244544 Cultivating self-care is violence prevention

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Vivian Chavez, DrPH , Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Public health education recognizes resiliency in individuals and communities. The field is crosscutting and interdisciplinary; yet, does really take into account cultivating self-care in our future workforce? Students and their professors describe past & current relationships of violence, increased stress, weight gain, anxiety and a growing sedentary life-style. This prompted the author to revitalize an undergraduate course with kinesthetic awareness & expressive arts to create embodied health consciousness, an entirely new form of practice-based academics, as a form of violence prevention. The context and scope of teaching/learning Community Health Education at San Francisco State University addresses health equity and social justice in urban communities as it provides students with a strong background on developing evidence-based interventions. The curriculum provides a participatory learning environment that integrates theory and practice, honors diversity, and fosters leadership, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication skills. An innovative teaching method was added to student learning competencies. Students report a growing interest in learning about their own health stories as they learn about the public's health. Student assignments reveal important college health concerns in the areas of mental health, physical activity, stress and weight management. Course evaluations reflect embodied learning and multicultural experience through the application of yoga, dance, drawing, creative writing, collage, poetry and photography. Integrating physical, mental, spiritual and community health through active creative participation is an effective way to learn and practice preventing violence, in particular � violence of the self.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Public health or related education
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1.Introduce the concept of "embodied health consciousness,� an entirely new form of practice-based academics, as a form of violence prevention to empower students & their teachers with the conceptual aptitude needed address college health, build relationships and foster resiliency. 2.Demonstrate an innovative teaching approach that includes the mind/body nexus, through expressive arts and somatic education. 3. Present an assignment that invites students to connect their personal health stories with the cognitive benefits of movement. We live in our bodies, within communities, that in turn are the home of our health stories.

Keywords: College Students, Youth Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I developed, implemented and evaluated the model of Cultivating Self Care in College Age Students at SF State University that I wish to present.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.