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THURSDAY • February 28, 2013
Health
RE-THINKING CAMPUS NUTRITION UCO Healthy Campus to launch campaign for National Nutrition Month
n, h Promotio tor of Healt a in rd o o C Me” UCO with a “Bite s e s o p , ll e sw Brittney Cri 7, 2013. ster, Feb. 2 o p n ig a p cam
Photo by Kyle Schwab, The Vista
LINDSEY RICKARDS, Staf f Writer UCO Healthy Campus as well as other collaborators will begin their campaign for National Nutrition Month (NNM) on March 4, 2013. Several programs and activities will take place throughout the month to encourage UCO students, faculty, and staff to live a healthy lifestyle through nutrition. “NNM happens annually through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic (AND), the goal is to celebrate healthy eating,” Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Management major Olive Siew said. “They have different themes and this years theme is, ‘Eat Right, Your Way, Everyday,’” Siew said. Collaborators hosting NNM at UCO include UCO Healthy Campus in partnership with Mercy Clinic at UCO, the Wellness Center, UCO Peer Health Leaders, Student Association of Nutrition and Dietetics, Housing and Dining, and Oklahoma City-County Health Department. According to Brittney Criswell, Coordinator of Health Promotion at UCO, UCO is celebrating NNM by putting on different programs and events that specifically focus on promoting fruit and vegetable consumption among students.
“Only 1.7 percent of UCO students eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day,” Siew said. This statistic was derived from the National College of Health Assessment Data from UCO. “That’s very indicative of Oklahoma in general,” Criswell said, “Oklahoma is 50th among all the states in fruit and vegetable consumption, so its not just UCO students, its all of Oklahoma in general.” The scheduled events begin with Supermarket Smarts on March 4th at 4:30 p.m. and March 14th and 28th at 1:00 p.m. at Homeland on Danforth and Bryant. “It’s been a very positive experience with Homeland,” Criswell said. According to Criswell, Sarah Shipley, a Dietetic Senior, will take participants on an hour-long tour of the supermarket and guide them toward the foods that are important to consume within the sections, as well as clear up confusion about the types of foods that should be purchased and what brands are best. “The feedback we’ve received from the supermarket tours, has been that 100 percent of students walk away having learned helpful
“Only 1.7 percent of UCO students eat 5 servings of fruits and ve g et a b l e s p e r d ay. ” information that they can apply later in their life,” Criswell said. Tour space is limited. To reserve a spot, email grocerytour@gmail.com. Ask A Dietetics Student will take place every Wednesday in March from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at a booth in the Nigh University Center (NUC) by the food court. Free resources will be available to those who stop by, as well as advice from UCO Dietetic Students. “I encourage people to eat a balanced diet,” Siew said. Spots are also limited for Campus Cook, which is a program that will teach participants how to create tasty and nutritious meals. Campus Cook consists of “Just (Healthy) Desserts” on March 8th from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., “Indian Cuisine” on March 11th from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
OKLAHOMA COULD SEE NEW
TEXTING AND DRIVING LAW BROOKS NICKELL,Staf f Writer Texting while driving has become a frequent problem on U.S. roadways. From ATT’s stop texting and driving pledge to state laws, citizens, companies and state officials are taking measures to prevent accidents on the road. The Oklahoma House of Representatives is proposing harsher penalties for those caught texting and driving by introducing legislation that would
allow police to ticket citizens caught in the act. House Bill 1503 calls for a fine of up to $500 for people caught using a cell phone to write, send or read a text message, instant message or email while driving. HB 1503 includes an exception for emergency response operators, medical officials, ambulance drivers, firefighters and law enforcement.
The proposal passed through the House Transportation Committee with a 12-2 vote and is now available for consideration by the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Oklahoma driving while distracted laws are already in effect but HB 1503 sponsor Rep. Curtis McDaniel expressed, in an interview with Tulsa World reporter Wayne Greene, that he feels the lack of a specific mention
and “Mexican Cuisine” from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Each will be held in the kitchen of the Human and Environmental Sciences building. “The participants will see how to make it and also taste a little bit of what they’re cooking,” Criswell said. To reserve a spot, contact Criswell at bcriswell@uco. edu Broncho Bites and Re-think Your Drink will take place March 25th and 26th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. by the clock tower at Broncho Lake. The events will take place in the NUC by the food court if the weather does not permit. “The whole campus is invited to come taste fruits and vegetables,” said Criswell, Criswell stated that they were aiming to have a variety from classics to exotic types of proto texting while driving leads to many drivers assuming it’s OK to do so. Dr. Louis Furmanski of the University of Central Oklahoma’s political science department expressed the importance of trying to detour the amount of accidents caused by texting and driving. “I think distracted driving is increasingly causing accidents. It may not be quite the epidemic that drunk driving is, but it is dangerous. When your trying to text and drive at the same time its just an invitation for something to go wrong.” There is sufficient evidence to support the dangers of texting and driving. In a 2011 study by the Texas Transportation Institute, findings showed that driver’s who are distracted by texting, reaction time doubles. While driving undistracted, reaction times to a flashing light on the driving course were between 1 and 2 seconds. Introducing texting into the equation changed the recorded reaction time to between 3 and 4 seconds. While it is widely accepted
duce. “When I first came here I was not really familiar with the fruits and vegetables here,” Siew said. According to Siew Broncho Bites is a good way to introduce a combination of different types of fruits and vegetables to local and international college students. A pledge card will be available to participants as well as a taste of fruit infused water at the Re-think Your Drink station. “We’re asking the campus to go sugary drink-free for one week,” Criswell said. Criswell and Siew are hoping that what they call the “Bite Me Campaign” will motivate others to get proper nutrition. “Nutrition is a huge component of what we think constitutes a healthy life style,” Criswell said. as a problem, one question posed to those attempting to curb distracted driving is just how strictly the law can be enforced. “I think it has become a normal occurrence and hopefully the $500 fine will help as far as cutting down on accidents and safety on the road, but I think people will find a way around it,” Tonya Perry a freshman at UCO said. “People just do it and a lot of them try to keep it hidden.” As of December 2012, 10 states plus the District of Columbia have instituted a handheld cell phone ban for all drivers. All but two of these states have made it a primary offense. While there is a strong argument against texting and driving, evidence shows that the laws may not be enough. Research conducted by the Institute for Highway Safety allowed that the first generation of all-driver cell phone ban laws in America was generally effective at reducing use of hand-held cell phones while driving but not at reducing crashes.