“Get in step with health” Thursday, Jan. 30, at the Student Health Center’s annual Carnival of Health located in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The carnival will feature several exhibitors in the Great Hall including the Story County AIDS Coalition, American Cancer Society, Planned Parenthood, Blue Cross/ Blue Shield and Mary Greeley Medical Center.

Also available will be The Student Health Center and its various departments including the Wellness Center, pharmacy, medical services, physical therapy and sports medicine and student counseling services.

Carnival of Health coordinator Gladys Nortey said other colleges will also be on hand such as the College of Osteopathic Medicine from Des Moines and the University of Iowa School of Dentistry.

“They (College of Osteopathic Medicine) will be performing gait analysis to check how people walk,” Nortey said.

Free health screenings, such as blood pressure, blood sugar, body composition, body fat, fitness tests and nutritional analysis, will be offered.

Various demonstrations, such as physical therapy and exercise equipment, first-aid and recreation will also be given.

Mary Engstrom, supervisor of health education/Wellness, said in the past the carnival has had about 1,200 visitors.

“We are making a concerted effort to get college students to attend. We are really interested in them coming and taking advantage of the screenings and participating in the development of a greater health conscience on their part.

“In this day and age with rising medical costs, it is important for an individual to learn to practice preventive medicine,” Engstrom said.

Nortey said the Mary Greeley Medical Center will also provide lipid profiles at a reduced cost. “They will be doing that in conjunction with the Carnival of Health in the Oak Room.”

Those planning on having lipid profiles taken should fast for 12 hours before coming in, Engstrom said. “It is the only event of the affair that starts at 7:30 a.m. to accommodate.”

At 12:40 p.m. those attending can participate in a step aerobics class in the Great Hall with instructors from ISU Recreation Services.

Special ambassadors for the day will be various athletes from Iowa State’s football, volleyball, men’s and women’s golf, and women’s basketball who will sign autographs. “Throughout the day at least two or three athletes from every sport listed will be there,” Nortey said.

She also said Special Olympians from Ames High will greet people at the door.

“It is good to have the athletes there in a health environment. They are doing healthy things for their bodies which is something we try to encourage,” Nortey said. She said this also helps continue the athletes’ images as role models in the community.

Nortey, a graduate student in journalism and mass communication, is doing her graduate assistanceship with the Student Health Center in health education and promotions. She said she has been preparing for the carnival, which is in its 30th year at ISU, since September of 1996.

Nortey said she has had some help from several interns at the Student Health Center. “We’ve been working pretty hard. We’ve been trying to work ourselves hard to make this a great carnival.”

Karina Yip, a junior in journalism and mass communication from Hong Kong, is completing her journalism internship with the Wellness Center and has been helping in the preparation of the carnival. “We encourage the students to get in step with health,” Yip said.

“I hope people will try and get involved and get these tests done,” Nortey said.