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Could eating fruit more often keep depression at bay? New research
Study found frequent fruit eaters had greater positive mental wellbeing The study surveyed 428 adults and looked at the relationship between their consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweet and savoury food snacks and their psychological health The more often people ate fruit, the lower they scored for depression and the higher for mental wellbeing. People who frequently eat fruit are more likely to report greater positive mental wellbeing and are less likely to report symptoms of depression than those who do not, according to new research from the College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University. The researchers’ findings suggest that how often we eat fruit is more important to our psychological health than the total amount we consume during a typical week. The team also found that people who eat savoury snacks such as crisps, which are low in nutrients, are more likely to report greater levels of anxiety. Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the study surveyed 428 adults from across the UK and looked at the relationship between their consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweet and savoury food snacks, and their psychological health. After taking demographic and lifestyle factors such as age, general health and exercise into account, the research found that both nutrient-rich fruit and nutrient-poor savoury snacks appeared to be linked to psychological health. They also found that there was no direct association between eating vegetables and psychological health. Based on the survey, the more often people ate fruit, the lower they scored for depression and the higher for mental wellbeing, independent of the overall quantity of fruit intake. People who frequently snacked on nutrient-poor savoury foods (such as crisps) were more likely to experience ‘everyday mental lapses’ (known as subjective cognitive failures) and report lower mental wellbeing. A greater number of lapses, was associated with higher reported symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression, and lower mental wellbeing scores. By contrast, there was no link between these everyday memory lapses and fruit and vegetable intake or sweet snacks, suggesting a unique relationship between these nutrient-poor savoury snacks, everyday mental lapses, and psychological health. Examples of these frustrating little everyday mental lapses included forgetting where items had been placed, forgetting the purpose of going into certain rooms, and being unable to retrieve names of acquaintances whose name was on the ‘tip of the tongue’. Lead author, PhD student Nicola-Jayne Tuck commented: “Very little is known about how diet may affect mental health and wellbeing, and while we did not directly examine causality here, our findings could suggest that frequently snacking on nutrient-poor savoury foods may increase everyday mental lapses, which in turn reduces psychological health. “Other studies have found an association between fruit and vegetables and mental health, but few have looked at fruit and vegetables separately – and even fewer evaluate both frequency and quantity of intake. “Both fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, fibre and essential micronutrients which promote optimal brain function, but these nutrients can be lost during cooking. As we are more likely to eat fruit raw, this could potentially explain its stronger influence on our psychological health. “It is possible that changing what we snack on could be a really simple and easy way to improve our mental wellbeing. Conversely, it is also possible that the forthcoming restriction of processed snack foods at checkouts, due to come in this October, could not only improve the country’s physical health, but mental health too. “Overall, it’s definitely worth trying to get into the habit of reaching for the fruit bowl.” For more information about the School of Psychology, please visit our website.
Researchers in Georgia Southern University’s Tactical Athlete Readiness and Preparedness Program (TARP) have teamed up with the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) to ensure the readiness and resilience of Georgia’s public safety officials. Members of the TARP in the Waters College of Health Professions have worked to revise the fitness training standards for Georgia’s police cadets with a focus on functional fitness, mental resilience and injury prevention. In addition, the program has formed a partnership with the GPSTC, Georgia’s premier training facility for all state and local public safety related units to include police, fire and communication. Bridget Melton, Ed.D., professor of exercise science and lead faculty member of TARP, said that due to high stress and health concerns, some police and public safety officials are at high risk for cardiovascular disease or other fatal illnesses. “Our program provides state academies with fitness exercises that increase overall cadet fitness and focuses on injury prevention,” said Melton. “Our program focuses on occupational focused fitness to hopefully encourage a more positive view of exercise that will stick with cadets even after their academy training is done.” Richard Cleveland, Ed.D., associate professor of leadership, technology and human development, heads resilience and mental health for the TARP team, and has created a Mindfulness-Based Tactical Instruction curriculum for the state of Georgia. “Tactical athletes need training and support for resilience and mental health, but too often it’s only presented as a one-time workshop or seminar,” said Cleveland. “Our program dovetails into the state’s resilience curriculum for officers, but provides ‘bite-sized’ mindfulness practices within the fitness program. This gives cadets repeated practice at using mindfulness and embeds it within their context using police language, actions and behaviors.” The partnership was made possible due to a subgrant GPSTC was awarded from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to fund TARP at their facilities due to the program’s comprehensive view of officer wellness, which is aimed at improving de-escalation skills among recruits through mental and physical training. “We are pleased to form a partnership with the GPSTC and the Tactical Athlete Readiness and Preparedness Program,” stated Chris Wigginton, director of GPSTC. “This partnership will allow public safety professionals to be better prepared in their personal and professional lives. Some of the many benefits will be a reduction in injuries, being better prepared to use needed skills in rapidly evolving situations, and the resiliency and mental health component. As word has gotten out of the possibility of the GPSTC implementing this program we have already been contacted by several states regarding the initiative.” Additionally, graduate students in the Department of Health Sciences and Kinesiology participate in the program and gain firsthand and practical experience by performing training and assessment for state instructors. TARP is part of Georgia Southern’s Tactical Athlete Initiative, which aims to reduce the number of injuries and increase readiness and preparedness of tactical athletes. The interdisciplinary team consists of the following Georgia Southern faculty members: • Bridget Melton, Ed.D., Professor • Richard Cleveland, Ed.D., Associate Professor • Greg Grosicki, Ph.D., Assistant Professor • Haresh Rochani, DrPH, Associate Professor • Mary Beth Yarbrough, Lecturer • Sarah Davis, Lecturer TARP is just one example of the work coming from Georgia Southern University’s Tactical Athlete Initiative. The Tactical Athlete Initiative is a multi-discipline collaboration providing research, training and support for military, police, fire and EMS workers. The Tactical Athlete Initiative has partnered with multiple agencies including the Statesboro Police Department, Statesboro Fire Department, Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Waycross Fire Department, Georgia Public Safety Training Centers, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers and the United States Army. If you're a reporter looking to know more about this partnership at Georgia Southern University - the let us help. Richard Cleveland, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Leadership, Technology & Human Development at Georgia Southern - simply click on his icon to get in touch or contact Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.
ChristianaCare is out to revolutionize health care. One of the country’s most dynamic health care systems, ChristianaCare is partnering with two leaders in medical and therapy services to provide comprehensive, integrated virtual health services 24/7 to colleges, universities and other institutions of higher education. Together with PursueCare and SimpleTherapy, ChristianaCare created a bundled health care product that combines general medical services from ChristianaCare’s Center for Virtual Health, mental health and addiction treatment programs from PursueCare and hyper-personalized musculoskeletal care from SimpleTherapy. ‘The future of health care is virtual’ “At ChristianaCare, we know that the future of health care is virtual,” said Sharon Anderson, MS, RN, FACHE, ChristianaCare’s chief virtual health officer and president of ChristianaCare’s Center for Virtual Health. “When college students are able to access medical, behavioral health and musculoskeletal services through their phone or laptop, from their dorm room or a private space on campus, they’ll be more likely to get help when they need it. This is about delivering care to students on their terms, so that they can be healthy and supported with high-quality care throughout their college experience.” Personalized virtual health solutions will be available to students at participating higher education institutions through a customized portal accessible from any computer or mobile device. Students will be able to access assessments, resources and virtual treatment via modules or telemedicine sessions with licensed providers. The offering provides students with unlimited, on-demand care from a multidisciplinary team solving for a multitude of conditions. “For college and university student health services and administrators, this partnership offers a powerful new way to provide comprehensive, affordable health solutions that benefit students,” Anderson said. “In a highly competitive recruiting environment, these solutions are easy to implement and can add tremendous value. We are excited to partner with colleges and universities to strengthen their student health programs by creating a comprehensive virtual care solution to meet their student’s health care needs.” Through a single digital portal, participating students can access internal and family medicine providers from ChristianaCare’s Center for Virtual Health. PursueCare’s Joint Commission-accredited mental health, psychiatric and medication-assisted treatment providers, and SimpleTherapy’s licensed physical therapists specializing in musculoskeletal care, acute or chronic pain management, and strength and mobility training can all be accessed through the portal. Students will also have the option of using PursueCareRx for their pharmacy needs. PursueCareRx is a competitively priced full-service pharmacy that accepts most major insurance and delivers directly to customers. “Young adults face an escalating mental health and substance use crisis,” said Nick Mercadante, founder, and CEO of PursueCare. “Colleges and universities are frequently unable to comprehensively serve the increased need, and research suggests substance use, mental health and suicide carry a significant social stigma. Our goal is to work collaboratively with campus health resources to bring a low-barrier solution students can access privately, any time, on their terms. Additionally, partnering with a world-class health system like ChristianaCare means we can help support whole-person care needs.” “Chronic musculoskeletal disorders have never been more prevalent and traditional care pathways are often ineffective and costly,” said Arpit Khemka, co-founder and CEO of SimpleTherapy. "SimpleTherapy removes barriers for students allowing them to take control of their musculoskeletal health, reducing their need for high-cost, high-risk services, such as surgery and opioids, to manage pain. This results in higher compliance rates and more successful outcomes." Customized and co-branded product The product is designed for colleges, universities and all other higher education institutions. For a flat fee, a school will be able to offer care that is customized and co-branded with school-specific content to be an extension of existing campus health services. It provides curated resources for rapid pre-assessment, on-demand chat and discreet, personalized access to care for students on or off-campus. The innovative patient portal aims to improve and strengthen how schools offer health care solutions to their student population while reducing any potential interruptions of academic and athletic pursuits by making it possible for students to conveniently access care from anywhere. In addition, the offering eliminates social stigma and other access obstacles for students who are at-risk or potentially at-risk, making it more likely that students will avail themselves of treatment options and remain in school. These services are currently licensed to operate in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Applications for licenses are underway in other states. ChristianaCare has long been a trailblazer in virtual health. Among its achievements, during the COVID-19 pandemic, ChristianaCare developed a COVID-19 virtual monitoring program that helped 37 companies in 14 states safely reopen with daily symptom monitoring, testing and connections to care for more than 10,000 employees. It’s Center for Virtual Health makes receiving care radically convenient, offering a full continuum of virtual care delivery programs. These programs include virtual primary care, specialty care programs and a Hospital Care at Home Program bringing hospital level of care to a patient’s home. The Center for Virtual Health cares for thousands of patients using state-of-the-art virtual care capabilities supporting patients in receiving care anytime, anyplace, including in the comfort of their own homes. For more information about the program, visit StudentCareSolutions.com.
Unattainably Perfect: Idealized Images of Influencers Negatively Affect Users’ Mental Health
Filters, Adobe Photoshop, and other digital tools are commonly used by social media “influencers.” These celebrities or individuals have a large follower base and “influence” or hold sway over online audiences. This digital enhancement of images is well-documented anecdotally. Instagram, in particular, has come under growing scrutiny by the media in recent years for promoting and popularizing unattainably perfect or unrealistic representations of its influencers. What’s less understood is the appeal and the actual effect that these digitally enhanced images have on followers–particularly in terms of people’s feelings of self-worth and their mental wellbeing. A ground-breaking study by Goizueta Business School’s David Schweidel and Morgan Ward sheds new light on the real-world impact of digital enhancement, and what they find should be cause for significant concern. Downstream Consequences: Impressions Have Lasting Impact Across a series of five studies with a broad sample of participants and using AI-powered deep learning data analysis to parse individuals’ responses, Schweidel and Ward have unearthed a series of insights around the lure of these kinds of idealized images, and the negative “downstream consequences” that they have on other users’ self-esteem. “Going into the research, we hypothesized that micro-influencers who digitally manipulate their images, offering unrealistic versions of themselves, would be more successful at engaging with other users–getting more follows, likes, and comments from them. And we do find this to be the case, but that’s not all,” says Schweidel. He and Ward also discover that when users are exposed to these kinds of images, they make comparisons between themselves and the enhanced influencers; comparisons that leave them feeling lacking, envious, and often inadequate in some way. In terms of mental health and wellbeing, this is alarming, says Ward. Our research shows unequivocally that when followers consume idealized versions of popular figures on social media there is a social comparison process that results in these users experiencing negative feelings and a substantial decline in their state of self-esteem. On the basis of these insights, is Meta–the owner of Facebook and Instagram–likely to take action to limit the use of digital enhancement on its platforms and apps any time soon? Unlikely, say Schweidel and Ward. “Meta seems to be fully aware of the deleterious effects that Instagram has on its users. However, the success of Instagram–and that of the brands and influencers that appear on the app–is fueled by increased consumer engagement: the very engagement that this kind of digital enhancement of images drives. So the incentive is there to maintain the practices that keep users engaged, even if there’s a trade-off in their emotional and mental health.” This is a fascinating and important topic - and if you're a reporter looking to know, then let us help. David A. Schweidel is professor of marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He is an expert in the areas of customer relationship management and social media analytics. Morgan Ward is an assistant professor of marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and is an expert in consumer behavior. Both experts are available to speak with media - simply click on an icon to arrange a discussion today.
Covering the music beat? Then tune in and get in touch with our resident hip-hop expert
Augusta University Professor Adam Diehl is an expert in hip-hop culture, lyrical analysis, rap as a form of literature and specifically, the works of Kendrick Lamar. Diehl gives an update on what's new in hip-hop and of course, answers questions about Lamar and his highly anticipated new album. How has the hip-hop music scene changed over the last 5 years? The hip-hop music scene has changed faster than any other genre the last five years. Whereas country still uses radio play and music videos to gauge success (along with album sales and streaming numbers) and rock uses touring to supplement and offset recording costs, pop and hip-hop have a great advantage in that they can raise people to stardom almost overnight. In fact, several of the biggest pop stars like Billie Eilish and Post Malone made their rapid ascents through the same channel many of the top hip-hop stars did: Soundcloud. Because this platform allowed new artists the chance to put their music alongside heavyweights, it democratized the listening process. What sent Soundcloud soaring? To put it succinctly, Soundcloud was the great reset of the hip-hop world. But when COVID hit and musicians couldn't tour for upwards of two years, the hip-hop community soared past country and rock (which they were already outselling pre-pandemic) because they didn't base their profit model on touring. Even pop stars were at a disadvantage, because the TV appearances and interviews they used to promote their new releases were few and far between for at least a year, and virtual events just couldn't replicate award show appearances and performances. Hip-hop, meanwhile, continued to be "Black America's CNN" and reported on the protests and outrage following the high-profile deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The resurgence of Black Lives Matter brought mainstream media and cultural attention to the Black community, and as such the importance of hip-hop grew, just as it did in the wake of the Rodney King verdict and the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. How has the economy of music changed? Most people under 20 don't own any CDs. What money these kids don't spend on music can now go to a modern cultural institution: the music festival. Increasingly, cities are hosting these previously camping-required concerts, which has been a particular advantage for hip-hop artists, who don't need roadies or sometimes even other people on stage. All they need is a setlist with six to 10 catchy songs, an entrancing light show, a DJ/engineer and a strong stage presence, and they can captivate the audience as easily as some of the all-time greats of any genre. Going forward, the music industry is going to be about return on investment. Instead of developing artists over a five-year period and then letting them blossom for two to three decades, they are looking for someone to explode in popularity instantly, stay in the spotlight and public consciousness consistently for three to five years, and then maybe stick around. TikTok is, in many ways, analogous to this career arc: the videos are short, the makers are -- to some extent -- largely forgettable, and the popularity relies heavily on a "hook." It's no surprise that hip-hop has been the most adopted genre by TikTokers: the genre has been more effective than any other in terms of codifying "catch phrases." And that's what TikTok is going for: something to hook viewers into watching more. Did the Super Bowl appearance by hip-hop artists take the genre to a whole new level as far as mainstream music? If the Super Bowl halftime show in 2022 did anything, it showed that rap and hip-hop are now as household friendly as rock, country and pop. Perhaps because so many best-selling rock acts had already played the halftime show, and perhaps because the pop acts of recent years had failed to maintain the public's attention, the 2022 halftime show featured one of hip-hop's founding fathers: Dr. Dre. His menagerie of artists' careers stretched over 30 years, and the time constraints of the show made hip-hop the ideal soundtrack. In a 13-minute set, six performers all got their moment in the California sun, and the mega-mix model so often used in clubs was perfect to segue from artist to artist. What 30 to 35 years ago was "Parental Advisory" is now the music that parents listen to. The target demo of the Super Bowl would've thought someone like Simon & Garfunkel or The Eagles much more risky picks than Dr. Dre & Co., even if their music was more family-friendly. Many casual music fans thought Kendrick Lamar was the head-scratcher because of his shorter tenure in the spotlight, but the younger generations watching were much more interested in what Kendrick did than "old heads" like Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige. Was this new album by Kendrick Lamar overdue? The new Kendrick Lamar album comes right on time: it is the definitive COVID album. If he had released in spring/summer 2020 when he originally intended (i.e. if the early March 2020 pgLang rollout was foreshadowing his record release), this would be a substantially different work of art. Instead, the project voices what so many people have endured in the pandemic: domestic turmoil. The tracks cover a vast array of topics -- from vaccinations to transgenderism to cancel culture -- but the unifying theme is therapy. As much emphasis as physical health got over the past two years, the pandemic was arguably just as bad if not worse for people's mental health. Accordingly, this album goes into dark valleys in Kendrick's and his family's trials and traumas: child abuse, sex addiction, separation/divorce, deaths, etc. In the two years that society has been persevering through the pandemic, countless marriages and millions of lives have been shaken to their cores. Listening to this double-album adds another tremor to our already-jostled souls. Tracks like "We Cry Together" capture the rapid-fire romantic arguments that can quickly escalate from disappointment to suicidal ideation, and "United in Grief" recreates the sense of a panic attack with its intensifying lyric delivery and drumbeats. Anxiety and depression are the recurring moods of this album, and the track list ranges in sonic textures -- from Lamar's tried-and-true vintage gangsta rap beats to the utterly unpredictable piano flourishes that come straight from a spoken word poetry reading -- to reflect the all-too-familiar combination of monotony and chaos that the world has undergone for the last two years. It is unforgettable -- just like COVID-19 -- but also, perhaps, something we'd rather not relive. Why do some consider Lamar the most influential rapper of our generation? Kendrick Lamar only has two real rivals for most influential rapper of the generation: Kanye West and Drake. Although Kanye is 10 years older, his career overlaps to a large degree with Kendrick's. Kanye's influence certainly comes more in the production of songs than in lyrical delivery, but his subject matter has been very contagious. Kendrick's mentioning of a Birkin bag in "N95" would never have happened if not for Kanye's lyrical (and career) forays into high fashion. Drake, on the other hand, is probably the rapper most influenced by Kanye...who went on to influence the most artists. Without Drake, many rappers wouldn't have had the blueprint for being singers as well as MCs. What Kendrick brings to the conversation is, in a way, more elusive; however, he without a doubt has raised the bar for lyrical delivery and flow, such that rappers have a better chance at success if they are comically basic than if they are merely competent. It's as if Kendrick took Eminem's velocity and used it to speak on bigger picture issues. Kendrick has also proven to be a fashion-forward rapper, collaborating with Reebok, Nike and Converse over the last few years. His influence might be most prominent in the "realness" of his lyrics: without Kendrick's "everyday life music," the emergence and popularization of "Soundcloud rap" might have been significantly limited. Instead, he uses Kodak Black -- one of the most successful of all Soundcloud-era rappers -- on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. If Kendrick isn't the most influential rapper of his generation, it's because his ambition and execution have placed him with the all-time greats, and oftentimes that puts artists at odds with their contemporaries. In 100 years, people won't remember some big acts because popularity wears off, but they will still celebrate Kendrick because his work is excellent. Looking to know more? Hit up Adam Diehl today -- simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview.
Dual dynamic of social media: connecting and stressing out
If social media platforms connect us, particularly during periods of isolation, they can also distress us and the people who moderate their streams of questionable content. In short, they appeal to our best and worst selves. Understanding that dual dynamic and its nuances across Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Twitch and Clubhouse is NJIT’s Yvette Wohn, a behavioral scientist who researches how online abuse impacts mental health. Ultimately, Wohn aims to develop tools that combat bullying on the web. Explaining the problem, she says: “Some people simply don’t know what’s socially appropriate. What people don’t realize is that what people say online has a direct consequence offline. What happens online, doesn’t stay online.” Source: Yvette Wohn on Curating Safe Spaces Online To interview Wohn, whose research is backed by the National Science Foundation, simply click on the button below.
Expert Opinion: Understanding Whiteness to Understand White Supremacy
In the aftermath of last week's tragic shooting in Buffalo, many have described the violence as representative of a mental health crisis, growing extremism, hatred, and bigotry, likening manifestos left by shooters as the racist rhetoric of radicalized individuals. "But that conclusion is a pleasant fiction," writes Matthew Hughey -- a professor of sociology at UConn and a renowned scholar of racism and racial inequality in identity formation, organizations, media, politics, science, religion, and public advocacy -- in a powerful new essay for Slate. As part of his work as a researcher, Hughey examines the manifestos of white-supremacist shooters as well as their intersection with race, knowledge, media, power, religion, and science. To understand white supremacy and the violence it precipitates, Hughey explains, we need to first understand whiteness: The category of whiteness, like “race,” is a biological fiction with a social function. Whiteness emerged early in American history to rationalize exploitation. Early American colonists were slow to develop racial worldviews. But by the mid-1600s, philosophers and scientists like Bernard Varen, John Ray, and François Bernier began to publish ideas about African savagery and European civilization, which were progressively applied to resolve who should be the rulers versus the ruled. These ideas were codified into our legal system. In 1662, for instance, British statutory law conferred slavery with a biological status: Any child born to an enslaved woman would also be a slave. Over time, through a series of laws and social mores, a hierarchy that conferred legal privileges to “white” men, while stripping Black people and Native Americans of their humanity and standing in the legal and political arenas, was cemented. Put another way, whiteness is not an inherent identity so much as a consolidation of lofty biological, legal, and theological notions that serve to buttress the social and political power of people bearing lighter skin. As W.E.B. Du Bois points out in his 1920 essay “The Souls of White Folk,” whiteness is a modern concept: "The discovery of personal whiteness among the world’s peoples is a very modern thing. … The ancient world would have laughed at such a distinction. … This assumption that of all the hues of God whiteness alone is inherently and obviously better than brownness or tan leads to curious acts. … I am given to understand that whiteness is the ownership of the earth forever and ever, Amen! Now what is the effect on a man or a nation when it comes passionately to believe such an extraordinary dictum as this?" The effect is a Faustian bargain. And as a result, whiteness exists in a state of perpetual social anxiety. White people are taught that their biological, cultural, and/or God-given nature is to be “inherently and obviously better” than people of color and to have “ownership of the earth.” These ideals are, of course, so lofty that they are unachievable. Discontent is inevitable. Whiteness is a deal with the devil. Consequently, white people move neither into nor out of moments of racial anxiety, nor do they—despite the popularity of the cliché—experience flashes of “white fragility.” Whiteness does not wax or wane relative to racial pressures, cracking to expose either reactionary political movements or even the occasional mass shooting. Rather, whiteness is an omnipresent imbroglio; it cannot live up to the greatness it assumes it can naturally realize. Reconciling the peril that results from the inability to fully manifest white power necessitates a scapegoat. And so the crisis of whiteness is continually externalized onto racial “others.” This helps to explain why an increasing number of white people now believe they have been cheated out of their birthright—an inheritance of domination stolen by people of color. White nationalism and supremacy could not function under absolutist apartheid; it is an ideology and practice that requires the presence of people of color to justify its own shortcomings. White peril and white power go hand in hand. Professor Hughey is available for interviews -- click on his icon to contact him today.
School to provide increased access to preventative health services for young students so they can learn, grow and thrive To address health issues at the earliest and most preventable stages, provide whole child health, and advance health equity in the community, ChristianaCare opened a new school-based health center at Kuumba Academy Charter School in Wilmington on Friday, May 6th. The creation of the center, made possible through ChristianaCare’s partnership with the Community Education Building (CEB), which houses Kuumba Academy, means that students at the kindergarten-through-8th grade school will have increased access to an array of health services. “At ChristianaCare, we recognize the comprehensive health needs of adolescents in our community and are committed to partnering and using our resources wisely and effectively to expand our school-based health centers,” said Bettina Tweardy Riveros, J.D., chief health equity officer and senior vice president of Government Affairs and Community Engagement at ChristianaCare. “We know that childhood trauma adversely affects the ability of children to learn and build healthy relationships and it increases their risk of mental health issues and lifelong chronic disease. The opening of our school-based health center at Kuumba Academy means that ChristianaCare can support medical and behavioral health services and wraparound social care our children need, so we can positively influence their health, their education and their futures.” With the latest opening, ChristianaCare now operates 21 school-based health centers throughout the First State, in partnership with the Delaware Department of Health & Social Services, the Delaware Division of Public Health and several school districts. Kuumba Academy students, who spoke at an event Friday to celebrate the grand opening, will have access through its school-based health center to the following: Comprehensive behavioral health services. Crisis intervention and suicide prevention. Substance use disorder treatment. Tobacco cessation. Nutrition and weight management. Physical examinations. Health screenings. Treatment for minor illnesses and injuries. Reproductive health. In addition, Kuumba Academy students also will have access to resources that help their families surmount obstacles such as transportation, challenging appointment times, and worries about cost and confidentiality. “Kuumba Academy remains committed to meeting the needs of the whole child and family,” said Sally Maldonado, head of school at Kuumba Academy, the mission of which is to provide an innovative learning environment for the whole child from kindergarten through eighth grade. “The opening of this school-based health center means that our students and families will have daily access to the high-quality behavior and health services that they deserve, and we are grateful to ChristianaCare and CEB for their partnership. We are beginning to see ourselves on the other side of this pandemic and we are energized to emerge with these newfound partnerships focused on health and wellness for our village.” ChristianaCare has partnered with CEB and Kuumba Academy on community-focused health initiatives in the past. In February 2021, ChristianaCare provided more than 800 vaccinations to community members and staff at CEB. On February 7th of this year, ChristianaCare vaccinated 38 people, including 19 children, against COVID-19. This added to the more than 6,000 vaccinations that ChristianaCare Community Health has administered since 2021. “At CEB, we understand the importance that health plays on a child’s ability to learn and succeed,” said Linda Jennings, CEO at CEB. “We are beyond excited to partner with Kuumba and ChristianaCare to launch the Kuumba Academy School-Based Health Center at CEB and add to the list of holistic and integrated support we provide to students and their families.” Today’s event coincides with Better World Day, an annual, national event on the first Friday in May. During Better World Day, students showcase their learning about initiatives that they believe will have a positive impact on their community and the world. Through collaboration and acts of service, students learn the power of their voice to make change. About ChristianaCare Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible and lowering health care costs. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals (1,299 beds), a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute. ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work, rated by Forbes as the 2nd best health system for diversity and inclusion, and the 29th best health system to work for in the United States, and by IDG Computerworld as one of the nation’s Best Places to Work in IT. ChristianaCare is rated by Healthgrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals and continually ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and other national quality ratings. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. With its groundbreaking Center for Virtual Health and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care. About Kuumba Academy Charter School Kuumba Academy Charter School’s mission is to provide an innovative learning environment for the whole child from kindergarten through eighth grade. Our directors, staff, and families share the core belief that parents are children’s primary educators. KACS parents, in partnership with teachers and administrators, believe that every child can maximize his or her learning potential given the opportunity to do so. In response to the outcry from Wilmington parents looking for a high-quality public education and increased access to arts education for their children, Christina Cultural Arts Center leaders, parents, and community supporters took action and were granted a Department of Education charter to create Kuumba Academy Charter School (KACS) in 2001. KACS was the first school model in the state that partnered a public charter school with a nonprofit community organization. Christina Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) and KACS form a unique nonprofit/public school partnership committed to educational excellence. Through the innovative union of academics, arts, technology, and family engagement, each KACS student’s individual learning style is nurtured—resulting in creative learners who are agents of positive change in the community. The CCAC/KACS model is regarded by many as the single most significant achievement in Wilmington’s post public school desegregation history. About the Community Education Building (CEB) CEB was established in 2012 after Bank of America donated the former MBNA Bracebridge IV building to The Longwood Foundation. Living up to its commitment of increasing access to education, the Longwood Foundation created CEB as an independent entity, and transformed the space into an ecosystem to support the social, emotional, physical, and academic development of Wilmington’s youth. CEB is an innovative co-location and shared services model. Focused on supporting the entire family, CEB offers vibrant programs and support systems that provide a sound foundation for each student. It serves as a hub for families by offering services such as healthy meals, life coaches, and mental health services. This model leads to deeper family engagement in their child’s learning and allows schools to focus on teaching and learning, not operations and overhead. CEB is an educational ecosystem that holistically integrates programs and resources for students and their families, ensuring that every student has an equitable opportunity to succeed.
UConn Expert Weighs In On 'What Drives a Black Mass Shooter?'
“We would be missing a critical moment," says Dr. Wizdom Powell, "for us to look at the systems that we have set up and ask ourselves, are we serving every person who has a mental health need well, and if we’re not, what are we going to do about it?” Director of the Health Disparities Institute and associate professor of psychiatry at UConn Health, Dr. Powell studies the impact of modern racism and gender norms on African American male health outcomes and healthcare inequities. In a recent interview with the Amsterdam News following a mass shooting incident involving an alleged Black suspect, Dr. Powell weighed in the ways in which implicit racism can frame how law enforcement classifies shootings, the importance of deconstructing harmful racial and gender stereotypes, and the delivery of mental health services to communities and individuals in need: “When you call something gang violence, I think people’s empathy goes down to zero because they think those people are killing themselves,” said Powell. “You know, it’s their problem. Nevermind the victims.” Powell said that in the event of a mass shooting incident there is usually a “sympathy” conveyed for a person as a “complicated human” as opposed to a person of color who was involved in a gang shooting. “When do you get a full picture of that person? Who they were as a child, all of the traumas they experienced, their lack of resources,” said Powell. Powell thinks there’s a conflation in general between individuals who are mentally ill and those who commit mass shootings. She said mass shootings are a massive public health crisis with many factors contributing, with mental illness being one of many. ********** Powell said that the emotionality or interior lives of Black men are always spoken about with an undue amount of concentrated attention on their anger. She strives to deconstruct the stereotype of the ‘angry Black male.’ She said that there is a prevailing presumption that anger is somehow bad or pathological when it’s actually a legitimate response to emotional suffering and injustice. So when an incident that fits the stereotype of the ‘angry Black male’ occurs, people hyper focus on it because it confirms their bias. “I think there is a disproportionality in our reporting about these incidents by race,” said Powell, “we also tend to paint the picture of these shooters more sympathetically, when the shooters are non-Hispanic white males as opposed to males from other socially marginalized groups.” In the 1960s, said Powell, there was a shift in the way that the field of psychology and psychiatry viewed Black men and their symptomatology while civil rights protests were erupting around the country. Prior to the ’60s “middle class, white housewives” were diagnosed with schizophrenia more often, but there was a sharp uptick among Black males afterwards. “Again, reminiscent of an earlier time where Black people’s quest for liberation was pathologized,” said Powell. Powell said that health and science is still at the “tip of the iceberg” in identifying symptoms of depression in Black men. She said her studies have found that societal racism or experiencing racism or secondary traumas of racial reckoning is definitively at the root of Black and Brown male depression. Dr. Powell is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
New research to help manage excessive weight gain in patients being treated with antipsychotics
New research led by Dr Gurkiran Birdi and Dr Ian Maidment in the College of Health and Life Sciences at Aston University will explore ways of managing excessive weight gain in patients being treated with antipsychotics for mental health illnesses such as schizophrenia. The project, known as RESOLVE and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), will study non-pharmacological interventions for antipsychotic-induced weight gain in people living with severe mental illness (SMI) by working directly with patients to understand and explain how, why, for whom, and in what contexts non-pharmacological interventions could help service users to manage antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Antipsychotics are widely used in the treatment of schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses (SMI). Over the last 20 years, the first generation of antipsychotics has been replaced by the newer second generation of antipsychotics. There are over 220,000 people being treated for schizophrenia in the UK at any one point in time. Up to 80% of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are overweight or obese. Weight gains of up to 33kg have been reported with antipsychotics. This weight gain has devastating consequences: life expectancy is reduced by 20 years in people with schizophrenia, partly related to the consequences of this weight gain. Diabetes has been reported to be a major issue with second-generation antipsychotics. In RESOLVE - which includes partners from University of East Anglia, Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham Universities, the NHS and the McPin Foundation - the researchers will combine literature what has been written about the subject. The team will also interview volunteers, both people who have suffered from the weight and healthcare staff involved to understand their lived experience of weight gain. We also want to find out what works to help manage weight. At the end of the project, the team plans to develop guidance for service users and practitioners on the best ways to treat and manage weight gain. Dr Ian Maidment, reader in clinical pharmacy and lead researcher, said: “Prior to moving to academia, I spent 20 years working in mental health services. This is a really important issue, I have seen patients literally “balloon” weight with their weight increasing from 80 to 120kg. We need to find better ways to help them.” One member of the RESOLVE Lived Experience Advisory Group said: “The RESOLVE study could provide a tailored solution to my antipsychotic weight gain, that could benefit my unique needs as an individual. I have found that weight gain from taking anti-psychotics has been a real health problem. I find that this is often ignored or stigmatized by friends, family and healthcare professionals. Added to which there seems to be no currently available solution that works”.
