Posts Tagged ‘Public Health’

Most households in the US should be receiving their 2010 Census forms this week. Data from the census, which happens only every ten years, is used for a variety of things, including appropriation of health care dollars that eventually affect you and I. Census data is used in planning for hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and other health care facilities. It’s used in creating more efficient maps to facilitate the speedy arrival of emergency services to your home. It also helps to direct health care services for those in poverty. Questions on the census relating to one’s race and ethnicity also help to identify services of importance to certain racial or ethnic groups, such as screening for hypertension or diabetes in Asians and Latinos. Keep in mind that the census does not ask about your visa or residency status, that is not the point. It merely collects demographic data on individuals living currently in the US. Read more about the 2010 Census.

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For the first time ever all US counties have been scored and ranked in terms of the overall health of their residents and compiled in the 2010 County Health Rankings. The data will allow health officials to compare the statistics of their county with demographically similar counties. This effort is an attempt to bring comprehensive health data to the local level in order to stimulate action towards improved health. Anyone now can go online to see how their country ranks within their state in regards to a variety of health outcome measures and health factors organized into the broad categories of mortality and morbidity, health behaviors, health care access, socioeconomic factors, and environmental factors. To see where your county ranks, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org.

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The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) announced last month a new program called Corporate Alliance, in which the AAFP partners with interested companies to produce educational material for the general public. The first of these companies to sign on is Coca-Cola, who has donated $500,000 to the AAFP which will be used to develop consumer education content related to beverages and sweeteners. Not surprisingly, many physician-members of the AAFP have voiced strong opposition to such an alliance, especially in light of the current obesity epidemic. AAFP President-elect, Lori Heim, M.D., states the partnerships will not include an AAFP endorsement of any brand, product or service, and the Academy will maintain editorial control of all materials related to the partnerships. However, this partnership of irony calls into question the integrity of AAFP leadership, who’s efforts should be devoted to primary care and prevention, not sleeping with the enemy. [via AAFP]

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Today’s Daily Dose comes from the current issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers found, after following over 238 thousand women over the course of 40 years, that women who had a BMI of 30 or greater at the age of 18 had more than twice the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), compared to women with a BMI between 18.5 and 20.9. “Our results suggest that weight during adolescence, rather than childhood or adulthood, is critical in determining the risk of MS,” said study author Kassandra Munger, ScD, of the Harvard School of Public Health. The study authors theorize the link between obesity and MS may be that obese women tend to have lower vitamin D levels (higher vitamin D levels are thought to reduce the risk of MS). In addition, fatty tissue can produce substances thought to affect immune and cellular function which may be associated with MS. [via Medical News Today]

Calculated your BMI.

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Poor education predisposes one to poorer health. Study after study has confirmed this link, and now experts are honing in on the reasons for it and what can be done.  “Persons with a higher education tend to have better jobs, and better income, better benefits,” said David R. Williams, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and staff director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Commission to Build a Healthier America. These “better benefits” not only include more accessible healthcare but can include factors such as the ability to take time away from work to see the doctor. As well, people with higher levels of education tend to have more resources to cope with stress and life, such as access to a health club to exercise during periods of stress. Being more educated also means that a person can better understand the complexities that go along with modern medicine. In fact, a report from May, 2009 found that adults who did not graduate from high school were 2.5 times more likely to be in less than very good health, compared with counterparts who have a college degree. Williams is advocating that health promotion should be taught earlier in schools and that improvement in literacy rates could better the health of people as they become adults. [via Businessweek]

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An article in the September 17th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine proposes that a national “soda tax” of 1 cent per ounce of soda and other sugar-laden drinks could curb the United State’s obesity epidemic while generating funds to promote obesity prevention programs. While this tax strategy has reduced cigarette and alcohol use, will it would work with food? That remains to be seen. “There are certain products which make a strong contribution to the obesity epidemic while, conversely, there is no plausible public health benefit [from them],” noted Dr. David Ludwig, senior author of the paper and associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Opponents of such an idea say that singling out a specific food type sends the wrong public health message. Rather, they say, the government should promote proper nutrition education. Would a heftier price stem your appetite for soda? [via BusinessWeek]

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If you have doubts that lack of health insurance can have deadly consequences, consider these new findings from the American Journal of Public Health: Americans without health insurance are 40% more likely to die than those with private insurance. The Harvard study reiterates a 1993 Institute of Medicine study, which found a 25% higher death risk among those without insurance compared with privately insured adults. Why does the uninsured face this greater risk? The Institute of Medicine identifies three factors that influence health outcomes: not getting care when needed, not having a regular source of care, and not getting continuity of coverage – all of these are difficult goals to accomplish for the uninsured. Approximately 45,000 Americans of working age die each year because they lack health insurance. [via Yahoo! News]

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New research by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute shows that the risks associated with texting while driving is much more dangerous than previously thought. In fact, texters have a 23-fold increase in crash rate, compared to those who do not text. This was the first study to video tape drivers inside their vehicles to document this dangerous driving distraction. “In the moments before a crash or near crash, drivers typically spent nearly five seconds looking at their devices — enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more than the length of a football field.” Americans send out hundreds of billions of text messages each year. The number of those sent out while driving is unknown. However, motor vehicle accidents due to texting is increasingly becoming a large public health concern. [ via New York Times ]

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An air quality study that has taken over 25 years to complete has determined that better air quality can increase an American’s lifespan by up to 5 months. The research was conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health. Although this should seem obvious, it’s the specifics of the study that are interesting. According to the researchers they “looked at fine particles that penetrate deep in the lungs, those that are not caught in the nose and the mouth, and directly damage the blood vessels. Most of those come from combustion, from automobiles, diesel trucks and buses and power plants.” These are the particles that can shorten lifespan. However, these are the particles which we can potentially control through pollution reduction efforts.

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