Master of Public Health student advocates for community health as a public health ambassador

Jacqueline Clabeaux led an inclusive social media campaign on the value of exercise in public health for Association of Schools and Public Health Programs (ASPPH).

Jacqueline Clabeaux, a Master of Public Health (MPH) student, knows that leading communities to adopt healthier lifestyles is a key role for public health professionals. That’s why she focused her ASPPH It’s public health (TIPH) Student Ambassador social media campaign to educate people on how to improve their health while strengthening their local communities through physical activity.

“When public health is operating at full capacity, that’s when you see the most inclusivity within communities and populations, because everyone is on board to solve a problem and make their community a better place,” Clabeaux said. “I knew most people understood what exercise is and how it impacts your body, so I took a different approach and focused on the impact of exercise on people and communities. ”

Clabeaux, student-athlete for Mason’s Swim Team, focused her campaign on building community after learning from her MPH classes that community is a vital factor in an individual’s life and health. His campaign educated TIPH’s 30,000 subscribers on how they can improve the health of their community through more physical activity, such as working out at a gym or community pool, exploring the landscapes of local neighborhoods and spending time with others while exercising. These types of activities support the physical, behavioral and emotional health of individuals.

Improve community health

His week-long takeover of TIPH instagram and Twitter the stories consisted of graphs about the impact of exercise on his life and how exercise contributes to public health. She also provided ideas for encouraging others to exercise in their community. In doing so, she considered the physical differences and demographics of the community to ensure that her campaign included diverse populations.

“If you live in an area where healthcare resources are scarce, there’s a higher chance that it could negatively impact your life compared to areas where healthcare resources are abundant,” Clabeaux said. “If I could raise awareness about exercise and its impact on communities, there is hope that this topic could be grounded in the overall health of a community.”

Clabeaux continued, “I wanted to make exercise more fun to do and potentially inspire other people to create a network of people to exercise with and people can look at exercise in a different way and fun that can make an entire community healthier and healthier. happier.”

Students who pursue a TIPH Student Ambassador term organize national presentations and campaigns to raise awareness about education, careers, and public health issues. In the past, Mason’s TIPH Student Ambassadors conducted awareness campaigns on growing a career in public health and draw attention to historical disparities in public health affecting specific populations.

To advance

For Clabeaux, being a TIPH student ambassador has been an enriching experience where she has been able to grow as a public health professional.

“The most important lesson I’ve learned is how to be more inclusive in how I phrase my posts,” Clabeaux said. “For example, some people don’t have the ability to train due to physical limitations, disabilities, etc., so I had to make sure I was using inclusive words so everyone could benefit. of my posts.”

After graduating with her Master in Public Health graduating with a concentration in epidemiology in 2023, Clabeaux aspires to further her education and become a medical assistant, a career where she will help communities learn the value of exercise to improve their health and help prevent disease.

“I’ve had a passion for the medical field since I was very young, and my goal was always to become a medical professional when I was older,” Clabeaux said. “I have discovered that the human body is capable of many amazing things, and I would love to learn as much as I can about our bodies and share it with others.”