Think Out Loud

New film ‘The 100 Year Effect’ explores Oregon researcher’s quest to bring chronic disease knowledge to the world

KENT THORNBURG IS A PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE EMERITUS AT OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY [https://www.ohsu.edu/people/kent-l-thornburg-phd]. BUT HE IS FAR FROM RETIRED. HE’S ACTIVELY PROMOTING THE RESEARCH HE AND OTHERS HAVE DONE INTO THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE. THORNBURG COINED THE PHRASE “THE 100 YEAR EFFECT” TO DESCRIBE HOW “EARLY LIFE ENVIRONMENT” BEFORE AND DURING  PREGNANCY CAN AFFECT THE LIFETIME RISKS OF CHRONIC DISEASES — AND HOW THOSE EFFECTS CAN ACTUALLY BE TRACED TO NOT JUST  NOT JUST TO BOTH PARENTS, BUT GRANDPARENTS AS WELL.   A NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT BOTH THE RESEARCH, AND THORNBURG’S UNCONVENTIONAL CAMPAIGN MEANT TO GALVANIZE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS RESEARCH PREMIERED AT OHSU ON MARCH 20. THE DATE WAS CHOSEN [https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/march/national-future-generations-day-third-friday-in-march] IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NATIONAL FUTURE GENERATIONS DAY. “THE 100 YEAR EFFECT” [https://100yeareffect.com/] IS NOW AVAILABLE TO VIEW FREE OF CHARGE BY REQUEST FOR INDIVIDUALS OR COMMUNITY SCREENINGS ON THE FILM WEBSITE. Thornburg says the only way anything will change is if young people and community leaders get energized and motivated. That’s where people like Kelsey Mueller Wendt come in. She is herself a young mother and the coordinator for the Nutrition Oregon Campaign Hub in Klamath Falls [http://www.healthyklamath.org]. Mueller Wendt and Thornburg join us to share more about larger education campaign and the film, which is both a showcase and an invitation into the larger effort to eliminate chronic disease.

Portland women’s health and wellness coach highlights gaps in research, education for women in sports

When Greta Jarvis was 16 years old and on her high school’s lacrosse team, her menstrual cycle completely stopped. When she went to an OBGYN to discuss the issue, doctors told her this symptom was completely normal for female athletes.   Nearly ten years later, she learned that her period loss, or amenorrhea, was abnormal and actually dangerous. In fact, it’s the body’s response to too few calories, too much exercise, and extreme stress. It’s also extremely common among young female athletes, and intensified by scarce targeted education on nutrition, body image and hormone health within women and girls'sports.   Now, Jarvis coaches the same team she played on in high school, and she wants to provide the education that she didn’t have when she was growing up. She founded the Center for Active Women, where she organizes workshops for teams, schools and sports organizations to equip women and girls with the skills to develop healthy relationships with body, food, and exercise. She joins us to discuss her work.

Multnomah County data says homelessness has gone up since Mayor Wilson took office

ACCORDING TO MULTNOMAH COUNTY, NEARLY 3,000 MORE PEOPLE [https://hsd.multco.us/data-dashboard/] ARE LIVING UNSHELTERED IN THE COUNTY THAN THERE WERE WHEN WILSON TOOK OFFICE. THE MAYOR SAYS THAT DATA DOESN’T MATCH WHAT HE’S SEEING, AND THAT DISCONNECT DOESN’T HELP WHEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY SHARE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REGION’S HOMELESS RESPONSE. OPB’S ALEX ZIELINSKI JOINS US TO TALK ABOUT HER LATEST STORY.

Grant High School constitution team to compete in national civics championship

After taking home the title in the statewide civics championship earlier this year, the constitution team from Portland’s Grant High School will represent Oregon in the national "We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution" [https://civiced.org/we-the-people/national-competitions/finals] finals kicking off in Maryland on April 17. The three-day competition features hundreds of students from around the nation demonstrating their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, government and Supreme Court decisions by arguing historical and contemporary constitutional issues.   Sophie Durocher and Caspian Green are two members of Grant High School’s constitution team, and Angela DiPasquale is the team’s advisor. We’ll speak to them ahead of their travels to the national championship.

Oregon agricultural economist says rising productions costs for farmers aren't sustainable

The rising cost of oil and and fertilizer due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is affecting farmers [https://www.salemreporter.com/2022/03/11/oregons-5-billion-agriculture-industry-struggles-amid-high-gas-prices/] all over Oregon. On Monday we spoke with local farmers [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/30/think-out-loud-woodburn-oregon-farmers/] and a nonprofit representing small and mid-sized farmers. They said gas prices are already starting to affect them and although they have the fertilizer supplies they need for this year, they are very concerned about those prices rising the next time they buy. Tim Delbridge [https://extension.oregonstate.edu/people/tim-delbridge] is an assistant professor of economics in Oregon State University’s Extension Services. He says agricultural operations of all kinds and sizes have limited options for dealing with rising costs. Not every grower can just raise prices on consumers to compensate. Delbridge joins us to tell us more about how the rising price of energy and fertilizer are likely to affect Oregon’s agricultural economy in the near future — and how long farmers can continue to operate if prices don’t drop.