Culture and Health

Culture and Health

by Dewi Erita

Good morning,

Have you ever heard if single women should not eat pineapple?

Have you ever heard if women in her period should not eat ice because her menstrual blood will not flow smoothly?

Have you ever heard if pregnant women want a certain food (cravings), the husband should provides that food, or their baby will salivate excessively?

Today, I am going to talk about culture and health. Culture is usually defined as a set of beliefs and behaviors that are learned and shared. Why should we discuss about culture? Because culture relates to people’s health behavior (Skolnik, 2012). My aim is to explain advantages and disadvantages related to culture and health.

Culture is essential determinant of health (Skolnik, 2012). There are many cultures which good for health. Firstly, it is allowed for mothers to spend time with her baby after giving birth. Bonding is essential for a baby. In contrast, nowadays there is several place that put newborn baby in separate room although the baby’s condition is normal. Secondly, male circumcision is a must for religion reason. There is evidence that circumcision has health benefit. It reduces the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Thirdly, monogamy in marriage has lower rates of HIV/AIDS than cultures in which having multiple sexual partner. Monogamy is harm reduction effort. One of the reason HIV/AIDS spreading quickly is because certain people have sexual intercourse with many partners espescially with prostitute .

In contrast, other traditional practice are not health promoting. Firstly, feeding sugar water to infant is not good for health. Older people usually thought that breastmilk is not enough. Infant should be exclusively breastfeed for 6 months because breastmilk is best food for newborn baby. Secondly, there are some food that pregnant women should avoid. It is believe that eating fish and egg will take longer time for laceration wound to be cured. As we know, fish and egg are protein sources and those are good for baby. Thirdly, there is wrong perception of illness. For example, if babies have diarrhea, it is sign for baby to become smart. As we know, diarrhea is because of infections or food allergies. Other beliefs are single women should not eat pineapple because they will get leukorea (the local term is “becek”); women in menstrual period should not eat ice because the menstrual blood will freeze; and husband should provide certain food or the baby will salivate excessively. Those beliefs are myth.

To sum up, there are many cultures that related with health. So, we have to learn for knowing the right thing for our health because some cultural values enhance health and some may not enhance health.

Thank you

Depok, August 12^th 2017

References

Skolnik, R., 2012. Global Health 101. Jones & Bartlett Learning, Canada.

(This draft has been presented in EAP Class on August 12^th 2017)

Happy Breastfeeding

Project 3: Get to the Point

Happy Breastfeeding

by Dewi Erita

We are all students and workers are going to be parents, right?

Would you like to have a baby in the future?

Have you ever thought, is it important to feed your baby?

It is never too early to start thinking about how you are going to feed your baby. Today, I am going to talk about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is usually defined as a natural way to feed baby with breast milk. My aim is to share the advantages concerning breastfeeding. I believe that breastfeeding is essential for everyone, but there is not official school yet for common people which teach about this except health or medical school.

To begin, I would like to explain three advantages of breastfeeding. Firstly, breastfeeding save money. It eliminates the expense of infant formula (UNICEF, 1999). If we use infant formula, we have to buy it regularly at least one box every week. One year has 52 weeks and two years has 104 weeks. Can you imagine, how much does it take our budget? In contrast, breastfed babies do not need to buy anything. The important thing to do is mother should eat more food and drink more water for keeping breastmilk produced. Moreover, do not ever think mother will have obesity because of that. Anyfood that mother eat will become breast milk and calories for keeping breasfeeding ongoing. After several months, breastfeeding activity routinely will shape mother’s body back to normal.

Secondly, breastfeeding protect baby from illness. Breast milk is a living fluid containing antibodies to protect baby from infection and disease (RCH Team, 2013). The cells, hormones, and antibodies in breast milk protect babies from illness. This protection is unique. Formula cannot match the chemical makeup of human breast milk. Formula-fed babies also have higher risks of asthma, obesity, diabetes, leukemia, and respiratory infections (Women’s Health Team, 2011). In contrast, breastfed babies are rarely sick, which can lower health care costs.

Thirdly, breastfeeding is easy. At the first time, breastfeeding may take little more effort than formula feeding. By the time, it can make life easier after mother and baby used to do it routinely (Women’s Health Team, 2011). Mother can give breast milk everytime and everywhere without difficult preparation. In the commuter line station, we can find lactation room. Those room are small and comfort to stay while mother breastfeed baby. In contrast, if we use formula milk, we have to buy it, wash the bottle, boil it, take it wherever we go with the baby.

To conclude, breastmilk is like new vaccine that could prevent more than one million child deaths a year. Breastfeeding is cheap, safe, and easy. Breastfeeding is health investment. We already have that new vaccine. It is breastmilk (Roesli, 2010).

Depok, August 2^nd 2017

(This draft has been presented in UI Toastmasters Club regular meeting on Wednesday, August 2^nd, 2017)

References

RCH Team, 2013. Breastfeeding.

Roesli, U., 2010. Prevention & Intervention in Improving The National Nutrition Status in Indonesia.

UNICEF, 1999. Breastfeeding: Foundation for a Healthy Future.

Women’s Health Team, 2011. Your Guide to Breastfeeding.

Health for Us (Second Edition)

Project 2: Organize Your Speech

Health for Us (Second Edition)

by Dewi Erita

 

Fellow toastmasters, have you ever heard about Public Health?

Do you know what is Public Health?

Is it like physician or dentist who cure patient? Or is it like nurse who care patient? Or is it like pharmacist who give drugs?

To begin, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Dewi Erita. I am an undergraduate student of Public Health Faculty. Today, I’m going to talk about public health. Let me explain what I mean by Public Health. Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organized community effort (Winslow, 1920). Why should we discuss about public health? Well, I think that all of us do public health concept everyday. What I want to do is to share a little bit about public health.

I have a story about this morning. It was a common morning, but I realized that I got a list of achievements that reflect the often-ignored history of public health (Riegelman, 2010).

I woke up this morning, got out of bed, drank a glass of water, and went to the bathroom where I used the toilet, washed my hands, brushed my teeth, and took a bath. After I was ready to go, I walked out my door into the clean air. I walked through the small way to the UI station about 10-15 minutes. I waited the bikun (bus campus) in the UI station’s shelter. I rode on bikun. I paid little attention to the sentence on the bikun’s wall “use public transportation to reduce air pollution”. After that, I got at B building at Public Health Faculty. I continued to step on the stairs until 2^th floor. I arrived safely in the well-ventilated meeting room and got ready to have an interview. It wasn’t a very eventful morning, but then it can explain public health (Riegelman, 2010).

Public health is the science and art of preventing disease. Hand washing is related with public health. Hand washing activity eliminate the transmission of common bacterial disease, which so often killed the baby, toddler, and young people for centuries.

Public health is the science and art of preventing disease. Walking is related with public health. Walking as the role of exercise can reduce at least half in hearth disease.

Public health is the science and art of prolonging life. Environmental health is related with public health. We use public transportation to reduce air pollution. The physical environment which have good air quality is important. We breathe fresh air both outdoors and indoors. That is good for lung (Riegelman, 2010).

Public health promote health through organized community effort. Public health give health promotion and make health program. Public health don’t work only for one person individually like physician, dentist, nurse, and pharmacist. Public health work for population health.

So, let us do exercise like walking, breathe fresh air in the morning and wash hand before eating and after using toilet.

Depok, July 27^th  2017

(This draft has been presented in UI Toastmasters Club regular meeting on Thursday, July 27^th, 2017)

References:

Riegelman, R.K., 2010. Public health 101: healthy people - healthy populations. Jones & Bartlett Learning, Canada.

Winslow, C.E.A., 1920. The Untilled Fields of Public Health.

Southeast Asia Heritage Sites

Southeast Asia Heritage Sites

by Dewi Erita

I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Dewi Erita. I am an undergraduate student of Public Health Faculty. Today, I’m going to talk about Southeast Asia Heritage Sites. Heritage is usually defined as the full range of our inherited traditions, monuments, objects, and culture. My aim is to share about the heritage in the Southeast Asia.

To begin, I’d like to explain how many sites there are and where they are located. This table shows Southeast Heritage Sites by country and  it also shows which are natural sites, which are cultural, and which are mixed—meaning they have both cultural and natural importance. As you can see, there are 11 countries: Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Brunei, and East Timor. The total number of sites is shown here—38. The majority—24—are cultural sites—and only one is mixed sites. The country with the largest number of sites is Indonesia and Vietnam—8—followed by Philippines with 6 sites. The country with the smallest number of sites is Myanmar and Singapore—only 1. Brunei and East Timor lack World Heritage Sites. It is interesting to note here that only Vietnam which has mixed site (Wikipedia).

The World Heritage Committee may also specify that a site is endangered. One site in this region, Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, is listed as endangered. This site holds the greatest potential for long-term conservation of the distinctive and diverse biota of Sumatra, including many endangered species. This site has been listed as endangered since 2011 due to poaching, illegal logging, agricultural encroachment, and plans to build roads (Wikipedia).

To conclude, in our region, Southeast Asia, there are many heritage sites. Let us maintain and preserve the sites around us.

Thank you

Depok, July 22^nd 2017

(This draft has been presented in EAP Class on Saturday, July 29^th, 2017)

References:

List of the World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_Southeast_Asia