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Running Start/HEA150 - Health/Week 6/Discussion Replies Week 6.md

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+#rs/class/hea150 #rs/discussion 
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+### Replying to Hollyanne
+Hi Hollyanne,
+I also read the article about the student at a Maine high school became central in the debate around trans athletes. I agree that the attention put on individuals, especially high school students, like this is likely very harmful to the and their classmates. I believe that discussion should be focused more on policies and rules rather than specific students. Focusing on specific kids does likely make for better headlines, but people who make the policies and the news should be focused more on large-scale or group based studies rather than individual cases.
+
+### Replying to Stephanie
+Hi Stephanie,
+I also read the article about the student in Maine, and I also found the fact that the whole situation started due to someone in power posing on social media about a specific student. It is concerning to me that people in those positions feel that it is a good idea to single out individual students to try to get their message across and convince others. There is almost always a larger story and while interviews and personal accounts can be helpful, when making policies and decisions I think that a larger picture should be considered.
+
+### Replying to Robert
+Hi Ruopu,
+Your summary of the article you read is interesting, and as someone who also climbs I agree that most of the people that I see climbing are white males. There are definitely a lot of sports, especially ones that aren't as popular, that are not very diverse whether that is due to cost factors, historical exclusion or something else. I also agree that the opinion of the high school students playing the sports is important since they are participating, although I do think that adult voices can be helpful in making decisions as well. Especially when these decisions can affect students across the country I hope that voices from adult leaders can help to make sure everyone's needs are met. 
+
+### Replying to Griffyn
+Hi Griffyn,
+I also watched the ESPN video about the science behind the debate on trans athletes and I also appreciated that the video took a more scientific view without taking a side. I think it is important for people to realize how much data we are lacking related to this debate and how there really isn't much conclusive in either direction yet. I also agree that participating in sports, especially at a high school level should be based on inclusivity and ensuring that everyone can participate, be competitive and have fun. Especially when there is debate around high school or even middle or elementary school sports, it seems like people often forget that these kids are not professional athletes in most cases.

Running Start/HEA150 - Health/Week 6/Discussion Response Week 6.md

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+[#rs/class/hea150 #rs/discussion 
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+1. I was assigned the state of Pennsylvania to look at for this assignment. According to the Movement Advancement Project, 4.1% of adults and 5% of the workforce in Pennsylvania is LGBTQ+. The state has a "fair" ranking for their overall policy tally with a value of 16.75/49. Some of the issues with no protection for LGBTQ+ people include family services nondiscrimination laws, credit and lending nondiscrimination laws, anti-bullying laws, and jury service nondiscrimination. Across all the counties in Pennsylvania, only 37% of the population of the state is protected. None of the counties have state level protections, and only 4 have county level protections.
+2. I watched the video from ESPN about the science behind the debate around transgender athletes in sports. This video summarized many of the biological components of this debate, including the effect of the hormone testosterone on athlete performance. If people transition after puberty, many sports organizations require them to go through hormone therapy to lower testosterone levels before they can compete. Testosterone in larger levels can contribute to increased muscle mass and strength. The video also emphasized how there is still a lot that we don't know about this issue since there is very little research on the topic. The total number of transgender athletes is very small, so up until now there has been very little research on these topics. One part of this video that was memorable to me is the idea that while athletes that have transitioned and undergone hormone replacement therapy may still have some advantages, they also have disadvantages in some aspects compared to other athletes. Especially if their muscle mass has decreased as a result of less testosterone, their larger frames can be harder to move as efficiently in some sports.
+3. I believe that students should have input into the process of deciding who can participate in sports, but should not have the responsibility of actually deciding. I think that the actual decisions should be left to adults, likely in legislative bodies, who are able to look at the research and a broader perspective to make the best decision possible. While I think that the perspective of students participating in sports is important to take into account when making these decisions, I think it is better to have people who have more experience making the decisions. Hopefully, they will better be able to see multiple perspectives and take them into consideration better than students might be able to.

Running Start/HEA150 - Health/Week 6/Midterm Responses.md

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+#rs/class/hea150 #rs/discussion 
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+22. One controllable behavior that can increase risk for type 2 diabetes is eating an unhealthy diet. This can often lead to being overweight or obesity which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. By eating healthier foods you can lose weight and lower your risk for type 2 diabetes. On this note, education is a determinant of health that can increase or decrease risk for type 2 diabetes. If young kids are taught how to eat healthy and manage their weight and cardiovascular health, they will have a smaller chance of becoming overweight as adults and having a higher risk of diabetes. If these ideas are not taught though, these people likely won't know the best ways to stay healthy and have an increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
+23. - The two types of cancer with the highest 5-year relative survival rates are thyroid and prostate with 98% and 97% survival rates, respectively. The two types of cancer with the lowest 5-year relative survival rates are pancreas and liver & intrahepatic bile duct with 13% and 22% survival rates, respectively.
+- Higher survival rates of cancer likely communicate that cancers such as thyroid and prostate and more easily or widely detected earlier in their life cycle than others like pancreas or liver and intrahepatic bile duct. At the first signs of these cancers, steps can be taken to halt the progress of the cancer and stop it as a form of secondary prevention.
+24. For stage four: action Medina might be reaching out to more people and going out more often to parties and events to network and gain more friends. This stage will consume a lot of energy and likely be hard for her which has the possibility of leading to a relapse and her deciding to stop reaching out to others and returning back to where she started or an earlier stage. Before reaching the next stage, the benefits of her knowing new people and feeling more socially connected have to outweigh the extra time and effort spent to build and foster these connections.
+
+	For stage five: maintenance Medina might be continuing to go out with her new friends and connections and working on maintaining their relationships. In this stage, she enjoys the new people that she knows and feels much better about her social life and connections than she did at the start of the process. She likely has learned a better sense of empathy and can connect with others better than she could before. There is still a chance of relapse, although less likely than the previous stage due to the positive effects from her improved social wellness.
+25. The video starts out with the heart beating several times and the chart rises with each beat up to about 180 mm Hg. After this, the heartbeat stops and the measurement slowly decreases linearly until is is at 127 mm Hg which is the systolic blood pressure. The sound of the heartbeat returns, but quieter this time and the value continues to decline in pulses with each beat until 79 mm Hg which is the diastolic blood pressure reading. The value then decreases at an increasing rate and the video ends.
+26. One of the stress management techniques described in HEA150 is the use of breathing techniques where there is a focus on deeper, less frequent breathing helping to bring a more relaxed state. There are many different timings or approaches that can be used, but generally someone will breathe in deeply, hold their breath for some time and then release it slowly. This can help to improve emotional wellness since it can aid in dealing with emotionally challenging situations evoking anger, anxiety, or sadness. Breathing techniques can help to recenter and lower your heart rate and control your emotions in a more positive way.

Running Start/HEA150 - Health/Week 6/Search and Report Week 6.md

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+#rs/class/hea150 #rs/assignment 
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+1. The article provided is about Tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe who grow tobacco for a large international company. This company claims to be protecting their rights and informing them about the risks of growing tobacco, but Admire and his family, the farmers interviewed for this story, never got this information. One of the risks of farming tobacco is green tobacco illness, which is caused when nicotine is absorbed into someones body with symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches. There are measures that can be taken to lessen the impact such as waterproof clothing and gloves, but families like Admire's often don't know about these measures or cannot afford them.
+2. One of the problems that Admire is facing is a lack of knowledge about the heath risks that could arise due to tobacco farming. Even though the large companies state that they value the health of their farmers, they are still profit-driven companies. It is likely much cheaper for them to hand the farmers a packet or nothing at all rather than hosting training and teaching farmers about the risks and factors to mitigate it. The cost of protective gear is also a barrier for tobacco farmers, which likely comes down to cost for the large companies as well. By charging their farmers for protective gear, they are able to earn even more money from them while still appearing like they are giving the farmers opportunities to obtain protective equipment.
+3. The question I asked ChatGPT was "I am doing research for school about green tobacco illness and I was wondering where in the world it is the most common and what populations it affects the most?" It gave me a breakdown of both where in the world green tobacco illness is most prevalent and which populations are most affected. Both sections were pretty similar with it saying that tobacco growing countries and individuals are the most impacted. It also cited percentages from studies on the prevalence of the disease in Brazil, Thailand and among Latino farmers in the United States. The first two studies seem like good sources that match what was in the answer, but the last one comes from an article referencing a study saying that 41% of tobacco farm workers reported green tobacco illness and most were Latino rather than that 41% of Latino farmers reported green tobacco illness.
+4. Overall, the ChatGPT response was pretty good giving an overview of the topic and stating some general points about the issue. One of the biggest differences between a response from ChatGPT and an article from a source like the Human Rights Watch is that ChatGPT will never go out and actively report on an issue. It is limited by the information that is already on the internet and is not able to actively gather anything new. On the other hand, journalists are able to go to the places affected and gather new information on what is happening through interviews, photos, and more. They can cover new and developing stories in a way that generative AI models that just summarize the internet cannot. 
+   
+   Another thing that I have noticed about the responses from ChatGPT is that it is not great at telling a story. It mostly just seems to give a list of facts and doesn't do much to make you interested or wanting to read more. The article from the Human Rights Watch not only gives you similar information, but it also walks you through the story of someone affected by this issue and tells it in an engaging way that ChatGPT did not. There are some advantages that ChatGPT has such as being able to answer personalized questions in a way that journalists cannot, but it is still often factually incorrect and misquotes facts or ideas. 
+
+
+
+
+
+## ChatGPT response:
+
+Here is a summary of what I found out about **Green Tobacco Sickness** (GTS) — where it’s most common and who is most affected:
+
+---
+
+### 🌍 Where it’s most common
+
+- GTS is an occupational illness caused by **dermal absorption of nicotine** from handling _wet_ or _green_ (uncured) tobacco leaves. ([Lippincott Journals](https://journals.lww.com/ijoe/fulltext/2017/21030/green_tobacco_sickness__a_brief_review.2.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine"))
+    
+- It is especially common in regions that do tobacco cultivation. Major tobacco‐producing countries include China, Brazil, India and the United States. ([PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6786486/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Perspective Green tobacco sickness: Mecamylamine, varenicline, and nicotine vaccine as clinical research tools and potential therapeutics - PMC"))
+    
+- Studies have found in specific areas:
+    
+    - In a tobacco‐growing region of Brazil: a prevalence of **56.9%** among workers (71.7% for women, 35.3% for men) in one study. ([BioMed Central](https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-018-3135-x?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green Tobacco Sickness among Brazilian farm workers and genetic polymorphisms | BMC Research Notes | Full Text"))
+        
+    - In part of Thailand: a prevalence of **22.6%** among tobacco farmers (17.9% in men; 27.5% in women) in one district. ([PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6977054/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green Tobacco Sickness among Thai Traditional Tobacco Farmers, Thailand - PMC"))
+        
+    - In the U.S. among migrant Latino farmworkers doing tobacco work: about **41%** reported GTS at least once during the season. ([Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist](https://newsroom.wakehealth.edu/news-releases/2000/02/tobacco-farm-workers-may-contract-tobacco-sickness-study-shows?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Tobacco Farm Workers May Contract Tobacco Sickness, Study Shows | Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist"))
+        
+- A review article says the prevalence “varies from 8.2 % to 47 % globally.” ([Lippincott Journals](https://journals.lww.com/ijoe/fulltext/2017/21030/green_tobacco_sickness__a_brief_review.2.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine"))
+    
+- Because the illness is strongly tied to tobacco leaf harvesting/handling in places with moist/wet leaves and manual labor, it will be more common in low‐ and middle‐income countries where large scale manual tobacco farming is done. One WHO Q&A mentions that “as many as **1 in 4** tobacco farmers are affected by green tobacco sickness” in tobacco growing countries. ([World Health Organization](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/world-no-tobacco-day-2023---grow-food--not-tobacco?utm_source=chatgpt.com "World No Tobacco Day 2023 – Grow food, not tobacco"))
+    
+
+---
+
+### 👥 Which populations are most affected
+
+- **Tobacco farm workers**: Anyone who directly handles green tobacco leaves (harvesting, curing, etc) is at risk. ([PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29618907/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green Tobacco Sickness: A Brief Review - PubMed"))
+    
+- **Women**: Some studies show higher rates in female workers. For example – in Brazil, 71.7% of women in that sample had GTS vs 35.3% of men. ([BioMed Central](https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-018-3135-x?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green Tobacco Sickness among Brazilian farm workers and genetic polymorphisms | BMC Research Notes | Full Text")) In Thailand the rate was higher in women than men (27.5% vs 17.9%) in one study. ([PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6977054/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green Tobacco Sickness among Thai Traditional Tobacco Farmers, Thailand - PMC"))
+    
+- **Children & family members**: Although less data, there’s indication that children working in tobacco fields or assisting in family farms are vulnerable due to lower body weight, longer exposure, etc. For example, the WHO Q&A points out that “women and children are often the primary tobacco labourers … children are particularly vulnerable”. ([World Health Organization](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/world-no-tobacco-day-2023---grow-food--not-tobacco?utm_source=chatgpt.com "World No Tobacco Day 2023 – Grow food, not tobacco"))
+    
+- **Workers without protective gear in wet/leaves‐moist conditions**: Risk factors include working when leaves are wet (dew, rain), lack of use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and poor hygiene (wet clothes) which increase absorption of nicotine. ([WHO Extranet](https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods/e-library/green-tobacco-sickness-indonesias-tobacco?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green tobacco sickness in Indonesia’s tobacco heartland: Sociodemographic and environmental determinants among farmers in Bondowoso regency | WHO FCTC"))
+    
+- **Non‐smokers or smokers?** Interestingly, some studies suggest that current smokers have _lower_ risk of GTS, maybe because they are somewhat “tolerant” to nicotine absorption from other sources. For example, in the Indonesian study, smokers had a lower prevalence ratio of GTS (APR = 0.60) compared to non‐smokers. ([WHO Extranet](https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods/e-library/green-tobacco-sickness-indonesias-tobacco?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Green tobacco sickness in Indonesia’s tobacco heartland: Sociodemographic and environmental determinants among farmers in Bondowoso regency | WHO FCTC"))
+    
+
+---
+
+### ✅ Key takeaways for your research
+
+- GTS is most **common in tobacco‐growing regions**, especially in **low and middle income countries** where manual labour in tobacco harvesting is common.
+    
+- Among those labourers, **women, children**, and those with **high exposure (wet leaves, no PPE, long hours)** are especially at risk.
+    
+- The illness is **under‐reported** and prevalence varies widely depending on the study/population, but you’ll often see rates from ~8% up to over 50% in high‐risk groups.
+    
+- Preventive measures (wet‐leaf handling, protective gloves/clothing, avoiding harvesting when leaves are wet) are important but often lacking in many farming contexts.
+    
+
+---
+
+If you like, I can **look up country‐by‐country data** for GTS (which countries have studies and their reported prevalence) and send you a table + map so you can include it in your school project?