Family and Consumer Sciences

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Ohio State University Extension

Noises Off: The Benefit of Silence

Our lives today are full of noise and ever-present distractions and sounds. Noise is among the most pervasive pollutants today and has been identified as a public health threat by the World Health Organization (WHO). Noise can be annoying, distracting, painful, and harmful. Noise adversely affects millions of people and can contribute to elevated levels […]

WRITTEN BY: Laura Stanton, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Warren County.

REVIEWED BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Lucas County.

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Macro photo of tree by Pixabay
  • Trail photo by PhotoMIX Ltd. from Pexels

SOURCES:

  • Beaumont, A. (2017, April 21). 10 reasons why silence really is golden. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/handy-hints-humans/201704/10-reasons-why-silence-really-is-golden
  • Bernardi, L., Porta, C., and Sleight, P. (2006). Cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory changes induced by different types of music in musicians and non-musicians: the importance of silence. Heart; 92(4):445-52.
  • Bronzaft, A.L. (1996). Top of the class. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
  • Brox, J. (2019). Silence: a social history of one of the least understood elements of our lives. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  • Kirste I., Nicola Z., Kronenberg G., Walker T. L., Liu R. C., and Kempermann G. (2015). Is silence golden? Effects of auditory stimuli and their absence on adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Brain Structure and Function, 220 (2), 1221–1228.
  • Noise Pollution Clearinghouse. Retrieved from https://www.nonoise.org/aboutno.htm
  • World Health Organization. (2011). Burden of disease from environmental noise - Quantification of healthy life years lost in Europe. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/publications/e94888.pdf?ua=1

Stocking Up for When You’re Stuck at Home – Part 2: How $180 in groceries fed 2 people for 20 days ($1.50/meal)

Three weeks ago, I wrote about stocking up for staying at home. I had gone shopping on March 13, after being away for over a week. Because many grocery shelves were bare, I had to make some substitutions and compromises and to shop at three different stores in Columbus to get items that would provide […]

WRITTEN BY: Carol Smathers, MS, MPH, Associate Professor and Extension Field Specialist in Youth Wellness and Nutrition

REVIEWED BY: Roseanne Scammahorn, PhD, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Darke County and Susan Zies, M.Ed., Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Wood County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Carol Smathers

SOURCES:

  • https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/food/smathers-14osu-edu/stocking-up-for-when-youre-stuck-at-home-healthy-food-for-less-than-2-meal/
  • http://cookingmatters.org/tips/10-tips-stock-your-pantry
  • https://www.choosemyplate.gov/ten-tips-make-better-food-choices
  • https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/media/file/CostofFoodFeb2020.pdf
  • https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/76/6/1207/4689551
  • https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200331-how-to-eat-a-healthy-diet-when-work-from-home-coronavirus
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/04/01/go-grocery-shopping-every-two-weeks-you-can-and-without-hoarding/
  • https://celebrateyourplate.org/tips/shopping

REFERENCES:

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition.

Making Your Own Sanitizers – for hands and surfaces

The store shelves are bare and everyone needs to take care. So many things you wouldn’t touch (even on a dare). I thought I’d share how to keep hands and kitchenware clean and sanitized now that you are aware! After the run on toilet paper, people started stocking up on cleaning wipes and hand sanitizer.  […]

WRITTEN BY: Kate Shumaker, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Holmes County

REVIEWED BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Store Shelves - Patrice Powers-Barker
  • Hand Sanitizer Ingredients - Kate Shumaker

SOURCES:

  • Water Quality & Health Council. https://waterandhealth.org/resources/posters/#food-safety Retrieved 3/31/2020
  • North Carolina State University Extension Homemade Hand Sanitizer. https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Homemade-Hand-Sanitizer_COVID-19_Flyer.pdf?fwd=no Retrieved 3/31/2020
  • North Carolina State University Extension Cleaning and Disinfecting. https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Cleaning-and-disinfection_COVID-19_Flyer_031520.pdf?fwd=no Retrieved 3/31/2020
  • World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/ Retrieved 4/1/2020

Universal Design – Episode Eleven of Healthy Living Resources

Healthy Living Resources is a telecast presented by the Family and Consumer Sciences program specialists that will focus on health, wellness, and the impact that stress has on our lives. Whether it be financial struggle, or chronic disease management, stress can creep up as a result of many of the day to day events that […]

WRITTEN BY: Amanda Woods, M.Ed, Healthy Finances Program Specialist, OSU Extension, Family & Consumer Sciences

Social Media Mania or Madness?

With summer here and most schools out of session, many youth are left to fend for themselves during the day while their parents or caregivers are at work. My husband calls it “the summer of sloth” at our house, because our kids sit around and play on their phones and computers or watch television for […]

WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.416@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Joseph Maiorano, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Harrison County, maiorano.2@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/photos/snapchat-social-media-smartphone-2480959/
  • https://pixabay.com/photos/texting-mobile-phones-hands-two-1490691/

SOURCES:

  • American Academy of Pediatrics, (2018). Children and Media Tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Found at: https://edubirdie.org/articles/children-and-media-tips/
  • Anderson, M. (2018). A Majority of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of Cyberbullying. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/
  • Digital Responsibility, (2019). Health and Technology. Found at: http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/health-and-technology
  • Hurley, K. (2019). Digital Self-Harm: Why Are Teens Cyber Bullying Themselves? Remedy Health Media, LLC. Found at: https://www.psycom.net/digital-self-harm
  • Jiang, J. (2018). How Teens and Parents Navigate Screen Time and Device Distractions. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/08/22/how-teens-and-parents-navigate-screen-time-and-device-distractions/
  • Lobb, J. (2016). Time for a Technology Break? Live Healthy Live Well Blog. Retrieved from: https://livehealthyosu.com/tag/digital-detoxing/
  • Mir, E. and Novas, C. (2019). Social Media and Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Mental Health. National Center for Health Research. Found at: http://www.center4research.org/social-media-affects-mental-health/
  • Shafer, L., (2017). Social Media and Teen Anxiety. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/12/social-media-and-teen-anxiety
  • U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2018) Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle. MedlinePlus. Found at: https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html

Mind Your Meals this Holiday Season

With fall in full swing and Thanksgiving just a few days away, many of us are faced with lots of opportunities to eat. Though the many celebrations and festivities of the season can be a great time to catch up with family and friends, these might also tempt us to overindulge. The gatherings and special […]

WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.417@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Joseph Maiorano, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Harrison County, maiorano.2@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • American Heart Association, Mindful Eating Infographic. Retrieved from: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/mental-health-and-wellbeing/mindful-eating-infographic

SOURCES:

  • Nelson, J. (2017). Mindful Eating: The Art of Presence While You Eat, Diabetes Spectrum. American Diabetes Association, Retrieved from: http://spectrum.diabetesjournals.org/content/30/3/171
  • Harvard Health Publishing (2016). 8 steps to mindful eating. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/8-steps-to-mindful-eating
  • Mindful Eating. Retrieved from: https://smokefree.gov/stay-smokefree-good/eat-healthy/mindful-eating
  • Dugas, Julia (2017). Mindful Eating Checklist: How To Master Mindful Eating, Food Insight. Retrieved from: https://www.foodinsight.org/mindful-eating-checklist-flavors-meditation

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