Behavior Driven Disease: A Global Epidemic

Catalog description

This study abroad course in Jamaica will allow students to explore how lifestyle choices are linked to obesity and overweight from 2 different perspectives the United States and Jamaica. Students will attend classroom sessions before departure to learn how cultural evolution in the U.S. has created an environment of abundance and comfort, leading to widespread over consumption of food and physical inactivity. In Jamaica, participants will interact with faculty and students in health-related disciplines at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, will explore markets and farms in the area to determine the availability and cost of fresh food, and will visit various restaurants and assess nutritional value of the served food. Through observation, immersion and survey, students will explore daily physical activity patterns among individuals in different settings - city, village/town, and rural - to make comparisons and analyze data. Students will also engage and interact with obesity practitioners and patients during visits to community health centers and clinics. This course is the same as