with dietetics and exercise science. But then we have epidemiologists that are looking at the measles outbreak or whenever there's a flu outbreak and they're trying to tell us like, is this going to be a bad flu season or not. But you know, we have so many other jobs and job titles. It's so vast and far reaching. But it boils down to how can we protect your health and prevent you from being unhealthy. [00:19:09] Speaker A: Yeah. Now Aaron, when you have told friends or family members like, oh, I'm a public health major and if someone were to say like, oh, well, what is that? Or what do you do with that? Or what can you do with that degree? What have you often told individuals? [00:19:23] Speaker C: So I've actually told them, like, basically I would be like an advisor. Like if you have any questions about your health or what you could maybe be doing Better. Maybe I'm not like a hundred percent, like an expert on it, but I could give you some pieces of advice that could potentially help you go down that road. I would also say, like, oh, like, they're like, oh, what can you do with that? I was, I've probably told them multiple times like, oh, I'm gonna be a health educator. And I, like Ms. Nika said, that could be a array of different topics based on what you're passionate about. And so I'm still trying to figure out what my little, you know, passion is in that area. But yeah, that's what, that's what I've helped most people. [00:20:01] Speaker B: Yeah. So for me, as you listeners that have listened for a while know, mine is preventive health. Going and getting those preventive screenings, listening to your body, being your own self, you know, patient, self advocate. But women's health, like, I really, I really enjoy the things preventing and promoting and educating on the things that particularly, you know, hurt women, whether that's reproductive diseases or, you know, heart disease. Just, you know, I want everyone to be healthy. But because I am a woman and I've experienced some of these, you know, health effects, I'm just drawn to not wanting anybody else to do it. [00:20:43] Speaker A: Right, right. [00:20:44] Speaker B: You know, not to experience it. Sure. [00:20:46] Speaker A: No. Well. And I know that I think anecdotally whenever I have used the terminology related to public health, a lot of times people will automatically think about different community agencies. So, you know, your different local health departments or your state health departments. And so I kind of want to ask both of you guys this question. You know, public. Public health careers aren't always obvious. What are some paths people might not realize exist? [00:21:13] Speaker B: Yeah, you want to take some of those, Aaron, that you've learned as you're. [00:21:15] Speaker C: Yeah. So actually I've been looking for jobs in public health as a senior and so there's been many that I've found. Wellness directors at your local ymca. Did not know you could do that with public health degree. You know, you could even work in schools. A lot of people also don't know that, but I mean, with a degree in public health and you have your concentration in health education and promotion, you can definitely get your license to be a health teacher in high school and like have that sort of like as your main focus. And also like you mentioned, like American Red Cross non profits, like American Heart association, you can help like plan stuff like that. That's what I've kind of dove into. But yeah, it's just many different things. I'm sure Ms. Nika knows. [00:22:04] Speaker B: I get asked this all the time, too. So some of the. We're called many things, although we. We may have our own little, you know, areas that we're in. We're really educators. And so you can say, all right, you're a public health educator, or you're a health promotion educator, a wellness educator. But then you also hear people talk about being a health advocate and a patient navigator at a hospital, a wellness specialist. But you. You're like, okay, Nikki, those are all buzzwords to me. Okay, well, social workers, occupational therapist, anybody in health care, you are either clinical or non clinical. Yeah. So you're either touching the patient, providing the care, you know, either rehabbing, diagnosing, whatever, or, you know, a lot of that stuff. But you're not actually diagnosing. [00:22:55] Speaker A: Right. You're not the clinician. [00:22:56] Speaker B: We're not the clinicians. We are the allied professionals to the clinicians. So you have us that, you know, are. You have obstetricians, you have epidemiologists, but then you have people who are restaurant inspectors that work at the health department, because we all know how sick we can get if our food is not prepared and handled correctly. You know, so we're like, what's up for them? Hey, shout out. But you got community planners. You have all kinds of things. So think about if you've ever come in contact with somebody that's done Relay for Life, American Cancer Society, if you're local in Tuscaloosa, Five Horizons, Safe Center, Table of Grace, if you've gone to a food pantry, if you've done anything that would in somehow some way affect your health, but it wasn't the doctor or like, you know, a hospital or. [00:23:47] Speaker A: Right. [00:23:47] Speaker B: You know, a clinician that's going to be a public health worker. [00:23:51] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely. And I know that, you know, the last episode that we had, we had Gene Rakocheski, who is the CEO of the West Alabama Food Bank. Easily someone with a public health background, you know, being the director of a. A large serving food bank. [00:24:08] Speaker B: Right. [00:24:09] Speaker A: You know, that is. That is public health. [00:24:10] Speaker B: That's public health. You're working to protect the health of all of us. So even safety. So when we had Shane Doral here, that's director of UA campus. Safety. Safety. I mean, when. When you get those first alerts. I mean, James Spann. [00:24:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:24:28] Speaker B: Is public health. When they're like, get to your safe place. It's protecting your health. [00:24:34] Speaker A: Yeah. No, and I like that you explicitly said that. And, you know, those are very specific examples to get people to Think out of the box. And I think between the examples that you provided, Aaron, and then those that you've provided, Nika, it's clear that we have to have a pretty wide skill set as a public health agent because, you know, depending on what your role is, you're probably having to wear, wear multiple hats. But one thing that I do believe is clear is that you have to be a good communicator because if you are translating the science into, you know, into message, strategic messaging, that is digestible for, you know, most Alabamians or whoever your target population is, and you're making that accessible for them, there has to be this art of health communication too. Would you guys agree with that? [00:25:26] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. And that's one of the classes that you have to take to get this degree. You have to know how to, to message and make it, like you said, digestible in layman's terms. Because if somebody's not going to over understand it or it's going to go over their head, they're not going to apply it, you know, and so we have to. Our whole idea is we want to, we don't want to tell you what to do. We want to give you all the information so that you, you have the control to make the best decision for you. Yeah, absolutely. You know, we want to enable the, your control over your own health. Yeah. And we do that by educating you, but we have to do it strategically. So is that an event? Is that a cute little infographic? Is that a psa? Is that a like really cheeky commercial? What is that? Yeah. [00:26:15] Speaker A: Now, Aaron, when you have, you know, started creating health education materials and across different types of mediums, whether it's been for your placement with health promotional wellness or for other courses, what has that experience been like for you? [00:26:31] Speaker C: It's been, it's been, it's been fun, honestly. You kind of get to see or you, it makes you think, it makes you think about how, how is this going to come across to your target population? Is it going to be easy? Like, easy to read? You have to consider. Not everybody has like a 12th grade in a reading level. Like, you know, when you're in elementary school, you have your, you get your AR scores back and that's, that's your reading level. But, you know, not everybody's gonna have a great reading level even, even in college. And so you kind of have to make it, you know, accessible to those. And so, yeah, I would also like to add it. You don't want it to be boring. You want to Kind of like make it. How do you say this? Like towards your target population. And you want to make it interesting and fun and cute. [00:27:19] Speaker B: So I know what you're saying. So, like, if I'm telling college students to get exercise, I'm not going to tell them to go do their yard work and pull weeds like Sheena and I were talking about in the first segment. People our age would be like, oh, yeah, okay, I totally get that. I can do that. But if I am going to try to get college students to be more engaged as a college student, what do you want me to tell you? [00:27:40] Speaker C: You don't want. I definitely not to go. Yeah, not. Not yard work. [00:27:45] Speaker B: You would be like, hey, come do this, like fun ride. [00:27:48] Speaker A: Yeah. Or like go to do. Let's do this, like fun walk on the quad. Like this. Yeah. [00:27:53] Speaker B: Or some kind of tough mudder. Or just something where you can be social, be with a lot of people, have fun, be able to take the pictures, get the snapshot, get the free T shirt. You know, you. Like you said, you got to know your population, but you also have to know their health literacy levels. Are they going to understand the word you're selling them? Yes. [00:28:11] Speaker A: And so I know we have to take a quick break, but I'll just say briefly, you know, for any student who has been in that process of they're having to create educational materials for the public, and you may feel annoyed being like, oh, gosh, why do I have to use this checker to make sure that it's at a third grade level reading or less? You know what? Like, what's the point of this? It's because we want this to be accessible to the population. And I remember getting some materials from the Alabama Department of Public Health one time. They had these posters that they specifically made as a campaign about foods for lowering blood pressure, but their target audience was for African American males. And they wanted these posters in barber shops. And so the way that they did them was so cute and it was so targeted for that population. I was like, this is the beauty of public health. And also their partnership with their gifted communications department that understands health communications. [00:29:09] Speaker B: But that's always make people stop and look. Yeah. [00:29:12] Speaker A: Versus just a, you know, just this something that I made on, you know, Microsoft Word where I've got some terrible clip art. [00:29:20] Speaker B: 1996. [00:29:21] Speaker A: Exactly. Oh, my goodness, y'. [00:29:24] Speaker B: All. [00:29:24] Speaker A: Okay, we gotta take a quick break. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 [00:29:28] Speaker B: to Capstone, [00:29:35] Speaker A: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa. [00:29:44] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'. [00:29:45] Speaker A: All. [00:29:45] Speaker B: You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone. [00:29:49] Speaker A: That is right. And today we have been talking about National Public Health Week that is coming up in April. We have had UAE student Erin Elliott, who is a senior in public health here at the capstone. And we've just been talking about what public health is, what kind of careers are out there, you know, why it's important to, you know, really be strategic in those health communications. And so now we kind of want to zoom in on our campus and talk a little bit about how UA is celebrating National Public Health Week. And Nika, I believe you have some things to share with us. [00:30:26] Speaker B: I do. So. So our honorary society for the public health degree is Eta Sigma Gamma. And its whole goal is to promote the discipline of this field by elevating the standards, the ideals, the competence and the ethics of professionally prepared men and women in health education. So we're not just like, hey, join it, sign up, put it on your resume. We actually go and do. [00:30:54] Speaker A: Right. [00:30:54] Speaker B: And so we are trying to really bring Public Health Week to life for our students. So we have a couple of things going on. On Monday, we're going to have our community partner event, which is kind of, think of it kind of this way. If you were going to a job fair, I'm not saying that they're there to hire anybody, but if you're going to a job fair and you're like, oh, what is this? And that you're like, oh, I'm this company and this is what we do. It's a really great way for our students to come and see what are the public health community partners in Tuscaloosa county right now. And you can get more information. But then you could probably learn, oh, here's some volunteer hours that I can get. Or they are hiring, you know, but just to kind of get to know them. So they're going to have a tabling event there. Tuesday, we're going to have a tabling event on campus about mental health matters. Nice. Yes. Wednesday, we're going to have an advocacy because I think a lot of people don't realize this, but we have lobby. I mean, people who like the law can be advocates and do, you know, policy reform, you know, you hear that mammograms are provided, you know, as part of your health care plan, or we've got a grant to have a mammography mobile to go out to the rural counties. Okay. A lot of that has to come from Funding or a lot of that has to come from a law being passed. So we're going to talk about advocacy Thursday. We I'm very excited about this. We are going to talk about public safety. And because we feel like a lot of students, they have to understand that public health kind of becomes more meaningful to them when they see how it protects them personally. Yes. And then we go out from there and the best way to see how it protects you personally is starting with campus safety. So we've had the director, like I said earlier, Shane Doral, who is over UA campus safety. Yes. He is going to be our guest speaker and he is going to talk about how that is public health. I love that. I am so excited about it. You know, I geek out about everything. But we're going to have our honor society initiation on that Friday. But here's some fun things are also going to be doing. Our students in EDA Sigma Gamma are going to do are going to do this thing called crashing the class. And they're going to ask current students what public health means to them and post the videos on our social media accounts. And then this one I'm not very excited about, but I'll do it for the love of the greater good. We are going to do a pie. A professor, I was about to ask, [00:33:57] Speaker A: I was like, please tell me it's pieing. [00:33:59] Speaker B: Yeah. So you get to pie. You know, not everyone signed up to do it, but I did because I'm trying to, like I said. But you pay to pass like professors on that Friday. And, you know, the more money you pay, the more money we raise that we, we donate to different community partners and organizations in town. But we are really excited about it because we want people to understand it's more than just, hey, make sure you brush your teeth and wash your hands and cover your cough. [00:34:30] Speaker A: Right. [00:34:30] Speaker B: Public health goes further than that. [00:34:32] Speaker A: Yes. Well, first I want to say, Erin, you want to tell us on air which professor you want to pie in the face. Totally kidding. But I don't know. [00:34:41] Speaker B: Well, you know, there's some, you know, we think Dr. Don Chaney might get it because everybody loves him and he's such a great sport and he's just so fun. And I think people will. He'll make it funny. Yes. You know, like he, it will be like a fun experience to watch if he gets pod. But then there's some of us that, you know, I think, you know, I may have a few dollars donated to my account just because of, you know, I said what I said and I meant what I meant. So, hey, that grade you earned is the grade you earned. [00:35:13] Speaker A: Hey, I understand that now, Nika, you know, you were mentioning that Eta Sigma Gamma is going to be doing advocacy event, and that is so important. You know, when you are thinking about lobbyists who, you know, work for American Cancer Society or, you know, other agencies or, you know, lobbying for, you know, certain types of coverage in Medicare, Medicaid, things of that nature, you want someone who is well versed into understanding why this affects the health of the public versus someone who is not versed in that and they don't understand. You can make that case better to you, your congressman, where you can, you know, you can say the things you need to say and share the data you need to share, but in a way that they're going to understand why is this important in the long term. [00:36:03] Speaker B: Correct. So, as Erin was mentioning earlier, health disparities was one of her favorite classes. Now that she understands and kind of feels the panic of when she sees something happening in a certain area or a certain population, and she's like, we've got to change this. And she understands that the only way we're going to change it is by going to the top. You know, she may not want to go into law, but she could sit down with a lobbyist or a lawyer who does have the ear of the person who has the right or has the power or the key to make that change and explain, okay, I know this is because not everything can be everybody's area, but they. This would be her area. And she's like, okay, I'm going to tell you why this is important from public health. You go do your law thing, you go do your politician thing. Make it happen. [00:36:56] Speaker A: Yes. Now, I. I can't remember if this program still exists, but long ago, I used to be a volunteer site visitor for Alabama Communities of Excellence. And so I would do the. The health or health care side of things. And so essentially, when I'm visiting a community with the team, I'm looking at access to healthcare services. Like, how far away is the closest emergency department? You know, is, do they have a farmer's market program? You know, are there public places for people to be physically active? [00:37:29] Speaker B: Is there any even a dentist office? [00:37:31] Speaker A: Exactly, yes. Is there a dentist? You know, things like that or mental health care. And that was so eye opening. And it was, you know, wonderful to be able to, you know, make recommendations for improvement, but then also think about what kind of recommendations can you make where we're thinking about this in terms of what is doable in terms of immediate implementation and what would be long term goal over several years? Because it would be one thing to say, well, y' all need to build a hospital here. [00:38:03] Speaker B: Right? [00:38:03] Speaker A: You know, it's like, okay, understand that. But, you know, so that could be one of the recommendations for the long term. But maybe one of the initial goals is thinking about how do you leverage some of the local farmers and create a farmer's market, you know, on one particular Saturday of the month where that program's not been there. And so that's probably been one of my most favorite core memories of just, just working within, like the public health area. And so, you know, as we're thinking about it being National Public Health Week coming up, and we've talked about public, public health, you know, what would you guys say is something that our listeners can do to support public health or, you know, just be involved with our campus or community? [00:38:49] Speaker C: Aaron, let me think. So Tuscaloosa has many, like, volunteer organizations that help aid, like you said, in public health. Like, anything that is for the better good of a person could be considered public health. So, like getting involved with maybe like the va, volunteering with, with that, or like the local Red Cross, you know, just little things. It might not be like, maybe you need a volunteer point for this club or this sorority. You. That, that's a great way to get involved with public health. [00:39:20] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:39:20] Speaker C: From my point of view. [00:39:21] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, something as simple as if you can donate blood, go donate blood. You know, gosh, yeah, just go do that if you can. I know as our, our, our guest the last time before spring break was talking about the post office is doing a canned food drive where you just put some food for the local food bank out at your mailbox and Yep, clean out, you know, stuff that's not expired that you're. You bought. And you thought I was going to eat that and you're like, no, I don't think I'm gonna eat that. Yeah, donate that. Yes, that is, you know, a little bit. But I'll tell you, it's kind of like the oxygen mass theory on a plane. When they say if the oxygen mass drops down, put it on yourself first so that you can help others. It sounds backwards, it sounds selfish. I say go today. And if you have the ability, if you have the insurance or the coverage, or even if you don't, there's so many different community partners out there that will offer a lot of these services, but do something for yourself that you know that you've needed Tiff done. Go get a teeth cleaning, go get your eyes checked, go get a skin cancer screening, go get a mammography, go get, I mean a mammogram. You know, like, go get the mammography services. Go get, go get your physical, do something. Because the more you take care of yourself, the more you're going to be a better parent, spouse, friend, worker, the more you're gonna, you're gonna give to the world. [00:41:01] Speaker A: I selfishly wanna end the segment on that because that was a great, you know, I think that that was a great call to action of, you know, just. Yeah, we've gotta practice that self care and not in the like, woo woo. Right, but, but investing in your health so that you can be the strongest age change in your own community. [00:41:23] Speaker B: You can show up as the best worker, the best parent, the best. Whatever. Whatever is your driving passion in life to show up as that best version of you. You need to take care of yourself first, girl. [00:41:34] Speaker A: Yes, that's that mic drop moment. But y', all, we're gonna take a quick break and then we are going to end the show with our closing segment and we are gonna have Aaron continue on with us. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.3. Wvuafm Tuscaloosa. [00:42:02] Speaker B: Thanks for hanging out with us today, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and NAECA on 90.7 the capstone. [00:42:09] Speaker A: That's right. And today we have had the pleasure of having Erin Elliott, who is a senior in public, Public here at public here, Public health here at the Capstone. And we've had a great conversation today about public health, talking about some of the different events that are going to be happening on campus related to National Public Health Week during the month of April. And so, Erin, I was telling you during the break just to give you a heads up that this is usually the time in this show where we ask our guests just a random question that has nothing to do with, with the topic of today. But I think my question for you today is what would be your last supper? So if you were on death row and you know, it's like, okay, you're gonna get that one last good meal. What direction are you going in? [00:43:03] Speaker C: I'm gonna have to say this is gonna sound so like Alabamian of me, but my nana's chicken and dumplings with fried okra and buttered corn with a sweet tea on the side. And for dessert, key lime pie. [00:43:24] Speaker B: Ooh, making me hungry over here. [00:43:26] Speaker A: I Know, because, like. Cause I'm thinking about what you've just mentioned, Aaron, and then Nika, you know, I'm thinking about some green bean casserole. [00:43:33] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. [00:43:35] Speaker A: You know, corn casserole. I. Yeah. So now it's like that do. Yeah. Do you want like a family meal recipe? Meal? I don't know. [00:43:45] Speaker B: Yeah. It's gonna have to be something my mom or my grandmother cooks, but I don't know exactly what I'd be landing on right now. But it's gonna have to be a home cooked thing. [00:43:52] Speaker A: Yes, I know. Yeah. I mean, it. Obviously it depends on the restaurant, but these days I just want a home cooked meal versus stuff in a restaurant. Because stuff in a restaurant, like. Yeah, it's like, like hit or miss either. You know, too much salt, it's soggy, not the right temperature. It's got like a chemical taste to it. [00:44:10] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:10] Speaker A: So. But I am so hungry. [00:44:13] Speaker B: I know, I know. We're making our listeners hungry. I know, but I, I love, I love that. Now, who's going to make the sweet tea? [00:44:23] Speaker C: Nana. [00:44:23] Speaker B: Okay. [00:44:25] Speaker C: Specific. Yes. [00:44:26] Speaker B: Okay. [00:44:27] Speaker C: She has a specific way she makes her tea and it has to sit for a certain amount of time for it to taste right. And if it's. If it's not, then it's so good, she'll throw it away. [00:44:35] Speaker A: Oh, man. [00:44:36] Speaker B: So Nana's gonna have to get in the kitchen. [00:44:38] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:44:39] Speaker A: Okay. Now what's your dessert choice, Nika? Because I know, you know, we like candy, but like, as far as, like, [00:44:46] Speaker B: sit down dessert, probably my mom's chocolate buttercream chocolate cake. I told you that's homemade. [00:44:55] Speaker A: So good. [00:44:56] Speaker B: Yeah. With roasted pecans on. How about you? [00:45:00] Speaker A: You know, I just, I'm just a lover of all desserts. You know, like, a good pumpkin pie is good to me. I do like, I do like certain bread puddings and creme brulees. But just a, like a, A cup of good ice cream, I would be okay with that being my last dessert before I died because, like, if it was that, you know, good, high quality ice cream. [00:45:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:45:23] Speaker A: Ice. I'm a simple girl, so ice cream would be good. [00:45:26] Speaker B: Are you doing like more Ben and Jerry's or the Haagen Daws or maybe [00:45:30] Speaker A: a Haagen Dawes, you know, and so something. Yeah, something like that, you know, it [00:45:36] Speaker B: doesn't have like a luxury ice cream. [00:45:38] Speaker A: Yes. It doesn't have to be anything overly complicated where it's, you know, like it has to be Rocky road where there's, you know, even just a really good vanilla. I could. I could be satisfied with that, too, so. [00:45:49] Speaker C: Okay. [00:45:49] Speaker B: Okay. Well, hopefully none of us will ever end up on death Row. But, I mean, thank. Things to think about, you know? [00:45:56] Speaker A: I know, because I feel like we. We. Anytime we've asked our guests food questions, people say some interesting things. I don't know. Nika, if you remember Sadars Williams from Capstone center for Service and Leadership talking about he wasn't necessarily a cheese person, so the Mac and cheese that he's giving, he could do away with that. And we just thought that was blasphemy. [00:46:18] Speaker B: Yeah. That hurt my heart. Yeah. I was like, I'll take your portion. [00:46:22] Speaker A: I know. It's like, just give it to me, babe. It'll be good. But, y', all, we have had such a great time today. [00:46:27] Speaker B: Thank you, Erin. [00:46:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:46:29] Speaker C: Thank y' all for having me. It's been fun. [00:46:31] Speaker A: Absolutely. Well, you. I just. It's always a good time, especially when we can have our students on the show. And, y', all, we can't wait to be with y' all next time. But until then, y' all have the best week. You have been listening to Fit to Be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. Wvua fm tuscaloosa.