A University of Georgia health education expert hopes his participation over the next two years on a new state commission will help improve the quality of life for Georgia's male population.
Stu Fors, professor and department head of health promotion and behavior in UGA's College of Education, is one of 11 people recently appointed to the newly established Governor's Commission on Men's Health.
The commission, established by the Georgia General Assembly during the 2000 legislative session, will focus on improving health outcomes in men in specific disease areas. It will monitor state and federal legislative policy and legislation that may affect men's health, develop educational strategies and make recommendations on men's health issues. The commission will submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the governor, president of the state Senate and Speaker of the state House of Representatives by October 1 of each year. Initial terms of appointments expire July 1, 2003.
The commission will focus on unacceptably high rates of heart disease, stroke, prostate cancer, depression and suicide, lack of regular visits to the doctor and the low level of early detection through preventive screening for serious disease.
"I like the emphasis on health promotion strategies - educating men for prevention and early detection," said Fors of the commission's charge. "It mentions regular medical exams, preventive screenings, regular exercise and healthy eating habits as examples of health-promoting lifestyles that should be encouraged among Georgia men."
Fors was nationally recognized for his work last year when he received the Professional Service to Health Education Award for 2000 for his professional contributions to health education at the local, state and national levels.
A study, which Fors co-authored with UGA sociology professor Dean Rojeck, confirming the effectiveness of DUI victim impact panels on the recidivism of drunk drivers in Athens-Clarke County has led to such panels being used in several other Georgia counties, including in one of the state's fastest-growing - Gwinnett. The researchers found that the re-arrest rate was 65 percent lower for the 404 drunk drivers who faced victim impact panels compared to the 431 DUI defendants who did not.
His most recent research has looked at the effects of DUI legislation in Georgia, and Protective/Risk Factors in Adolescents with Dr. Nicole Crepaz at the Centers for Disease Control.
Fors joined the UGA faculty in 1979, serving as department until 1987. He was graduate coordinator until 1997, when once again he became department head. Prior to coming to UGA, he taught at Western Illinois University (1971-'78), the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (1969-'71) and McNary High School in Salem, Oregon (1965-69).
Fors holds a doctorate from the University of Tennessee and a master's
from Oregon State University, both in health education. He received an
undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education from Oregon State
University. He did post-doctorate work in Health Education Planning and
Evaluation at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
Tuesday, March 13, 2000
Writer: Michael Childs, 706/542-5889, mchilds@coe.uga.edu
Contact: Stu Fors, 706/542-4365, stufors@arches.uga.edu