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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1995)
P ag i A4 J anuary 25, 1995 • T he P o r il a n d O bserver H EALTH Friends, Parents, Schools Key Influences In Drug Use New research confirms it: Mom knew what she was talking about when she asked you not to hang around with friends who smoked, drank or did drugs. A survey of 11.000-plus Oregon sixth-, eighth- and llth-graders shows that the principal predictor of whether students use alcohol, tobac co or other drugs is the number of their friends who use. Also influential were parental attitudes about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, the student's belief that the drugs are harmful and student attitudes that are shaped at home and school. "Parents need to know their chil dren' s friends, need to know the par ents of their children’s friends and need to know what their children are doing.' Jeffrey N. Kushner. director of the state Oregon Department of Human Resources' Office of Alco hol and Drug Abuse Programs, said Thursday. "This research is signifi cant because it confirms that peer behaviors, parental beliefs and know ledge about harmful effects re ally do affect adolescents’decisions.” For the first time, the state's biennial survey of drug use asked students about factors in their lives that influence whether they use alco hol. tobacco and other drugs. The Oregon survey confirmed findings o f other research conducted over the past 30 years that kids with best friends w ho use are much more likely to do so themselves. For example, among eighth- graders who had no best friends who smoked tobacco, only 2 percent them selves smoked. But of those with four best friends who smoke, 66 per cent smoked -- a 33-fold increase. Findings were similar for sixth- and 1 lth-graders. The survey found that, among eighth-graders with no friends who used marijuana, less then I percent used it themselves. With only one best friend who used the drug. 9 percent used it; with two best friends. 29 percent; w ith four best friends, 59 percent. Students also reported that, the greater their b elief that use o f tobacco, m arijuana or another drug was harm ful, the less likely they would use it. For exam ple, among eighth-graders who be lieve that using m arijuana is harm ful, only 3 percent used; among those who believe m ari juana is not harmful. 40 percent used. About 12 percent o f eighth- graders reported they believed m arijuana use is not harmful. For cigarettes, alcohol and mar ijuana, these were the three primary influences o f use (in order): ELEVENTH GRADE: C igarette smoking: Number o f best friends who smoke, perceived risks of smoking, parental attitudes toward smoking. For llth-graders who believed strongly that cigarette smoking is harmful, 18 percent smoked; for those who believed strongly that smoking is not harmful, EIGHTH GRADE Cigarette smoking: Number of best friends who smoke, personal attitudes (whether it is OK for some one this age to smoke), parental atti tudes. Alcohol use: Number o f best friends who drink, parental attitudes Problem Gambling Seminars Oregon Lottery ’s video poker, in operation since April, 1992. is the type of gambling most frequently mentioned in the calls for help com ing to the Oregon Council on Prob lem Gambling. O f over S30 million total net receipts for the quarter end ing September 30, 1992. S25.7 mil lion was from video poker games. Compulsive gambling is a pro gressive illness. There is more to lose than money. The "Gambler” is the last person to sense the problem. Hopefully, family and friends be come the originators of help and re covery. Persons can learn how they can help by attending a workshop sponsored by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) around the state in February. The workshops will be held front 8:30 a.in. - 4:00 p.m. on the follow ing dates and locations: • February 3. First United Meth odist Church, 1771 W. Harvard Street. Roseburg, Oregon • February 10. First Presbyteri an Church. 950 Boones Ferry Road. Woodburn. Oregon. The cost is S25 (includes lunch and materials). Contact EMO (503) 221-1054, 0245 SW Bancroft. Port land. Oregon 97201 for more infor mation. The Oregonian reported May 26,1994 that "The state government’s take from the Oregon lottery is ex pected to soar to almost S600 million in the next budget cycle, a startling 70 percent increase from the current two-year period". This is a bountiful hand for the state, but at the expense of gambling addicts such as two who appeared on Town Hall Forum De cember 1, 1994: one a young busi ness man who lost $50.000 to video poker in ten months, and the other a woman who lost $80.000 o f her pen sion funds in one year. "The Oregon State Lottery is banking on a big increase in the vid eo-poker money because it plans to add another 500 retailers to the cur rent roster o f 1,350 now that the Oregon Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality ofvideo poker.” (The Oregonian 5-26-94) "It would appear the legislature is addicted to lottery and video-poker revenue and it is time for the citizens to do an intervention," says Rodney Page, Executive Director of Ecu- menical Ministries of Oregon. Tips To Be Fit Bv V ince & Y olanda /•V 7 Fiber is found in all fruits and vegetables. There’s no fiber in meats or dairy products. Fiber comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble. Water soluble fiber is found in dried beans, apples, citrus food and oat products. Water soluble fiber absorbs fluid while moving through your digestive tract. This keeps moisture in your digestive tract. Insoluble fiber is found in vegetables and whole grain products. Insoluble fiber aids in the elimination of waste and toxic mate rials. Fiber is not digestible, so it's not a nutrient, but it is essential in preventing and treating illness such as cancer of the colon and rectum, varicose veins, phlebitis, diverticulosis. heart disease and ab dominal pain. The average American diet in cludes about 10 grams o f fiber daily which is less than half the amount recommended by the National Can cer Institute. It's recommended that we eat no less than 35 grams but no more than 50 grams o f fiber daily. If your diet doesn't include wholegrains and fresh fruits and vegetables, you should add them to your diet gradu ally . You should also include about 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Get your fiber from variety of high fiber foods because balance is important. Too much insoluble fiber prevents the absorption ofcalcium. iron, zinc and other important minerals. It can also cause bloating and constipation. Try to get in 5 to 7 serving of high fiber fruits, vegetables and whole grains daily. One serving of legumes has 8 grams of fiber, a banana has 3 grams of fiber, a serving of green peas has 3 grams of fiber and a slice of corn bread has 3 grams of fiber Other high fiber foods include barley. bran, wheat, rye. oat meal, prunes, berries, pears, almonds, sunflower seeds, beans, squash, carrots, brown rice, bananas, grapes and oranges. W hen picking foods high in fiber, keep in mind that the more a food Is pro cessed the less fiber you II find in the food So keep your body regular. include some fiber in your diet. —/ want to break my caffeine babil. How do / start? -Vivian; Phila, PA Caffeine is a psychoactive stim ulant, it will increase alert ness, decrease fatigue, cause eu phoria and elevate your mood. The bad affects o f caffeine can include sleeplessness, irritabili ty, anxiety and depression. A person can suffer the bad affects from one or two cups o f coffee a day. If you drink more than 250 mgs o f caffeine a day which is about two and a half cups you can suffer from caffeine intoxication. The symptoms include restless ness, nervousness, excitem ent, exessiv e u rin atio n , insom nia, heartburn, m uscle itching and AEROBICS ram bling thought and speech. It’s not easy to break the caf feine habit, but you can with a little help. There are some withdrawal symptoms when you try to break the caffeine habit. They can include de pression, constipation, runny nose, nausea, headaches and a craving for caffeine. To quit it’s best to gradually reduce your caffeine intake. Try to reduce your daily intake of caffeine by lOOmgs each week. One hundred mgs is about one cup o f coffee. Continue decreas ing y o u r c o n s u m p tio n u n til y o u 're down to a safe level which is about one cup a day. Your plan should also include relaxation, stress reduction, good nutrition and exercise. 65 percent smoked. Eleventh-grad ers were twice as likely to smoke if someone else at home smoked. Alcohol use: Personal attitudes (OK for someone this age to drink) and number of best friends who drink. Eleventh-graders were also nearly three times more likely to drink if they perceived that their parents ap proved than if they believed parents opposed their drinking. M arijuana use: Numberofbest friends who use marijuana, perceived health risks of marijuana use, best friend dropped out of school. Elev enth-graders were thirty-three times more likely to use marijuana if they had four best friends who did than if they had none. toward the student’s drinking, per sonal attitudes (OK for someone this age to drink alcohol). Eight-graders were nine times more likely to drink alcohol if they had four best friends who did than if they had none. M a riju a n a use: Num ber of best friends who use m arijuana, personal attitudes (OK to use at this age), perceived health risks. E ig h th -g rad ers w ere 50 tim es more likely to use m arijuana if they had even two best friends who did than if they had none. SIXTH GRADE C ig a re tte sm oking: Number o f best friends who sm oke, p er sonal attitude, perceived risks o f sm oking. Am ong sixth-graders with no best friends who sm oked, only 1.2 percent sm oked; that rose to 54 percent o f six th -g rad ers with four friends who smoke. Sixth-graders were five tim es as likely to sm oke if they perceived that "adults at sch o o l” did not believe sm oking was wrong. Health Screening For Seniors Legacy Visiting Nurse Asso ciation is offering during February, Health Screenings for adults 55 and older. The free screenings may in clude general physical assessment, nutrition testing, blood pressure check, foot care evaluation, medi cation review, pulmonary functions, cancer education, and vision and glaucoma. Blood tests are optional at a $5 fee. Appointm ents are necessary and may be made by calling the following screening sites: February 3; Clay -Tower; 1430 S. E. 12th: 222-7467; 9 am - noon • February 10; Kirkland Union Manor: 3530 S. E. 84th; 777- 8101; 9 am - noon • F eb ru ary 17; Westmoreland Union Manor; 6404 S. E. 23rd; 233-5671 ; 9 am - noon • February 24; Marshall Union Manor; 2020 N. W. Northrup; 9 am - noon Legacy VNA's Senior Health Screening program conducts 25 screenings a year at senior and com- munity centers located throughout the Portland metropolitan area. The screening team includes reg is tered nurses, respiratory th era pists, podiatrists, dentists, phar m acists, m ed ical la b o ra to ry technologists, ophthalm ologists and dietitians. For more infor mation about the Senior Health Screening program and dates and locations o f future screen ings. call 225-6300. Join Us In Celebrating <Ebe JJortlanb © bseruer’a A N N IV E R S A R Y Join W eight W atchers today and cut the fat, not the food. N e w Year's R esolution Solution SQUASH STRENGTH TRAINING LOW FAT LIVING PLAN CHILD CARE MAS^ARF THERAPY CYCLING ROWING RACQUETBALL TAI CHI If 1995 is the year you plan to lose weight and get back into shape, then see Lloyd Athletic Club for the solutions to your New Year's resolutions Start with a free 10-day trial membership Please call Bnan or Holly at 287-4594 before January 31, 1995 to activate your trial membership. WEIGHT WATCHERS NEW FAT & FIBER PLAN JOIN ANY MEETING ANYTIME W ant to lose weight? You can count on the new Fat & Fiber Plan. It’s an incredible breakthrough in a weight loss plan because it’s an entirely new way to count food. And it’s only at Weight W atchers. All you do is choose foods that meet your required daily fat and fiber intake. You select what you want, YOGA STAIRCLIMBING ROWING WEIGHT TRAINING STEAM SAUNA WHIRLPOOL The healthier you are, the more you enjoy life, so keep fitness in mind all year round - beginning now' Lloyd A th le tic Club Y o u r place. Y o u r pace. north Pfiffland Auditorium. Thurs llo Y d ■,« , . when you want. A t the supermarket, at your favorite restaurant, at fast food places all over town, Fat & Fiber will have you feeling — and living — free and easy. Weight ______ W atchers new ___ Fat __ & Fiber Plan helps put you in control and feeling great. And you can count on that! Northeast Portland N orthm inster Presbyterian: T illa m o o k Park Bldg: 2108 N E 41st 2823 N Portland Blvd, Fellowship Hall ' Ave M o n -7 00 p m , Tues-7 00 p m T ues; 7:00 p.m. ! Wed- 9 30 a m & 5 00 p m . Thurs U niversity o f P ortland: ! 7:00 p m , F r i- 9:30 a m 5000N Willamette Blvd .Colum biaHall Temple Baptist C hurch: (Enter from Portsmouth), Wed 4 4 5 p m I3 I9 N 7th.FiresideRoom,Tues 12:00 Noon Northwest Portland E S C O :2 I4 I N W 25th Avenue (25th & Vaughn): Lab Bldg , 2nd Floor, 12 00 Noon Call Collect - Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. - A tH lttitttlU I 81 5 N .E . H a lse y 2 8 7 -4 5 9 4 M fe /g A t W a tc h e rs ' «W S 503-297-1021 Weight W a t c h « iniem ahonai inc Owner ot the W wghi Watchers traoemart. All right* reserved a'. i* -ai * * C < . ;' V . • Alcohol use: Num ber o f best friends who drink, parental a tti tudes tow ard his or her drinking, personal attitude (OK for som e one this age to drink). Sixth-grad ers were 10 times more likely to consume alcohol if they had four best friends who did than if they had none. They were eight times m ore lik ely to d rin k if they thought parents approved. M arijuana use: Numberofbest friends who use marijuana, parental attitudes about student's using, adult attitudes toward marijuana in school. Only one percent of sixth-graders used marijuana i f they perceived that their parents believed it was wrong; among those who believ ed their par ents thought marijuana was OK. 33 percent used it. The survey was conducted for the state Department o f Human Re sources’ Office o f Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs by Michael Finigan. Ph. D., who heads the North west Pro fessional consortium in West Linn. ! * fe fe b .< y • ____ ______ _ „____________ . ___ _________.____________ __ ___ ______
