Photo Courtesy of blurt It
At 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Mt.SAC Health Fair was held in building 67B and the courtyard. The event was put on by Student Health Services. The Health Fair had free screenings and informational booths set up.
Livier Martinez, a licensed clinical social worker, was one of the volunteers at the welcome booth. The booth had fliers on different upcoming events as well fliers on health issues.
Martinez said over 400 visitors attended the informational portion of the Health Fair and 178 students had taken the various free screenings.
“Students will say, ‘wow, I didn’t know we had those,’ when they see all the health center provides,” said Martinez.
Martinez also said that students walk away learning more information than they expected.
Some of the groups that participated in the Health Fair included Relay for Life, Planned Parenthood, Alcohol and Drug Violence, Sexual Violence, Chiropractic Care, Alcohol and Tobacco Information, Aurora Charter Oak Behavioral Health Care, and Nutrition.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Informational booth was put on by Caduceus Club. They had flyers on how alcohol and tobacco affects the body as well as pictures of healthy and unhealthy organs.
Monique Briseno, 18, biology major, has been a member of the Caduceus Club since spring 2009 and said their booth showed the effects of smoking and the effects of alcohol. On their table was a glass jar which held the amount of tar that goes into a smoker’s body when they smoke one pack of cigarettes a day for an entire year.
In regards to the effects of alcohol, Briseno said, “They [students] know about it but don’t know the disparity. They know it’s bad, but don’t know how it’s bad, so we give them information.”
Caduceus Club also had the game Operation and next to it were beer goggles. When the beer goggles are put on, this gives the participant the illusion of being drunk. The participant then attempts to play the game of Operation and is able to see how their motor skills are impaired.
Professor of Nutrition and Foods, Sandra Weatherilt, headed the nutrition booth. The booth had different fliers. One flier was an adult body mass index chart. This chart was able to show, based on height and weight, the amount of fat in a person’s body. It also had the body mass index that is considered a healthy weight range, an overweight range, and an obese range.
Different drinks were placed on the table and next to them were the amount of sugar in each drink. A 20 ounce bottle of Sunkist Orange soda had 21 teaspoon, a 16 ounce can of Rockstar energy drink had 15.5 teaspoon, a 16 ounce can of Monster energy drink had 20.23 teaspoon, and a 12 ounce can of Coke soda has 16.25 teaspoon.
“Fat free does not mean calorie free… it’s all about the calories,” said Weatherilt.
She then said that good nutrition is all about balance. Weatherilt continued that in order to eat healthy, it is necessary to look at the calories as well as fat content.
“You need fat and you need protein,” Weatherilt said. “You never want to go fat free.”
Erinn Grotefend
Online News Editor
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