Mission Statement
Our mission is to discover the ins and outs of obesity in Mississippi and to use our nutritional expertise to promote preventative health care services in the community. We aim to empower children and adults to sustain a healthy lifestyle while solidifying our cultural competence.
About the Trip
Hello there! My name is Shirley Chen, the coordinator of the Mississippi Obesity Alternative Spring Break! As a nutritional sciences student, I constantly hear about the seriousness of the obesity epidemic in the United States, as it is linked to many of the leading causes of death. I've learned the etiology of obesity and how it affects an individual's well-being, statistics of the rates of incidence and prevalence in all states and the preventative measures taken to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Although I have acquired so much knowledge about this issue through my college classes, textbooks, media, etc., I still found myself wanting to learn more. I wanted to dig deeper to gain a better insight on this phenomenon and assess my abilities to target this problem.
In the search for states with the greatest risks for health complications, I discovered that Mississippi has the highest rates of obesity and physical inactivity, in addition to having the third highest rates of diabetes and hypertension in the nation. These rankings alarmed me. With these rankings so high, I knew that traveling down to Mississippi would have a meaningful impact on my personal growth. With a little bit of motivation and perseverance, I came in contact with Dr. Erica Q. Thompson, the executive director of Magnolia Medical Foundation. And with regular communication and planning, I've successfully organized this trip and invited three of my fellow classmates to share this experience with.
Join us in the exploration of Mississippi and our experiences with Magnolia Medical Foundation! We have gained an understanding of obesity that could not be learned elsewhere. No words in books nor numbers on screen could fully explain the things we've seen and the kindness we've felt.
In the search for states with the greatest risks for health complications, I discovered that Mississippi has the highest rates of obesity and physical inactivity, in addition to having the third highest rates of diabetes and hypertension in the nation. These rankings alarmed me. With these rankings so high, I knew that traveling down to Mississippi would have a meaningful impact on my personal growth. With a little bit of motivation and perseverance, I came in contact with Dr. Erica Q. Thompson, the executive director of Magnolia Medical Foundation. And with regular communication and planning, I've successfully organized this trip and invited three of my fellow classmates to share this experience with.
Join us in the exploration of Mississippi and our experiences with Magnolia Medical Foundation! We have gained an understanding of obesity that could not be learned elsewhere. No words in books nor numbers on screen could fully explain the things we've seen and the kindness we've felt.