Reflaction paper for public health class (pbhl2000) Essay

Reflaction paper for public health class (pbhl2000) - Essay Example ver, hospitalization and morbidity statistics are too alarming that it remains a question whether our government is serious about its concern on public health. Published in 2004 in The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Zaher’s article titled, â€Å"Smoking-Related Diseases: The Importance of COPD† presents the glaring reality regarding our present public health status, that is, the government’s efforts to reduce smoking and promote public health are ineffective. Zaher et al.’s article article is very informative as it presents data about smoking-related diseases, especially COPD. It is also very implicative as it analyzes different cases of smoking-related diseases, and suggests more concern on COPD cases. Moreover, it is predictive as it provides the smoking disability adjusted life years (DALYs) till year 2020. The article presents valuable information about smoking-related diseases. First, smoking is still rampant, given the number of smoking cases and smoking-related diseases. According to the article, there is continuous increase in the cases of smoking-related diseases from 1999 and the number is still expected to increase in the future. In particular, deaths related to smoking are expected to increase from 53,238 in 1999 to 76,390 in 2020 (Zaher et al. 1425). Cases of COPD are expected to rise even more than other reasons by the year 2020 (Zaher et al. 1425). Furthermore, the cost of public health on smoking-related diseases alone is yet to rise with the continuous increase in the number of cases. Among which, lung cancer cost will remain the highest as it has proven in the year 2000 survey. Zaher et al.’s article is also implicative as it carefully analyzes different cases of smoking-related diseases. According to the research, limited attention is given to COPD, considering the higher cases of lung cancer and chronic heart disease (CHD). Nevertheless, the authors emphasize that more attention should be given to COPD

Rites of Passage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rites of Passage - Research Paper Example This gives him the energy and spirit to enter the next stage with valor and delight. The theme behind is that such rites help us stay connected to our natural events of life or life cycle. A person is able to go through a happy flashback of his life when he thinks in old age how cheerfully he entered each stage and coped with the hardships that come with every phase. This paper intends to compare and contrast the rites of passage in modern American and Indian cultures. Modern American society celebrates many rites of passage, like baby showers, bar mitzvahs, quinceaneras, and school graduations. There are very few definite events that mark a person’s shift from adolescence into adulthood. We see an absence of clearly defined rites of passage in the contemporary culture, which have prevailed in olden times in America. Indian culture also does not have very clearly defined rites of passage except some important ones like birth, marriage and funeral. However, there are some simil arities that both cultures share, for example grief is symbolized with color. American society relates black with grief and Indians link white with sadness. For example, on funerals, Americans wear black and Indians wear white. There are more differences in the carrying out of the rites of passage than similarities, in the two cultures. ... The expectant mother is dressed in a heavy dress with a lot of garlands. Elderly ladies shower blessings on her, and women share tips and tricks of mothering a child. The home deity is worshipped. The mother is given the gifts which are meant for her and not the baby. American culture celebrates adolescence ceremonies both for boys and girls, to honor their stepping into puberty. The most prominent adolescent rite of passage celebrated in America is the quincearena. Quinceanera celebrates a girl’s fifteenth birthday thus commemorating her past fifteen years into a get-together where people related to her make merry and congratulate her for her coming adulthood (Alvarez). Her journey from childhood to adulthood is recollected and she transforms from a naughty little kid into a delicate, pretty lady. The invited families are encouraged to select the customs that have special meaning to them and to add to the customs as they wish. That is what makes the celebration unique and ver y special. In contrast, in Indian culture, there is no such ceremony that celebrates the passing of fifteen years or steeping of a girl or boy into the sixteenth year of life. American practices have more or less become dependent on the economical and psychological aspects of life. For example, funeral practices in America depict true picture of capitalism and materialism. Corpse is displayed in the public for last viewing. This is a general acceptance of the fact that death is expected of all human beings and none of us resist to it. Corpses, nowadays, are prepared with makeup and expensive clothes before burial. Memorial services and cremations are also in practice. Hence, American funeral is an organized and