Dublin & public health.

Tonight is my last night in Dublin. I'll be leaving the conference a day early, which is somewhat unfortunate, but also nice because I am exhausted and ready to be home again.  This post will mark the end of my journey abroad, but not the end of this project.  Here are some notes on my thoughts/feelings about Dublin, and in some instances a comparison to the USA:

• People here smoke. A lot, much more than I see in the US. However, I do regard this as a function of living in Iowa City, where a lot of anti-smoking and smoking cessation programs exist. It was a big shock to me even in some cases to see smoking indoors, but mainly it's a shock to witness young people smoking. Because I'm a nonsmoker, I didn't investigate the cost of cigarettes here, but now I'm curious to know the cost comparison to the US.
• People here walk and bike everywhere. In terms of public health, this is great! However, helmet laws do not appear to be in place, and bike lanes are dangerously small. (This varies considerably across the US.)
• Soda distribution is different.  A typical bottled soda here is 16oz and costs around €2. I didn't notice any fountain pop dispensers.  In the US, a 20oz bottle of soda costs on average $1.50.
• Alcohol consumption is incredibly different here. Quite often I noticed people drinking on patios outside in the afternoon, and people are also able to walk around with alcohol in public.  It seems to be a rich part of the culture. (Also the drinking age here is 18, so that may have some influence.)
• Bottled water is crazy expensive.  A 16oz bottle of water typically cost me at least €2, where 20oz in the US would typically cost around $1.50.
• Whole milk is the norm here. If I ever wanted a latte or porridge or anything requiring milk, I had to be very specific that I wanted nonfat milk.  Even asking for "skimmed" milk would often just mean 2% milk (Often I questioned whether this request was even followed).  In the US, public health campaigns are extremely focused on getting children (and adults) to drink low fat milk at an early age.
• Public bathrooms cost money...sometimes. Typically 50 cents, which isn't really much to complain about, but it was certainly quite surprising since I have never experienced this in the US.

These are just a few main differences I've noticed over the past few days, and I hope it provides some insight on cultural differences to health.

My first conference presentation

  

This afternoon I spoke on a panel with 3 other brilliant women to discuss Representation & Identity through out section "Gender & Communication."  Cheryll Soriano opened the session with an engaging focus on the depiction of mothers as related to mobile technology in the Philippines.  Nikita Hamilton followed with an analysis of the ABC show Scandal focused on black female lead characters. (As a HUGE Scandal fan, I loved this presentation.)  Then, I was up.  I was incredibly nervous, and I did my best to be composed, but comfort at these types of conferences can only be learned through practice and experience, which I now have.  It didn't help my nerves that we were told to prepare a presentation lasting 10-12 minutes, and then told today by the session chair that the presentation could be between 17-20 minutes.  I knew I was going to be way under that time range.  Honestly when I was finished I hardly heard the audience applaud because I was basically zoned out from my nerves. I was very grateful that my colleague Yusuf attended the session for moral support as he is well versed in the research and very experienced in delivering presentations.  He was truly a mentor by assisting me throughout the paper writing process and the preparation of my powerpoint. Though my mentor Petya was unable to attend the conference, I am thankful to her for offering me the opportunity to take my vision into a full scale project that will be published in the future.  Finally, Bernadette Barker-Plummer closed the session with a discussion of trans-identities and gender politics through news reporting.  All in all, this was my favorite sessions because I was truly interested in the works of all of these women.  It was a new experience to field questions from an audience who is well versed in this area, and the discussions I had with several people following the session made me further invested in this research.  It's also led me to consider the possibility of getting my PhD in the future, because I think there is a lot of work to be in this area.  I would also like to share this information with other scientific disciplines, specifically to those focused on health or women's issues, because the issues with women's eating & body image only begin with the media. I've had an amazing experience at this conference, and I feel so blessed to have come this far and to have had this opportunity while earning my Masters at the University of Iowa.

Rights of an individual -- communication policy

The first session I attended this morning was on Media & Law, and here I will present some of the insights I gleaned from the presentations.
Sandra Braman spoke on the political consequences of the "Wikileaks Complex" and I took away two keen points from her presentation.  First, the fictive personhood of corporations makes them subject to the law -- in this regard, she meant that it is actually better for corporations to be treated as a person so they can be held accountable for actions.  Another interesting statement she made regarded informal associations and prosecution.  In this regard, even an association as indirect as following the news on a social networking site such as twitter could make an individual subject to prosecution by following IP addresses of users.
Lemi Baruh spoke on digital literacy and the awareness paradox, which can relate quite well to Facebook and thus the research I've conducted.  The premise of this paradox is that as users become aware that they are being profiled by "Big Data" they may become scared and withdraw from the market. (an aside: a fellow attendant  compared this issue to Lord of the Rings, between the Eye & the Ring)  I think we can all relate to this issue -- we note the advertisements we see on Facebook are tailored to our internet usage and the data that we input to Facebook to share personal details of ourselves.  In this regard, big data predictively targets a user based on self-disclosures regardless of if they are true to an individual.  In essence, big data doesn't care if the information is true, it is essentially unbiased based on user internet use, and all it cares about is targeting an individual.
So here's what I'm thinking... Based on this, college women with negative body image and high bodily dissatisfaction may be more likely to seek information related to disordered eating and unhealthy weight loss methods.  Thus, big data may profile them in this way and selectively predict an identity based on  these search attributes.  How does this hinder an individual's health when the decisions big data makes about a subject are not in the best interests of a person's health?  My research shows that women are using Facebook as an outlet to discuss body image and weight. Big data may actually be using this communication to promote and highlight unhealthy measures of weight control and disordered eating to a high-risk portion of the population.

Political Communication & a bit on networking.

I like this conference because they give us frequent breaks for coffee, tea, and light snacks (read delicious Irish mini-desserts).  Also, it's very interesting how people dress for this conference - it's rare to see someone in a full suit and quite common to see people wearing jeans.

For the second session of the day, I attended political communication and these are some of the campaigns I was lucky enough to be exposed to:
Britain's GREAT campaign:

Greece's "Keep Walking Greece" campaign:

Finally, Annabelle Sreberny closed the session again with further emphasis on "Soft Power to Soft War."  This time, however, she delved into the field as a whole, calling for critical awareness of the language and practice used in cyber warfare.  Most notably, she stated"it's high time to address the 'n' in NGO" as she called for an analysis of the validity of the funding stream so many are often seduced by. I think this message relates well to public health, as so many public health organizations are NGOs. Who really funds these organizations and why has the NGO become so popularized at the current time?

Then, we broke for lunch. Networking can be hard, especially since I seem to be so young compared to most of the brilliant and experienced minds at this conference. Today I was fortunate enough to eat lunch with author & economist Steve Shifferes. It was really exciting to hear about the new book he is going to be writing and to garner some of his perspectives on the American healthcare system. Then, I met a fellow UIowa Alum, Doug, who graduated a year ago and now currently works in Japan. I appreciated the time we spent discussing the differences between America and Japan with regard to education, healthcare, and media. I'm so grateful to be attending this conference, where I have the ability to meet such wonderful and diverse people. My presentation is tomorrow, and after seeing the relaxed atmosphere of the conference today, I am feeling more at ease. I've finally almost adjusted to the time change, and I think I'm ready to go. I don't have my presentation fully memorized, but I've been working on this project for almost 2 years, so I know the material well, which is reassuring. More to come tomorrow!

Plenary 1 -- shifts in geo-political & global communication orders

This morning I attended Plenary Session 1: A largely 'western' financial crisis? - Implications for Geo-Political and Global Communication Orders.  Professory Francis Nyamnjoh joined us via Skype (such wonderful technology!) and opened with a note on Africa: "crisis is a condition of being" for the people of Africa.  Professor Hu Zhengrong spoke of China, and how "crisis is a challenge, but also an opportunity." Finally, Professor Annabelle Sreberny closed the session and captively held my attention.  Her presentation addressed PRISM specifically, but more generally she spoke of cyber warfare as an emerging language where cyberspace represents a new domain of warfare in this century.  Her focus specifically is on US-Iranian relations, and the focus on the USA was partly responsible for my attention.  With regard to Stuxnet, she noted the ways cybertechnology can lead to physical destruction.  She commented on the availability of information on the internet and over the phone, and how the increase in transparency of information may not equal feelings of security among a population.  Though I have limited knowledge in this area of research, Sreberny spoke with such fierce passion that it was hard to look away.  How she spoke today is how I hope to represent myself in the future.

be the arrow, not the target.

The opening ceremony of the IAMCR conference was tonight & the guest speaker was the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.  Before I provide some commentary on his address, I must say that I was fairly shocked by the lax security.  No guards or special forces were there to ensure the area was safe, and no measures were taken to check any of the conference attendees. I cannot even imagine this low level of presidential security in the US.

Some of the topics he addressed were:

Marxism & "creative destruction"

Media ownership, does it really matter?

Cultural pluralism

Mobile health technology

One of my favorite things he reminded the audience was "to be the arrow, not the target."  Though he was referring to the media, I think this phrase really drives home what public health stands for.  In this time, we must think not only of ourselves, but of each other, and of the generations that will follow once we no longer live on Earth. Our minds must not be closed to a singular lifespan, and public health wants to ensure that populations are healthy and sustainable, that communities work together based on common interests, that access to healthcare is available to all, and finally that health information is accessible, knowledgeable, and participatory.

Following the opening session, there was mingling with cultural music and food.  I enjoyed networking with intelligent minds from across the globe.  Everyone here is brilliant and inspiring, and there is incredible diversity among the attendants.  I've hardly spoken with anyone from the US, and it's been eye opening to garner their perspectives on any topic.  Now, my homework for the evening includes practicing my presentation a few times and sifting through the 118 page program to determine which sessions I want to attend tomorrow. Tomorrow promises to be another exciting day in Dublin.

Dublin & IAMCR

The IAMCR conference officially starts later today, and I am thrilled to be attending this conference, and so thankful that I received funding from the Graduate Student Senate (GSS) to attend -- Thank You!

Last night I met with my research colleague, Dr. Yusuf Kalyango, to discuss the presentation I will be giving on Thursday. I must admit, I'm quite nervous.  He is so knowledgeable and relaxed, and I've found it very helpful to have his support in real life since we are finally in the same country.  My presentation is completed, but I just keep rehearsing what I'm going to say. Though the session lasts 90 minutes, I will only be speaking for about 10 minutes.  It's going to be a wonderful experience, or so I keep reminding myself.  The conference commences today at 5:30pm, so I'm planning on exploring the city and immersing myself in Irish culture until then. Cheers!

nutrititon labels, briefly.

One of my main interest areas as far as public health is concerned is nutrition.  During my CBH coursework, we often critiqued and analyzed nutrition labels with regard to literacy and the ability of the population to understand what all of the information on a nutrition label means.  In the UK, I now finally understand what it means to not know how to read the label accurately!  This is a chocolate bar I bought at a specialty cafe, and though it might be hard to see, the label is quite different from what we have in the US.  Foods are described as "energy", which I kind of like because food is what energizes our bodies and keeps us alive.  It lists energy in kilojoules (KJ), and even with my science background this number really means nothing to me when I read it on the label.  Then it proceeds to list calories (in Kcal, per accurate scientific notation), protein, carbohydrates, and fat.  However, these numbers aren't even accurate for the chocolate bar itself.  These numbers are for 100grams of food and this bar is only 40grams. This is really interesting to me because in the US we have foods listed as "per serving" which I haven't really noticed much here (except at a few cafes I went to).  Needless to say, I'm glad I figured this out so I realize that I'm not eating 34 grams of fat (over half the recommended daily allowance!) with this treat. 
This has been an educational lesson in cultural competency.
Sending love to everyone in America from 3900 miles away!

Finally in Dublin!

The past two days have flown by between finishing up conference plans, seeing London, and traveling to Dublin. The flight was incredibly fast (only about 50 minutes!) and everyone has been really nice to me so far since I've arrived.  It's 1:00am here right now, and I think I'm finally adjusting to the time change because I am exhausted (despite it being only 7pm CST).  But, the exhaustion might also be a product of all the walking I've done the past few days.  It might sound strange, but the first thing I did upon arriving in the airport was buy a bottle of water and a banana.  Fresh fruit was hard to come by in London (as were vegetables), so I feel like my diet has been lacking some of the foods I eat regularly.  After the cloudiness and rainy days in London, I was ecstatic to see a beautiful moon and mostly clear sky tonight over Dublin, it was absolutely breathtaking.  Tomorrow I'm going to have a bit of a resting day in the morning to catch up from the excitement of the past few days and regain my strength for the IAMCR conference which begins already on Tuesday. I can already tell that this week is going to fly by!

a safe landing and a brief note on theory.

I landed in London at 8am GMT safe and sound.  After a short power nap (okay, 3 hours long) at my hotel, it was off to explore the city.  I packed a lot of sight-seeing into 6 hours of walking streets and eating delicious food, but now the jet lag has finally caught up to me.  Though it's nearly 11pm here, it's only 5pm back home -- time for everyone to be enjoying the weekend! 

I’m certain this won’t be the most entertaining post (unless you really love theory), but it’s highly relevant to understanding the basis for my research. I remember at one point in my life taking theory for granted, but it just seemed so lacking in practicality.  Now, though, I have fully developed an appreciation for theory and the strength it lends to research. This project is based largely in two theories: social comparison and objectification.

Social comparison theory – 

The basis of this theory is that people compare themselves to others through print media, film, or real people as a method of “measuring up” in society.  When we idolize someone, we are more likely to compare ourselves to them and are more likely to want to obtain some form of their image, regardless of its feasibility.  In this regard, an upward comparison (to someone of more status or attractiveness) may motivate behavior change to reach the desired body image.

Objectification theory –

            Rooted in social and gender roles, this theory posits that women develop views of themselves based on observations of media images and their life experiences.  These experiences shape the women women analyze and self-evaluate their bodies, which often may not meet social definitions of beauty.  Once again, striving to reach an idealized image of beauty may lead to use of disordered eating behaviors as women view each other as objects rather than people.

So what's this project anyway?

I'm current sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to London, where I will be for the next 3 days until I journey to Dublin for the IAMCR conference.  I'm very excited to be have my younger sister Lauren along as a travel companion! It's going to be great to spend some quality time with her before she moves on to Spain to study abroad for the summer.

 

I'm going to use this post as a brief introduction to the research I'll be presenting and breaking it down by topic over a few posts.  In the fall of 2011, I opted to enroll in the elective course Media & Health taught by Dr. Petya Eckler.  The main course objective was to gain a critical perspective of how the media cover (and frame) health news and how these practices affect public knowledge, health beliefs, and behaviors.  For the final course project, graduate students were to investigate an issue of choice related to health communication and mass media.  Working independently, I chose to explore the issues of Body Image and Disordered Eating in women through the social media site Facebook.  I began a detailed literature review, and using a convenience sample, I conducted a pilot study of these issues.  After the final poster presentation for the course, my professor sent me my final paper with commentary, and she suggested collaborating to make the project full-scale.  Two years later, here I am, on my way to Dublin to disseminate the results of an issue I'm incredibly passionate about with scholars from across the globe. I never imagined that what began as a class project would lead me here, but I'm so glad it has!

My next post will be coming from London. Farewell, America! 

IAMCR 2013 -- Dublin

A few months ago, the abstract to a study I conducted in collaboration with Dr. Petya Eckler & Dr. Yusuf Kalyango was accepted to the International Association of Media & Communication Research (IAMCR) conference in Dublin.  This year the conference theme is "Crises, 'Creative Destruction' and the Global Power and Communication Orders."  Basically, the conference theme derives from the many economic crises across the globe and how communication processes will affect global power dynamics.  The IAMCR conference is further divided into many cross-cutting themes, and the category my research contributes to is Gender & Communication.  Specifically, the research is related to Facebook Use, Body Image, & Disordered Eating among College Women (more to come about this soon).  This presentation will contribute a new  theoretical-based insight on how social networking sites contribute to these behaviors through media consumption.  All in all, I'm very excited for this adventure both because it will be exciting for my professional development and because it's part of a continuing journey of self-discovery.

Aside from this blog I will also be joining the twitterverse in discussion of the conference using #IAMCR2013.  Follow me here!