Getting sick is the last thing on most students' minds as they move into their new dorms for the year. But the close proximity students have with one another while living in communal residences inevitably spreads diseases, said Susan Quillan, director of clinical services at the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center. However, there are preventive measures students can take to minimize the risk of getting sick. The five most common diseases students face while living in communal housing are described below, along with prevention strategies and treatment options. Read more...

Maintaining a healthy diet may become a challenge for UCLA students residing on the Hill when they face the rigors of hunger, academics and stress. For students dining in the residential restaurants, this is perhaps the first time they have had an all-you-can-eat buffet to provide them with their meals, said Christian Roberts, an assistant professor in the UCLA School of Nursing. The tendency is to eat more than they normally would, as multiple studies have shown that the more food a person is presented with at a meal, the more he will eat, Roberts said. Therefore, the two concerns are that students will eat too much, and their food choices will not be very healthy, he added. The U.S. Read more...

Four weeks into winter quarter, Danielle Hershman was hospitalized with an infection that attacked her bladder and was spreading quickly to her kidneys. Doctors rooted the cause of the illness to poor eating habits. Hershman, a third-year art history student, had gained a significant amount of weight in prior months, and her body was not responding well to the increase. At that point, Hershman knew her lifestyle had to change. Read more...