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For Your Information
Publications - General Media
May 2008
1 in 4 U.S. Toddlers Improperly Vaccinated
Washington Post, April 29, 2008
TUESDAY, April 29 (HealthDay News) -- New numbers show that more than a
quarter of American toddlers may be under-vaccinated. The study of children
aged 19 months to 35 months found that missed doses account for about
two-thirds of non-compliance to official recommendations. However,
miss-timed doses are also an issue, according to a study conducted by the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in the
June issue of theAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine. Immunization
delays put children at risk for a variety of vaccine-preventable diseases
such as measles, mumps and chicken pox. On the other hand, immunization
rates in the United States are decent, experts reasoned.
AAMC: Medical home model holds promise
AHANewsNow, March 26, 2008
The Association of American Medical Colleges views the medical home
model as promising and supports further research on how to best implement
it, the association announced this week. In a position statement, AAMC said
every patient should have access to a medical home, meaning a continuous
relationship with a health care provider or team of providers to help them
navigate the health care system. The association indicated it would work
with medical schools and teaching hospitals to develop a better
understanding of how the medical home model can be adopted in academic and
community settings. It said payment for the model should appropriately
recognize and reward providers for prevention, care delivery and
coordination; and that providers should be trained to understand and
implement the model within a team environment.
Arizona, restaurants again pursue nutrition goals
The Arizona Republic, March 25, 2008
Arizonans soon may find it a bit easier to identify healthful meals at
some chain restaurants, like McDonald's. In a new program launched Monday,
the Arizona Department of Health Services is teaming with restaurants to
identify items on their menus that meet certain healthful criteria - like
calories from fat and milligrams of sodium - or help restaurants tweak their
recipes to meet the nutritional standards. The program, called the Arizona
Smart Choice Program, is voluntary. Participating restaurants will display a
logo on menus and in their windows.
Canada declares chemical in plastic bottles unsafe
USA Today, April 2008
TORONTO (AP) — An ubiquitous chemical found in hard plastic water
bottles, DVDs, CDs and hundreds of other common items came under increased
pressure Friday when Canada said it's potentially harmful and may ban its
use in baby bottles.
Health Canada made the announcement shortly after a U.S. company said it
would stop selling hard-plastic Nalgene water bottles made with bisphenol A
because of growing consumer concern over whether the chemical poses a health
risk. Health Canada's action could be the first step toward Canada banning
the chemical altogether. Earlier this week, the U.S. government's National
Toxicology Program said that there is "some concern" about BPA from
experiments on rats that linked the chemical to changes in behavior and the
brain, early puberty and possibly precancerous changes in the prostate and
breast. While such animal studies only provide "limited evidence" of risk,
the draft report said a possible effect on humans "cannot be dismissed."
CDC enters fray over tainted FEMA trailers
USA Today, April 2008
WASHINGTON — The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was
accused by lawmakers and a whistle-blower on Tuesday of watering down a
report on the dangers of formaldehyde exposure. "It was not acceptable
science," said Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., a member of the House
Science and Technology subcommittee on investigations and oversight. The
panel is examining the CDC's role in investigating the dangers of
formaldehyde fumes in trailers and mobile homes distributed by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to house people displaced by hurricanes
Rita and Katrina.
CDC fears major measles outbreak
Seattle Times, May 2, 2008
CHICAGO — Federal health officials warned Thursday that the United
States could be on the verge of a major outbreak of measles. The official
tally of measles cases between Jan. 1 and April 25 was 64, the highest in
recent years, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) said. That count doesn't include Washington state, where eight cases
were reported this week. Those cases stemmed from an international church
conference in suburban Seattle in March, according to the state health
department.
Climate change brings health risks
The Olympian, April 10, 2008
A top government health official said Wednesday that climate change is
expected to have a significant impact on health in the next few decades,
with certain regions of the country - and the elderly and children - most
vulnerable to increased health problems. Howard Frumkin, a senior official
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gave a detailed summary
on the likely health impacts of global warming at a congressional hearing.
But he refrained from giving an opinion on whether carbon dioxide, a leading
greenhouse gas, should be regulated as a danger to public health. "The CDC
doesn't have a position on ... EPA's regulatory decisions," said Frumkin,
determined to avoid getting embroiled in the contentious issue over whether
the Environmental Protection Agency should regulate CO2 under the federal
Clean Air Act.
Court Delays Posting of Calorie Counts
New York Times, April 23, 2008
A federal appeals judge on Wednesday delayed the enforcement of new city
rules requiring calorie counts to be posted alongside prices in some
restaurants. The delay ordered by Judge Robert A. Katzmann is only
temporary, until Tuesday, when he said a three-member panel of the Second
Circuit Court of Appeals would hear oral arguments on continuing the delay.
The regulations had been scheduled to go into effect on Saturday. The delay
was sought by the New York State Restaurant Association, which lost its
challenge of the new rules in United State District Court in Manhattan last
week. In opposing any delay, the city said that putting off the new
regulations “will likely have a negative effect on the public health.” City
officials maintain that consumers will make healthier choices if they know
how many calories are in each item on a menu. Officials also say that
rampant obesity makes encouraging people to eat better is in the public
interest.
Diabetes Rate Before Pregnancy Doubles
Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2008
In a troubling new perspective on the obesity epidemic, a large study found
that rates of women who had diabetes before they became pregnant doubled to
nearly 2% from 1999 to 2005.
The report is of concern, researchers said, because diabetes increases risk
of miscarriage and birth defects and can have a long-term ill effect on
women's own health as well. The results, being published Monday in Diabetes
Care, are consistent with other data indicating that women are developing
diabetes at younger ages.
This pattern is likely related to increasing rates of obesity, a risk factor
for Type II -- formerly called "adult-onset" -- diabetes, according to Jean
Lawrence, study author and a researcher at Kaiser Permanente Southern
California department of research and evaluation.
Finding Answers Awards More Than $2.5 Million to Develop Interventions Aimed
at Reducing Gaps in Health Care Among U.S. Racial and Ethnic Group: Ten
grants given to organizations with demonstrated abilities to develop and
test interventions to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care.
RWJF, May 01, 2008
Finding Answers: Disparities Research for Change, a
national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) housed at the
University of Chicago, is awarding more than $2.5 million to 10
organizations that are working to eliminate racial and ethnic health care
disparities in their communities.
FDA warns Merck over problems at West Point plant
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 1, 2008
Federal regulators warned Merck & Co. Inc. yesterday that it must fix
recurring manufacturing problems at its West Point vaccine plant or face
harsher action. The warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration cited Merck for failing to follow good manufacturing
practices and allowing recurrent problems documented during recent
inspections, such as vaccine vials with unwanted "fibers."
Gov't seeks help with vaccine questions
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 11, 2008
WASHINGTON -- The government began an unprecedented effort Friday to
give vaccine critics a say in shaping how the nation researches safety
questions surrounding immunizations. The meeting, the first of more to be
set, came amid new controversy about vaccines and autism - and a fledgling
theory that vaccinations might worsen a rare condition called mitochondrial
dysfunction that in turn triggers certain forms of autism. Federal health
officials said the work, being planned for two years, wasn't in response to
that controversy, and encompasses many more questions than autism - from
rare side effects of the new shingles vaccine to how to predict who's at
risk for encephalopathy sometimes triggered by other inoculations.
HHS Unveils Recommendations for Curbing Health Care Disparities
RWJF, April 8, 2008
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of
Minority Health (OMH) has released a report designed to guide stakeholders
in their efforts to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. The
"Strategic Framework for Improving Racial/Ethnic Minority Health and
Eliminating Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities" report seeks to steer,
organize and coordinate the systematic planning, execution and assessment of
efforts undertaken within HHS and by outside organizations. The report
outlines several key elements of a successful disparities elimination plan,
including the use of "current science and expert consensus" on the nature
and extent of disparities; the assessment of systems-level factors, such as
the availability and use of resources and how those factors affect program
efficacy; and the use of a systems approach to effectively leverage and
coordinate available resources. OMH officials say the report offers a
"rational and systematic, yet broad and flexible" framework for addressing
the nation's efforts to eliminate health disparities.
Is nutrition still on the school menu?
The Washington Post, April 15, 2008
New York students will have to settle for pizza without tasty turkey
pepperoni topping. In Maryland schools, tomato slices were pulled for a few
weeks from cafeteria salads in favor of less-expensive carrots or celery.
And in North Carolina, Yoo-hoo drinks, which had been taken off the shelf in
favor of healthier options, are back. Sure, officials would rather the kids
chugged milk. But each Yoo-hoo sale brings in 36 cents of profit. Sharp
rises in the cost of milk, grain and fresh fruits and vegetables are hitting
cafeterias across the country, forcing cash-strapped schools to raise prices
or pinch pennies by serving more economical dishes. Some school officials on
a mission to help fight childhood obesity say it's becoming harder to fill
students' plates with healthful, low-fat foods. School meal programs across
the country are run somewhat like restaurants, relying on federal and state
subsidies, and profits from meal and snack sales and catering services, to
buy food and pay workers.
Life span shorter in parts of U.S.: Obesity, smoking cited; state not immune
to trend
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 22, 2008
For the first time since the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, life expectancy
for a significant proportion of the United States is on the decline largely
because of an increase in chronic diseases related to obesity, smoking and
high blood pressure. Although life expectancy for all other Western nations
and for most of the U.S. has continued to improve over the past several
decades, researchers at Harvard University and the University of Washington
say many of the worst-off here are getting much worse. One of every five
American women, and one of every 25 men, are either dying at a younger age
or seeing no improvement in life span. Although this deadly trend is mostly
centered in the southern parts of the nation, several largely rural counties
in Washington -- Cowlitz, Lewis, Benton and Grays Harbor -- are also on the
verge of seeing a decline in overall life span.
Philadelphia Group Addresses Language Barriers to Health Care Among
Southeast Asians
RWJF, March 27, 2008
A coalition of Philadelphia-area health care providers, public
broadcaster WHYY and the Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations
Coalition Inc. on Wednesday launched a project designed to address language
barriers in health care, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports.
Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the "Media Partnerships for
Community Engagement in Southeast Asian Health" project also includes the
University of Pennsylvania Health System's Department of Family Medicine and
Community Health. Over the coming months, the project will work with Laotian
and Vietnamese seniors to create videos addressing various health issues.
Specifically, the first-person videos will address experiences with
hypertension, language barriers and patient-provider communication.
Pollution imperils 17 shellfish sites
The Olympian, May 2, 2008
The state Department of Health has identified 17 commercial shellfish
growing areas threatened with harvest restrictions or closures if pollution
problems aren't fixed. Three are in South Sound, including the area near
Woodard Bay in Henderson Inlet, McLane Cove in Pickering Passage in Mason
County and North Bay near Allyn. On the plus side, lower Eld Inlet, one of
15 areas on the 2007 early warning list, has been removed from the list
because of improved water quality, said Bob Woolrich, growing-area manager
for the health department.
Public Forum to Address Safety Issues on Vaccines
New York Times, April 11, 2008
WASHINGTON — In the midst of yet
another controversy about whether vaccines cause autism, the federal
government will hold its first ever public meeting on Friday to discuss a
governmentwide research agenda to explore the safety of vaccines. The
meeting is intended to help defuse years of criticism from vaccine skeptics
that the government is hiding what it knows about vaccine safety or failing
to investigate the issue diligently. But the gathering is unlikely to
appease the government’s many critics in part because the latest notion to
grip vaccine skeptics — that vaccinations trigger or worsen something called
mitochondrial dysfunction, which in turn causes autism — will remain largely
unaddressed.
Public health: More challenges to meet
The Everett Herald, April 8, 2008
I will bet you weren't thinking about public health when you woke up
this morning. But guess what? Public health was there when you yawned and
filled your lungs with clean air. We were with you when you brushed your
teeth, and the wastewater emptied into a septic system we reviewed and
approved. If you drove your car to work, you buckled up first. If you biked,
you strapped on a helmet. In your workplace restroom, you washed up with hot
water and soap, and dried off with a single-use towel that you placed in a
trash container for sanitary disposal. Did you go out to lunch? The people
who made and served your meal were trained in safe food handling, and the
restaurant or school kitchen was inspected for hygienic practices. On your
way home you might hear a radio update about flu season, or perhaps a public
service announcement encouraging you to stock an all-hazards emergency kit
at home. You experience all of those things day in and day out without
thinking twice about public health, but we're with you all the time.
Putting health on Pierce County restaurant menus: Pierce County restaurant
menus ‘get fit’ by reducing fat, calories and salt in four menu items for
one year
The News Tribune, April 23, 2008
When it was time to order soup, numbers determined the first course of
my dinner. Per serving, Fife City Bar and Grill’s butternut squash soup
contains 40 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. By comparison, corn chowder
contains 240 calories and 13 grams of fat. Guess which one I ordered? And
guess what? I didn’t miss the additional calories and fat.
Report Claims Clinical Trials Miss Many Populations
HealthDay Reporter, April 1, 2008
A new analysis of the American clinical trial process suggests that the
system for testing new drugs has routinely excluded or under-represented
women, older people, minorities, disabled individuals and rural populations
for decades. "We've got a big problem," said Daniel S. Goldberg, chief
policy adviser for the report. "And it's extremely urgent that we fix it.
Because we're trying to figure out how to streamline health care and make
people healthy, of course. And the fact that we have under-representation in
clinical trials undermines both of these goals and undermines the quality of
the evidence we come up with."
Restaurants Must Post Calories, Judge Affirms
New York Times, April 17, 2008
Calorie counts must be posted alongside prices in some New York City
restaurants, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday in upholding revised city
regulations. The restaurant association that lost on Wednesday said it would
ask the judge to stay the ruling pending an appeal. The decision, by Judge
Richard J. Holwell of United States District Court in Manhattan, rejected
First Amendment claims by the New York State Restaurant Association, which
maintained that the mandatory labeling requirements were impermissible.
Schools that cut fat and sugar
saw dramatic results
Globe Life, April 22, 2008
Schools that get rid of high-fat snacks and soda may see quick results in
the battle to prevent children from becoming overweight, new research shows.
A Temple University study, published in the current issue of the journal
Pediatrics, found that schools that overhauled their nutrition policies saw
a 50-per-cent reduction in new cases of overweight children in two years.The
growing rates of overweight and obese children have driven researchers to
get outside of the health clinic and into the schools to study solutions,
the study's lead researcher, Gary Foster, said in a statement. "We focused
on school because children spend most of their lives there and eat at least
one if not two meals there."
State Senate passes ban on trans fat in school lunches
Chicago Tribune, April 17, 2008
SPRINGFIELD—Thousands of public school students whose favorite meal is
french fries and chicken nuggets would eat something else for lunch under
legislation the state Senate passed Thursday to ban trans fat from Illinois
schools that participate in the state lunch program. Sen. Donne Trotter
(D-Chicago) touted the ban as a way to provide healthy food to
schoolchildren, particularly those who may be receiving their only hot meals
at school.
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