#374
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 00:56:36 -0400
From: Robert Michael Blake <blake@ASHTABULA.KENT.EDU>
Subject: [Autoreply] Re: HEDIR-L Digest - 12 May 2006 to 15 May 2006 (#2006-105)
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#375
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 13:18:43 -0600
From: "Randolfi, Ernie" <randolfi@MSUBILLINGS.EDU>
Subject: Re: HEDIR-L Digest - 10 May 2006 to 11 May 2006 (#2006-103)
** AAHE--the Future of Health Education
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With respect to Dr. London, I would disagree with his assessment of realage.com.
Health educators who have utilized health risk appraisals
(HRA) for a number of years are well aware of the limitations behind the
algorithms used in any such assessments. For a thorough discussion of the
appropriate and inappropriate use of HRAs I would recommend the Society of
Prospective Medicines' Handbook of Health Assessment Tools which was published
in 1999. I believe that the Institute for Health and Productivity Management is
planning to update this publication in the future - perhaps Dr. London could
reference this document in the next revision of his book.
I have always believed that the greatest value in any HRA is its ability to
personalize health information and motivate individuals to take appropriate
actions to maintain or improve health related behaviors. In most cases it is a
great starting point for health educators to begin a dialog with
students/clients/consumers about health enhancement. I hope that all pre-service
health educators receive instruction on the strengths and weaknesses of HRAs so
that we can better inform the general public.
With regard to some of Dr. London's other comments, see my reactions below.
On 5/12/06 9:42 PM, "William M. London" <wlondon@CDREWU.EDU> wrote:
>
> I suggest being wary of realage.com, which includes such hype as:
>
> "With regard to nutrition, for example, FDA guidelines cover minimal
> nutrient requirements to avoid a deficiency. RealAge recommendations
> provide the optimal nutrient requirements for longevity, disease
> prevention, and good health."
>
Are you defending the FDA which caved into pressure from industry lobbying
groups (e.g., Beef and & Dairy Industry) to refine the Food Pyramid in a way
that would not be damaging to their profits? Which Realage nutrition
recommendations do you disagree with?
> Can anybody find any actual scientific evidence to validate RealAge's
> method of appraisal at RealAge's "Science and Philosophy" page at
> http://www.realage.com/company_info/ra_faqs.aspx?pg=6#6 ? Where's the
> algorithm for providing assessments? Is it a trade secret?
Some references to the Realage HRA are available at:
http://www.realage.com/ralong/qa/HI.aspx above "invite a friend to take the
test".
As far as specific algorithms are concerned, I would suggest you contact Linda
Hemmi at lhemmi@realage.com if you are interested in the math. I don't have any
vested interest in this site, I only suggested it as a good free resource for
health educators who don't mind getting some emails from this group.
>
> Consider this from p. 496 of the new edition of CONSUMER HEALTH: A
> GUIDE TO INTELLIGENT DECISIONS, which I coauthored:
>
> "Some Web sites, books, and expensive health spas purport to be able
> to determine your true 'biological age' by ccomparing various physical
> and lifestyle variables to statistical norms. This can differ from
> your chronological age (time elapsed since birth) and supposedly
> indicates how much you have truly aged. However, there is no
> agreed-upon, validated standard for measuring biological age. A WALL
> STREET JOURNAL reporter in her mid-30s who took two Web site tests
> scored 'age 17' at one site and 'age 46' at the other. [Bright B. Body
> language. The Wall Street Journal. Oct 11, 2004.] Butler has stated
> that those who claim to measure 'biomarkers of aging' and favorably
> affect them are not scientifically based and should not be marketed to
> the unwitting public." [See
> http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/antiaging.html ]
>
> ******
>
> The Code of Ethics of the Health Education Profession in Article I,
> Section 3 states: "Health Educators accurately communicate the
> potential benefits and consequences of the services and programs with
> which they are associated." When HRAs are administered as part of
> health education services, what do health educators actually do to
> communicate the potential benefits and consequences of suggesting that
> consumers take seriously the results reported from their scored HRAs?
>
>
> Bill
> William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H.
> Associate Professor and Chair, Department of General Studies Interim
> Director, Master of Public Health in Urban Public Health Program
> College of Science and Health Charles R. Drew University of Medicine
> and Science
> 201 Keck Building
> 1731 E. 120th Street
> Los Angeles, CA 90059
> Phone: 323-563-4874
> Fax: 323-357-3601
> wlondon@cdrewu.edu
> Urban Public Health M.P.H. Program:
> http://www.cdrewu.edu/cosh/public_health/public_health.htm
> College of Science and Health: http://www.cdrewu.edu/cosh/index.htm
>
>
> Dr. London is co-host of Credential Watch
> (http://www.credentialwatch.org ), associate editor of Consumer Health
> Digest, a free weekly e-newsletter available by subscription at
> http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/chd.html , and a co-author
> of Consumer Health: A Guide to Intelligent Decisions, Eighth Edition
> (http://www.chsourcebook.com ).
>
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--
Ernesto A. Randolfi, Ph.D.
Department of Health and Human Performance 1500 University Drive Billings, MT
59101
Phone: 1-406-657-2123 Fax: 1-406-657-2399
E-mail: randolfi@msubillings.edu
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