The signs of high blood pressure rarely come to mind when we are taking a bite of a burger or munching on some french fries.

However, with the rise of obesity in the United States, it is important to realize that blood pressure awareness should play an important role in our society.

Students Under Pressure, a workshop given by Team 7 of the California Northstate College of Pharmacy, will soon be on campus to encourage students to pay attention to blood pressure awareness. The event will be held in order to get students to know more about blood pressure no matter what age they are. According to an Agri Life Extension handout, if blood pressure remains high it is harmful to your body. This website is a place where facts about blood pressure are displayed for people to better understand the condition.

San Quach a member of the California Northstate College Pharmacy thinks that it is important for many people to know the hazards of high blood pressure.

“I think people in general should know their blood pressure because it has a lot to do with health,” Quach said.

A person can strive to have a healthy outlook on what their bodies should be doing or eating through education of the matter.

High blood pressure can lead to heart failure, heart attacks, kidney failure, or even impaired vision.

Kayla Bongay, freshman public relations major, thinks that it is important to keep your body healthy and lively.

“It is important to help your body be healthy and to stay fit,” Bongay said.

The event will be held in the union and the members of the team will be regulating students’ blood pressure and taking note of the many variations that may trigger high blood pressure.

Members of the team will ask the students health questions in order for the team to distinguish what kind of intake student’s bodies are going through.

Stress and diet as well as how many units the student is taking will be taken into consideration when looking at the blood pressure of a student.

Certified EMT’s and pharmacists will be at the event to make sure that everything is running well.

According to WebMD those who have a high intake of alcoholic beverages are more likely to be at risk of high blood pressure. In addition smoking, obesity, and lack of physical activity, are all factors that can contribute to high blood pressure in young adults.

Garrett Welsh, sophomore pre-nursing major, feels events such as this are important to the education of students.

“Some students have no idea about the reprocutions of what they do to their body,” Welsh said.

Welsh feels that students should be even more aware than those who are older.

“We’re young, we need to be taking better care of our bodies now. It’s easier to avoid all these health problems in the beginning, rather than fixing them once they have been caused,” Welsh said.

Students who attend Team 7’s event will be able to learn not only the problems with having high blood pressure, but also the values of having good blood pressure.

Quach thinks that students need to be more active when it comes to being healthy.

“All of our students are stationary with studying and they are drinking high amounts of caffine and high amounts of salt,” Quach said.

According to the American Heart Association high blood pressure is not difficult to understand.

“(High blood pressure) means the pressure in your arteries is elevated. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the blood vessel walls,” according to the American Heart Association’s website.

According to the AHA there are multiple ways to lower one’s blood pressure.

For instance, if you are overweight, try to lose weight. Also, try and eat a healthy diet low in total fat and saturated fat with high amounts of vegetables and fruits.

Irina Banar, junior nursing major, thinks that it is important to always have your health checked.

“I think it is good because obviously people need to be doing this a lot, (getting checked up.) It is good for them and our society,” Banar said.

There are different types of people however who are at higher risks such as blacks, people over the age of 35 and overweight people.

“High blood pressure is a serious condition that affect millions of people regardless of age,” Quach said.

In an article from the University of Maryland Medical Center, cardiologist Elija Saunders, M.D. feels keeping a healthy blood pressure is not difficult.

“Physical inactivity among our youth is a real problem. We need to make sure that we eat eight servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and get more exercise. We need to get ourselves and our children away from the television sets and the computers, and start them exercising early in their lives,” Saunders said.

Sac State students are encouraged by Team 7 to take advantage of this event that is happening.

“I think this event would be really beneficial for the student body to know how to help their bodies. We should educate students on what blood pressure is and if you do have poor blood pressure learn ways how to fix it,” Quach said.

Plans for the workshop Students Under Pressure have been finalized but dates have yet to be set. Team 7 expects the workshops to take place sometime in March.

To learn more about blood pressure students can visit the health center on campus or ask their doctor for more information.

Vanessa Johnson can be reached at [email protected]