News by Topic: Health promotion and disease prevention

News from the past 14 days. Please visit the News Archive for earlier stories.

Highest Rates of Obesity, Diabetes in the South, Appalachia, and Some Tribal Lands     Top Story 
Nov 20, 2009 -- Wide sections of the Southeast, Appalachia, and some tribal lands in the West and Northern Plains have the nation′s highest rates of obesity and diabetes, according to estimates released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Report Finds Only 25 Percent of Adults Aged 50-64 Get Recommended Preventive Screenings     Top Story 
Nov 20, 2009 -- Only about 1 in 4 Americans aged 50–64 regularly take advantage of preventive services such as screenings and immunizations, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with AARP and the American Medical Association (AMA).

Statement from Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on Help is Available for Smokers Who Want to Quit
Nov 20, 2009 -- In this statement, Howard K. Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health and Elizabeth T.H. Fontham, President, American Cancer Society, urge smokers to mark today’s 34th Great American Smokeout by making a quit plan and finding out about free resources that help them quit successfully.

FDA Teams with Everyday Health to Expand Reach of Health Information     Top Story 
Nov 19, 2009 -- On November 17, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Everyday Health announced a partnership that will expand the delivery of FDA’s vital consumer health information to the 30 million unique users who visit Everyday Health (www.EverydayHealth.com) each month.

Secretary Sebelius Statement on New Breast Cancer Recommendations     Top Story 
Nov 19, 2009 -- HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued a statement yesterday on new breast cancer screening recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, saying that the guidelines were the product of an outside, expert panel that does not "set federal policy and they don't determine what services are covered by the federal government."

New Technology Helps Elderly Stay Healthy at Home     Top Story 
Nov 17, 2009 -- Kaiser Health News tells how devices that measure blood pressure and other health information may help the elderly and people with chronic conditions stay in touch with doctors while remaining at home, cutting health spending by catching problems before they escalate into crises.

Poll Finds Americans Think Disease Prevention Central to Health Reform     Top Story 
Nov 17, 2009 -- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health have released a new poll showing that 71 percent of Americans favor an increased investment in disease prevention and that disease prevention is one of the most popular components of health reform.

Task Force Recommends Fewer Breast Cancer Screenings     Top Story 
Nov 17, 2009 -- KTVB Boise, (ID) article reports that a federal task force came out with new recommendations Monday regarding breast cancer screenings with guidelines that differ from what women have long been told.

CDC Issues New Estimate of H1N1 Cases, Hospitalizations     Top Story 
Nov 16, 2009 -- AHA News reports that as of mid-October, an estimated 63,000-153,000 Americans have been hospitalized with 2009 H1N1 flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced yesterday.

In Rural Kentucky, A Surprising Twist on the Health Debate     Top Story 
Nov 13, 2009 -- Kaiser Health News article reports that bad as most health measures appear in lower Appalachia, there are enduring models in places like Hazard that could prove instructive to rebuilding healthy communities across the nation, both rural and urban, according to Dr. Forest Callico, former director of the Appalachian Regional Hospitals and a rural health advisor to both the Clinton and second Bush administrations.

Secretary Sebelius Releases New Report on Health Insurance Reform and Diabetes in America
Nov 13, 2009 -- As the nation marks American Diabetes Month, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a new report today, Preventing and Treating Diabetes: Health Insurance Reform and Diabetes in America.

U.S. Adult Smoking Rates Remain Stalled     Top Story 
Nov 13, 2009 -- Despite progress in some areas, smoking rates among U.S. adults remained stalled in 2008, halting the nation’s progress in ending the tobacco epidemic, according to a CDC study.

US Department of Labor’s OSHA Provides Workplace H1N1 Influenza Precaution and Protection Information for Workers and Employers     Top Story 
Nov 10, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued commonsense fact sheets that employers and workers can use to promote safety during the current H1N1 influenza outbreak.