In my interview with Abbey, I asked her two of the questions that I had chosen specifically for my research paper, even though the answer from my research paper may have many aspects, I asked just because I wanted to see what a Nutrition TA would answer in a few sentences. Of course, nutrition and health include a variety of things including diet, exercise, spirituality, and mental health. However, instead of focusing on the major nutrition and food issues with college students, Abbey brought up a new angle to the health topic: drug and alcohol abuse. These are two topics that are extremely important to one's health. I was surprised at her answer because when I asked what major health problems college students face she answered with more serious, life-threatening health problems rather than nutrition or diet. Nutrition and diet problems may not have short-term consequences but may have more long-term consequences because it will affect how your body's organ's function over time. However, drug and alcohol abuse are still issues that college students may be dealing with and could possibly be life threatening in the short term and in the long term.

     My next question about how college students deal with these health problems Abbey answered by saying that it would simply "subside after college" which is very interesting to me. Immediately, my question is why does it subside after college? Abbey mentions that students are "stress induced" so students tend to be too stressed and too busy with their schedules and other responsibilities; they don't have time to deal or address these issues. This could imply that eating disorders, drug abuse, and alcohol abuse are all phases that the college student will change one he or she leaves the university and enters the real world. Nevertheless, It is an interesting way to look at it, but there is no guarantee that it would subside for everyone. Abbey also mentioned the class ESS 2: Substance Abuse, which I found could be a way to also address the drug and alcohol abuse that students may be grappling with during their college years. Rather than letting it continue on, this class can be "shocking", as Abbey mentions, and may be an eye opener for some students who have no idea what the short-term and long-term effects are of substance abuse. Similarly, ESS 3 is a nutrition course that addresses the food intake of college students and brings awareness of what students are feeding their mind and body. Many of the topics focus on long term consequences of bad eating habits, this could also be a way to address the common issues among college students. Overall, Abbey provided a new insight to the health topic besides food and nutrition. Health doesn't just include eating healthy but everything that you do and put inside your body affects your health. I ended the interview with tips for college students to stay healthy while attending UCSB and not only does she mention eating right but she also mentions not to binge drink or smoke. Health issues are all around and are not limited to just food intake. I've realized it's much more than that for college students.