Friday, December 5, 2014

Blog 5

My biggest take away from this course is what I've learned about what other women and children live through every day in other parts of the world. The safety and security we take for granted everyday is truly a luxury. The day to day actives that we do with out a second thought many of them can't do and probably don't even realize they exist. We will stand in line to buy a $600 iPhone and not think twice about the women on the other side of the world that can't make the decision to take birth control to save her life or the lives of the children that she already has and can't feed. This time of year so many are Black Friday shopping and decorating for the holidays, remember to give thanks for all that you have and the things you take for greeted. I can't say that I would be able to go to these villages and help first hand but I can, going forward, remember those less fortunate than myself in my prayers and look for opportunities to assist from home.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Blog #4

What can a woman do to reduce her risk of assault?

The risk of assault is a reality for many women. For some, there is more of a risk than others. There are several ways to reduce the risk of assault for women. The first thing  that a woman should always being aware of what going on around her at all times. You should never get so caught up in a phone call or day dream and not notice whats happening around you. Another thing is it's a good idea have some type of way to protect yourself in case you are approached by a criminal; having had some type of self-defense, have pepper spray or mace, or even some type of spiked key chain or sharp tip comb or brush. Also, women should never pullover in a dark area to talk to a stranger or to the police for that matter, you never want to take the chance of becoming a victim in an uncontrolled environment. As a women you have to make good common sense decisions. Simple things like meeting strangers in public places; making sure that when leaving mall, restaurants, and clubs at night to have your car keys out and ready to access your car. And whenever possible never walk to your car alone.
These are just some ways to reduce the risk of being a victim of assault. It is important that every women know that their life is very valuable and to protect themselves as so.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Blog #3

I thought that I would share my 3 stressors as an assignment and maybe a healing vent session for myself. Stress can be a contributor to high blood pressure, digestive issues, depression and anxiety and even migraines. Although stress is an unavoidable part of life, it can have very bad effects on a person’s life as well. For me, I am a person that picks up and carries the problems of everyone around me. I am the go to person when you need a shoulder. I think it a good thing that so many of my friends consider me as a source of support or good advice but once my own stressors came into play it caused a huge amount of anxiety and depression.
My first source of stress is school. Not in a bad way but because I feel like at my age, if I am making the effort to return to school and try to balance work, marriage, a grown child, and everything else that comes with home life, that I have to get the best grades possible. This is not a just something to do for me, I really want to do well. I don’t want a “C”; if it is possible I want that “A”. The bad part is that I also feel that I don’t have 3 or 4 more years to do this so I will sometime take on more than I should. To carry a full load at school and work fulltime is a lot for me at times. People ask all the time why I take so many classes my response is simply, “I want my dad to see me graduate”. I can’t take for granted that he will be here forever.

My second source of stress the need to find another job, lay-off is now my reality the rest is self-explanatory. This adds on to the last stressor, family live. Being the “strong” one, having all the answers, knowing what’s next all the time is hard when you can’t say for sure what next for yourself. All I know is that failure is not an option and to let my family down will not do. Does this become unbearable sometime? Absolutely, and I’ve had very serious bouts of depression because of it. What saves me is the very thing that gets me down, my family.  I’m a survivor and that’s all to it!

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Blog #2

The article I read provided a summary of the outcome of a survey given to adolescent mothers, ages 19 or younger, from Tshwane, South Africa who failed to use contraceptive, emergency contraceptive and/or termination of pregnancy (TOP) services. The data in this article was obtained from 61 completed surveys. Many of these adolescent mothers made very little money, barely enough to take care of themselves and their children. Only 23 (37.7%) had used contraceptives prior to conception, none used emergency contraceptives or accessed termination of pregnancy services even though all of these services are free of charge in the region (Ehlers, 2003). This survey was an attempt to educate these adolescent mothers on the contraceptive, emergency contraceptive and TOP services accessible to them in family planning clinics in their region.
The survey asked a series of questions regarding first sexual experiences, education, income, and types of contraception used if any. Reasons for first sexual experiences varied from “it just happened” to “peer pressure”.There were even a couple mothers that stated that their first time was with partners they truly loved. Out of the 61 mothers surveyed, 28 (15.9%) knew about contraception, 37.7% were familiar with the injection, even fewer knew about condoms and the pill (Ehlers, 2003). 29.5% of these mothers knew emergency contraceptive options existed but not all of them knew how to use it correctly (Ehlers, 2003). One girl stated that she was able to successfully use birth control for 7 years, ages 11-18, before becoming pregnant. This allowed her to complete the 11th grade. She would have completed the 12th grade also if she would have been given the injection as requested instead being forced to take the pill. I found this information to be very common to adolescents in the US. Even though we in the US are not completely limited on health care/ family planning assistance and we are definitely not limited on education of birth control and/or contraception, many have and continue to find themselves in unplanned or unwanted pregnancies.
Happily, after giving birth, these adolescent mothers became very aware of their options, 55 (90.16%) were now using some form of birth control.  38 reportedly received the injections, 10 used condoms, and 7 now take the pill. Even after by advised of the option to terminate pregnancies, very few, less than 20%, state that they would not have chosen that option.

References
Ehlers, V. J. (2003). Adolescent mothers' knowledge and perceptions of contraceptives in tshwane, south africa.(RESEARCH). Health SA Gesondheid, 8(1), 13.


Friday, August 29, 2014

Hello all,
My name is Jennifer Howard-Thompson and I'm a mother of one son age 22, a wife, a full time employee and a full time student. I love everything PINK and I love, love, love to read historical romance novels but of course once classes start that becomes non-existing for me. I’m originally from Los Angeles, CA and relocated to Dallas, TX in 2006 to be near my dad. I’ve done this for many other classes and things in my life are ever changing, I currently work for a large financial institution as a Teller Manager, however that is about to change and I will be venturing into the world of teacher this school year. I’m looking forward to the change, something new for me to see if I have the skill and patience to endure. I must admit that I get a little excited about the thrill of a change, lol.

While working at the bank has been a JOB pays the bills it is not however my passion, thus the reason for returning to school to pursue a career that I’ll love. I have always wanted to be in the healthcare industry and although the job titles have changed over the years, the goal and desire to be a part of the industry and care for people has not. However, once I became a mother the real life kicked in and priorities changed. After many years of not being able to return to school for one reason or the other I decided to step out on faith and pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Studies and I believe that with God all things are possible.


 I’ve never been a “blogger” so as this semester progresses, I’m very curious to see how this blog will evolve, lol. I look forward to learning a lot about how to improve my personal health as well as the health of other in this class. Good luck to you all and I look forward to studying and blogging with you all!!