Take action during National Radon Action Month
SPECIAL TO
THE CHRONICLE
The radon initiative of
the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)
serves to educate the public
about the dangers of radon.
Radon is a naturally
occurring carcinogen and
many case studies have
shown a direct correlation
to lung cancer and other
possible diseases. With no "
scent or taste and being
invisible, radon is a silent
killer that seeps into build
ing structures and does not
discriminate against its vic
tims.
Radon is the number
one cause of lung cancer in
non-smokers. Cancer from
exposure to radon could
take five to 30 years to
develop; however, there
are other ailments that have
been linked to radon. A fac
tor in understanding the
full effect of radon is that
one-third of inhaled radon
enters the blood stream
through the lungs.
Radiation has been
found in the brains of
Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's patients. There
have also been studies
showing the link between
' children with leukemia and
radon, but the evidence has
not been as strong as it
being a main cause of lung
cancer. It is second only to
smoking and causes over
21,000 deaths a year.
Safety from high levels
of radon is possible, but
action must be taken.
First, knowing the
radon gas level in homes,
workplaces, and schools is
key.
Second, cracks and
crevices should be sealed
to help minimize the entry
of gas into the structure.
Lastly, ? installing a
radon mitigation system is
necessary to remove the
radon from under the
building's foundation
before it can enter in and
affect those within the
walls.
The Forsyth County
Department of Public
Health, the Office of
Environmental Assistance
and Protection, and the
Forsyth County
Cooperative Extension are
partnering with the North
Carolina Radon Program to
provide free short-term
radon test kits in recogni
tion of National Radon
Action Month.
The partnership also
includes Wake Forest
Baptist Medical Center's
Comprehensive Cancer
Center to help educate the
community about radon
and lung cancer and pro
vide resources on lung can
cer screening and preven
tion. Through education
and action the hope is to
control exposure of this
cancer causing gas to
ensure the safety of people
in their own homes.
Radon test kits are
being made available local
ly while supplies last. Kits
can be picked up in
Winston-Salem at the
health department at 799
North Highland Avenue,
the 5th floor of the
Government Center at 201
North Chestnut Street, or at
the extension office at 1450
Fairchild Road. These free
kits are only available for
those residents who will be
performing their first radon
test, and will not be provid
ed for repeat or confirma
tion testing. Once the sup
ply of free kits has been
exhausted, short-term
radon test kits can be pur
chased year round from
Environmental Assistance
and Protection for $6 and
long-term kits for $14.
The EPA has set an
action level against radon
of 4.0 pCi/L (picocuries
per liter of air.) However,
regular exposure to this
level of radon is equivalent
to smoking eight cigarettes
a day. Likewise, the radia
tion level is like having 200
chest x-rays per year. The
World Health Organization
(WHO) states to take
action at 2.7 pCi/L.
However, both the EPA and
WHO encourages state that
there is no safe level of
radon exposure.
Radon levels can be
elevated in new homes due
to the insulation and seal
ing. As the heat and air
conditioning is kept in the
home, so is the radon gas.
However, with older
homes, radon gas levels
can be elevated due to
cracks in the foundation.
Reducing levels of radon
with a radon mitigation
system is the best way to
ventilate radon gas and
move it from under the
structure to the outside air
where it is diluted.
WSSU receives $351,000 grant for research
?' ' * ...
SPECIAL TO
THE CHRONICLE
A Winston-Salem State
University research team
will use a mobile app as
one of the tools in a three
year $351,000 National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
grant to study the risk fac
tors of cardiovascular dis
ease (CVD) among
African-American college
students.
Funded by the NIH -
National Center on
Minority Health and
Disparities, the project will
study the manifestation of
CVD risk factors among
African-American college
age students, using WSSU
students and faculty to con
duct an intervention pro
moting healthy behaviors
through the use of a mobile
phone app created especial
ly for this study in addition
to other educational strate
gies. One hundred students
will participate and 20
undergraduate students will
be mentored by key study
personnel.
The research team
includes Dr. Amanda Price
(co-Principal Investigator),
WSSU Assistant Professor
of Exercise Physiology, Dr.
Dionne Roberts, WSSU
Associate Professor in the
Division of Nursing and
Dr. Georgia McCauley,
WSSU Clinical Laboratory
Sciences Associate
Professor. Dr. Paul
Kizakevich, of . the
Research Triangle Institute,
is also a collaborating part
ner who has expertise con
ducting research in person
al monitoring and interven
tion methods for health and
environmental applications
using handheld smartphorte
technologies.
CVD is a significant
public health problem and
is the leading cause of
death in the United States.
People of all ages and
backgrounds can get the
condition and one in three
deaths (approximately
800,000) are reported each
year across the
nation. Annual direct and
overall costs resulting from
CVD are estimated at $273
billion and $444 billion
respectively, according to
studies. Strategies that
address leading CVD risk
factors such as hyperten
sion, high cholesterol lev
els, and smoking can great
ly reduce the burden of
CVD, which is the ration
ale for this study.
"We believe an impor
tant population to reach is
young adults who are at a
critical juncture in their
lives. African-American
college students are an
understudied population
with substantial risk for
obesity and metabolic dys
functions," said Dr.
Vanessa Duren- Winfield,
Director of Research and
Assistant Professor in
WSSU's School of Health
Sciences' Healthcare
Management Department
and Principal Investigator
for the study.
"Because there are rela
tively few African
American students partici
pating in many of the
national health surveys of
college students, this study
serves as a model for the
development and pilot test
ing of a CVD risk factor
assessment, prevention and
health promotion interven
tion program."
The study will use a
number of indicators to
measure effectiveness such
as blood markers (total
cholesterol, triglycerides,
high-density lipoprotein
(HDL), low-density
lipoprotein (LDL), and glu
cose), Body Mass Index
(BMI), blood pressure,
sleep quality, stress, and
physical fitness.
I
Participating students will
enroll in a three-credit
hour, 15-week CVD risk
prevention and intervention
course, and will be com
pared to students enrolled
in an existing healthy
lifestyle course.
"We hypothesize that,
compared to the control
group, students enrolled in
the CVD healthy lifestyle
behavior course will have
improved health behaviors
(e.g. increased fruit and
vegetable intake, physical
activity participation, car
diovascular fitness, sleep
quality, and stress reduc
tion), a lower BMI and
waist circumference, and
lower blood markers,"
Duren-Winfield said.
I
WSSU Launches Mobile App for Safety
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
As part of its commitment to
campus safety, Winston-Salem State
University (WSSU) has launched
LiveSafe, a mobile application that
provides students, faculty, staff, and
visitors with an on-the-go way to
connect with WSSU campus police.
LiveSafe, which is used on cam
puses around the country, enables
increased safety through a two-way
channel of communication between
the campus community and safety
officials. The suite of services in the
app includes:
?Report Tips: Users can submit
tips and information quickly and dis
creetly on suspicious activity, mental
health, concerns, and sexual assault.
Tip submitters may choose to submit
anonymously and can add a picture or
video.
?Go Safe: Users can ask friends
or family to virtually walk them to a
destination or request a Ram Express
shuttle ride.
?Emergency Options: Quickly
contact both WSSU campus police
and city police.
?Safety Map: View a map that
displays crime data and safety loca
tions.
?Emergency Procedures: Access
essential safety* resources and infor
mation.
"The LiveSafe app empowers the
campus community to help make
campus safer for themselves and their
friends," said Amir Henry, interim
deputy police chief for WSSU.
"Many times students are hesitant to
report safety hazards or activities
they witness, often because they
don't know what channels to use to
report issues or because they are
afraid to be associated by name with
/*?
the report. LiveSafe eliminates those
barriers. We are anticipating receiv
ing information that will help us
improve overall campus safety and
security."
Getting the app is easy:
1. Download LiveSafe for free
from Google Play or the App Store.
2. Register your email, fill out
your profile, and verify your account.
3. Select "Winston-Salem State
University" as your school. You're
set!
LiveSafe does not replace the uni
versity's emergency notification sys
tem, RamALERTS, but rather serves
as a supplement to help enhance cam
. pus safety. Students, faculty, staff and
visitors are encouraged to download
the app. For more information on the
LiveSafe App, visit http://livesafemo
bile.com.
SaifeLs/ik
wwtutss
We will be at the Reynolds Manor Branch Public Library
on 1/25/2016 from 10:00 to 1:00pm Southslde Branch
Public Library on 1/27/2016 from 10:00am to 1:00pm.
Free Phone Program
? Free Cell Phone bullet Unlimited Texts
? 500 Free Minutes for the First 4 Months
? 350 Minutes and Unlimited Texts thereafter
How do I qualify for SafeLInk Wireless}?
? Medicaid J (
? Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Ao<*am (Food Stamps
or SNAP). [ 1
i Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
? Federal Public Housing Assistance
(Section 8).
? Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
? Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).
? The National School Lunch Program's Free Lunch Program.
? Other assistance programs in your state.
For more information contact:
Misty Willis at 336-448-3501
Make a Resolution for Healthy Vision!
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month and is observed annually by the National Eye
Health Education Program. NEHEP continues to educate the African-American commu
nity on the topic of glaucoma and eye health to avoid blindness.
Glau9oma is a group of diseases that damages the eye's optic nerve, which carries
visual signals to the brain. It can lead to vision loss or blindness if left untreated. Primary
open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of this disease. African Americans age
40 and older and everyone age 60 and older are at a higher risk and should get a compre
hensive dilated eye exam every 1 to 2 years.
Three Reasons You should lailc About Ulaucoma:
1. Weddings
2. Graduations
3. Grandchildren ~
Don't miss out on seeing life's precious moments. You know that every family wed
ding includes your Uncle Louis teaching the latest line dance. And every spring, Aunt
Shirley pulls you into the kitchen to help bake a few cherry pies. Make sure you can stay
in the mix by protecting your vision.
The National Eye Institute encourages you to save your sight from vision loss and
blindness by knowing your risk for glaucoma?and doing something about it. More than
half of all people with glaucohia don't know they have it. And, quite often, by the time
people are diagnosed with glaucoma, they have already begun to notice changes in their
side, or peripheral, vision.
This is especially true for African-Americans?those over age 40 and those with a
family history of glaucoma are at higher risk for the disease. More than 520,000 African
Americans have glaucoma, and this number is expected to increase by more than 300,000
over the next 15 years. The disease is a leading cause of blindness among African
Americans.
Don't just talk the talk - do something about glaucoma. Talking about it is the first
step. The second step is to see your eye care professional and get a comprehensive dilated
eye exam every one to two years if you are at a higher risk. Don't wait until you notice
vision problems to see your eye care professional.
To learn more about how you can protect your sight, visit www.nei.nih.gov/glaucoma.
The National Eye Institute (NET) leads the federal government's research on the visual
system and eye diseases. NE1 supports basic and clinical science programs to develop
sight-saving treatments and address the special needs of people with vision loss. For more
information, visit www.neijrih.gov.