The TSET Better Health Podcast

#39 TSET’s Investment in Research Reaps Healthy Dividends

 TSET has invested millions of dollars into cancer, tobacco cessation and wellness research – and Oklahomans are reaping the benefits. From the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center’s (SCC) renewed recognition as a National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Center, to the scores of tobacco- and wellness-related studies currently underway at the TSET Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC), TSET’s research funding is improving Oklahoma’s long-term health and economy. Learn how in this TSET Better Health Podcast episode from SCC Director Dr. Robert Mannel and Dr. Darla Kendzor, co-director of the HPRC.

#38 Fun, Fit and Safe Physical Activity for All Ages

 May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, but you don’t have to be a top athlete to join the fun. Physical activity is great for Oklahomans of all ages and abilities! Episode 38 of the TSET Better Health Podcast explores how, from Bike, Roll and Walk to School Day for students in early May through free workout videos from Shape Your Future that help beginners bust their yoga, dance and barre exercise moves. Listeners also will hear from an Oklahoma Department of Transportation official on the makings of an active transportation plan that will help cities and towns of all sizes improve access and safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and others.

#37 Youth Nutrition and Lowering Obesity

As National Nutrition Month draws to a close, this TSET Better Health Podcast episode examines nutrition and obesity prevention in our state, especially among youth. Jae Morrison of the Oklahoma State Department of Health discusses findings in the state’s newly released Obesity Prevention Plan, and what we can take from it for our own well-being. Listeners also will hear from Christy White, the innovative child nutrition director of Hinton Public Schools who explained how and why healthy food options have become popular among students in her rural western Oklahoma district. And we visited Jenks Middle School, where students joined thousands statewide on March 22 in participating in the Swap Up Day of Action, a hands-on nutrition education day.

36# The Sinister Shapeshifting Tobacco Industry

Tobacco companies have long used deceptive marketing in ever-changing ways to lure new customers into buying and becoming addicted to their dangerous products. They know how to appeal to different populations, and it has worked with deadly results. TSET is launching a new media campaign that exposes how the tobacco industry uses “shapeshifting” marketing to make tobacco and vape products seem appealing to people of different ages and communities. Episode guests will include TSET Health Communication Manager Chase Harvick, who will speak about the Shapeshifter campaign; Donald Richardson of Guiding Right, a local agency that helps African Americans and others break free from tobacco use and other health threats, and Purcell High School students Carter Goldston and Alexis Wenthold on the influences that draw teens to vaping and tobacco use, and how to counteract those influences.

#35: Preemption: Foe of Public Health and Local Control

Governing by the will of the people is assumed in democracy – unless preemption is involved. Such is the case with local tobacco laws in Oklahoma cities. Preemption is when a higher level of government limits or eliminates the power of a lower level of government to regulate on a particular issue. Since 1987, Oklahoma cities and towns have been prohibited from adopting tobacco restriction ordinances that go beyond state law. So local municipal leaders who want to further protect residents from harmful tobacco use in public places cannot do so. This TSET Better Health Podcast episode explores the public health and local governance issue with Doug Matheny, a policy expert at the TSET Health Promotion Research Center, Tahlequah City Councilman Stephen Highers, and Thomas Larson, TSET director of public information and outreach.

 

#34: Taking Down Tobacco at Any Age

Smoking rates in Oklahoma are dropping to historic lows, but they continue to rank high among the 50 states and vaping is still a persistent problem, especially among youth. This TSET Better Health Podcast episode takes a look at efforts to lower tobacco and vape use in our state heading into 2023 with guests Matt Glanville of the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network, Paola Klein of the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, and  Mayra Amezcua and Lacey Laymon with TSET Healthy Youth Initiative's YAHL program who discuss their motivations for tackling tobacco and vape use in their local schools and communities.

 

#33: Healthy Body and Spirit Through the Holidays

We hear it every holiday season – it’s the most wonderful time of the year. But it’s not for those who are grieving a loss or are feeling stressed out or alone during the holidays. It can also be a challenging time for our physical health, when time off and holiday gatherings can make it easy to let healthy habits slide by the wayside. Check out the next episode of the TSET Better Health Podcast and find ways to boost your mental, emotional and physical wellness during the holidays, so this truly can become the happiest time of the year. Find out how from Executive Director Erin Engelke and Clinical Director Heather Gaglio of Calm Waters Center for Children and Families, who will offer great ways to boost mental and emotional well-being during the holidays; Kym Hardin of Healthy Schools Oklahoma, who will help us stay physically active into the new year; and TSET’s own Dylan Jasna, who will share new and tasty nutritional resources from Shape Your Future.

#32: Surviving Cancer with Screenings and Tobacco Cessation

As few as 1.5 percent of Oklahomans who are eligible to get a lung cancer screening actually get them – 1.5 percent. Episode 32 of the TSET Better Health Podcast will explore who qualifies for lung cancer screenings, reasons why rates are so low in our state, the high importance of getting screened, and the programs in place to increase awareness of, and accessibility to, these lifesaving tests. Speaking on this will be Dr. Mark Doescher of the University of Oklahoma’s Stephenson Cancer Center and College of Medicine, and Eric Finley of the Oklahoma Hospital Association. In addition, Dr. Lurdes Queimado, of the TSET Health Promotion Research Center at the OU Health Sciences Center, will explain encouraging new research results that show much higher rates of remission of head and neck cancers among smokers who quit before starting their treatments compared to those who continued smoking.

All music licensed through PremiumBeat. Full transcripts and music credits available at tset.ok.gov/podcast.

#31: Native American Health, Culture and Tobacco

“It’s easy to quit,” Ken Allen, a Muscogee Creek, said of tobacco. “I quit every day, probably 20 times. It was just staying quit is the problem.” The Perkins resident finally quit smoking after more than 35 years with help from the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline – and no help from a commercial tobacco industry that markets heavily to Native Americans. Allen shares his long journey toward better health in Episode 31 of the TSET Better Health Podcast, which also includes Aaron Williams, tobacco program coordinator of the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board. Williams offers a wider perspective on commercial tobacco use and cessation among Native Americans in Oklahoma, and how commercial tobacco differs from ceremonial tobacco use and traditions. During the interview, Williams referred to BRFSS, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) phone survey system for learning about rates of health-related risk behaviors and chronic health conditions at national and state levels.

All music licensed through PremiumBeat. Full transcripts and music credits available at tset.ok.gov/podcast.

#30: Nutrition in Public Schools

Oklahoma students are back in school, where kids and teens often get the nutrition and energy they need to learn and stay active from meals and snacks served in the cafeteria. In fact, school nutrition is crucial for the health and well-being of Oklahoma kids both during and outside of school hours. With school in session and Child Obesity Awareness Month arriving in September, Episode 30 of the TSET Better Health Podcast will focus on school and child nutrition with Jennifer Weber, executive director of child nutrition at the Oklahoma State Department of Education; Heather Steele and Sheila Russell with Tulsa Public Schools’ Child Nutrition, and Valarie Carter, a classically trained chef, food writer and mom who shares her knowledge on Shape Your Future Healthy Kitchen segments on KJRH in Tulsa.