Safe Kids Week: April 26 - May 4, 2008

Safe Kids Worldwide is an international organization dedicated to preventing children's death due to accidents and injuries. About 1 million kids die each year from accidents and injuries, higher than any other cause. In the US, Johnson & Johnson has been a founding sponsor of the organization, and combined efforts have resulted in a 45% reduction in fatalities over the past 20 years. We still have more to do:

• Car crashes remain the #1 killer of kids age 3-14
• seat belts and car seats that fit are life-savers. Consult your fire department, health department, or local hospital if you have any questions about yours
• Falls are the #1 cause of accidental injuries - especially to toddlers. A local child just died falling out of a window against a screen that gave way.
  
• Keep kids away from open windows, balconies, roofs, parking lots and drive ways.
• Put window guards on all windows above the first floor.
• Kids under age 5 are twice as likely to die in a fire as the rest of us.
  
• Keep matches and lighters away from all kids under age 13
• Practice escape plans with your kids, even waking them in the middle of the night so they "Know the Drill"
  
• Do not hold children while you are cooking or drinking hot liquids
• Traffic threats exceed a child's cognitive and developmental abilities to process and adults tend to overestimate kid's abilities (especially those who are large and verbally precocious for their age)
• children under age 11 can not cross the street without adult supervision
• remember - adults behind the wheel are only focused on getting to their destination as quickly as possible. We see parents hitting kids with cars on school property all the time...
• 90% of all poisonings happen at home and 1.2 million kids were poisoned in 2006
• kids are curious - it's how we learn
• with so many toxic substances available on the market, you have to be vigilant about keeping everything out of a kid's reach
• Suffocation and strangulation are real possibilities with drawstring jackets and blind cords.
  
• Keep strings tied up and out of harms way.
  
• babies don't need pillows - keep them out of the crib
• Infants under age 1 drown in bathtubs and buckets of water
• use a special baby tub to bathe the baby and NEVER leave the baby unsupervised!
• Kids age 1-4 drown in residential swimming pools - keep your eyes on them & keep them out of the deep end. Don't get distracted by anything.
• Older kids drown in open bodies of water - make sure they have life jackets that fit.
• All kids over age 4 should know how to swim.
• Snug fitting helmets are mandatory for kids when biking, skating or on a scooter. 85% of disabling injuries with this activities are head injuries.

Thanks garry kinneys photostream for use of photo Fishing at the Lake.

Labels: injury prevention, kids safety

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April is Child Abuse Prevention Month: 5 Things You Can Do

Child abuse is everyone's business, and with the economic crisis many people are facing, people are under more stress making children more vulnerable. Stabilization of families works as a strategy to prevent child abuse, but how is that achieved in today's fragmented society? A lot of single parents need support, want change and lack resources.

We all need to reach out to children and parents around us - reach out and offer to ease the stress that often leads to neglect and abuse. Here are

Labels: prevent child abuse

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April 22, 2008 Earth Day - Call for Climate

I have been reporting about how bad global climate change is for our health in previous blogs April 6-12 is National Public Health Week - Tell Congress to Take Action on Climate Change
and World Health Day 2008. Today we celebrate Earth Day with one more call to action.
The daily struggle to survive has reached a crisis due to soaring costs of food in Haiti, Bangladesh, Senegal, Indonesia, Egypt, Bolivia to name some of the countries where people and children are starving.

Call on the G8 committee to end World Hunger by joining thousands signing this petition from ONE.org. Then call your Senator or Representative and ask that they address Climate change at
202-224-3121.

Labels: climate change, Earth Day

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National Minority Cancer Awareness Week: Unequal Burden

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) observes National Minority Cancer Awareness Week April 20- 26, 2008. NCI has continually demonstrated leadership in bringing the issue of health disparities of ethnic minorities to the forefront of the healthcare debate. Almost a decade ago they published a comprehensive report, The Unequal Burden of Cancer. Unfortunately, we haven't made much progress in listening to their findings:

• Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in the US
• 1 in 4 deaths is attributable to cancer. 1 in 3 Americans will eventually be diagnosed with cancer
• Black people continue to carry greatest burden when it comes to cancer. Death rates are 25% higher.
  

Lack of health insurance coverage and unequal access to improvements in treatment are cited as reasons for this disparity. Lack of insurance leads to lack of ties to a primary care provider which leads to lack of screening and early detection that the insured take for granted.

In 2001, the NCI established the Center to Reduce Health Care Disparities to reduce the unequal burden of cancer in our communities. The NCI provides opportunities for career development and training of ethnic minorities in cancer research, education and outreach through the Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Branch (CMBB). These are exciting opportunities for young minority students to secure long term funding to pursue rewarding careers in cancer research. Outreach begins in high school through the Postdoctoral and Junior Investigator level, providing mentorship to attract and keep minorities in the scientific community. Let your schools, churches and community groups know about these wonderful resources for young people. Keep hope alive!

Thank you storycorps photostream for use of picture Sisters in Science: Black Women Scientists.

Labels: cancer, health disparities, outreach students

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Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2008

What a world. I overheard two 14 year olds discussing underage drinking. They sounded way too wise for their years as they expressed concerns that underage drinking at parties would make them vulnerable to Date Rape.

"They slip a drug into your drink and you never know what happened...". 14 year old girls have to worry about this? At least they know enough to worry about it and protect themselves and each other. They were referring to GHB, a central nervous system depressant used to relax inhibitions. Professionals prefer the term drug-facilitated sexual assault. A lollipop may be dipped in it to get a dose. These 14 year old girls know a thing or two about preventing sexual assault.

• Stay sober and aware
• Know what you don't want and don't be afraid to demand people leave you alone
• Never go out alone. Go out with friends and watch out for each other

National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE

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Labels: club drugs, date rape, GHB, sexual assault

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April 6-12 is National Public Health Week - Tell Congress to Take Action on Climate Change

Climate change seems to be on everyone's mind - it is the theme for this year's American Public Health Association (APHA) observance of Public Health Week. The themes for today and tomorrow are Greening of Work and Home.

Be Green at Work:

• Telecommute
• Use recycled goods
• Go paperless
• Power down
  

Be Green at Home:

• Insulate our homes
• Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Use water wisely
• Bike, walk, use mass transit or carpool
  

Want to get involved? Tell Congress climate change is a public health issue YOU are concerned about and want them to act on NOW . Our health is in the balance.

Thank you inkswamp for use of photo It ain't easy being green. I love this photo! Without frogs we are nothing...jc

Labels: climate change, green space, public health

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World Health Day 2008

The World Health Organization observes World Health Day this week and the focus for 2008 is climate change. Human impact on the climate is now creating serious impact on public health, as witnessed by the annual climate disasters resulting in deaths we have seen in every part of the world.

WHO presents 10 facts we need to know about climate change:

1. Over the past 50 years fossil fuel emissions have affected the global climate.
2. Weather effects take a toll on human life - 600,000 deaths in the '90's were due to weather extremes. 95% of these deaths took place in developing countries.
3. Intense short term temperature fluctuations result in more temperature related deaths from hypothermia and hyperthermia
4. 255,000 die each year from asthma and the number is expected to rise as pollen and man-made particles increase due to global climate changes
5. Population displacement is expected as sea levels rise. More than 50% of the world's population live within 60 km. of the shoreline.
   
6. Water scarcity affects 4 out of 10 people and lack of clean water kills 1.8 million people a year due to diarrhea.
7. Climate sensitive diseases are among the biggest global killers - 3 million people die every year due to diarrhea, malaria or malnutrition.
   
8. Variable rainfalls reduce crop yields resulting in more deaths due to malnutrition.
9. Biking and walking are ways to decrease carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. Cleaner air will decrease respiratory illness. Increased physical activity will result in healthier lives.

Thank you Chez pim for use of photo Collecting Water, Lesotho.

Labels: climate change, global health

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April is National Cancer Control Month

The American Cancer Society observes Cancer Control Month in April but did you know that the disease hits minorities and the uninsured harder than the general US population? Ethnic minorities and the uninsured are:

• more likely to get cancer
• more likely to die from cancer
• more likely to be treated at later stages of the disease
• more likely to receive substandard care

Even when income, age, insurance status and severity of conditions are comparable, ethnic minorities have unequal access to care and a disproportionate number of cancer related deaths.

• cancer death rates for black males are 37% higher than white males
• cancer death rates for black females are 17% higher than white females even though the incidence rate of cancer is lower in black women than white women

Skin cancer screening programs target whites so black and Latino men are 30% more likely to die from melanoma than are whites. Even though we spend $2 trillion annually on health care in our country, we are missing out on opportunities to provide basic care.

Thank you cjohnson for use of photo Mayo Clinic

Labels: cancer rates, health disparities, mayo clinic

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April Fool's! It's Grand Rounds - Making the Rounds

Thank you to all of the Tricksters & Jokers out there in Medical Blogosphereland for including my post National Youth Violence Prevention Week in the same heady company as Chucky Cheese, protecting our young uns...

To quote Medgadget - who called the entire thing a fiasco:

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April is National Youth Sports Safety Month

We want our youth to be physically fit and healthy - but we want to keep them safe. Each year over 20 million kids in the US participate in sports and almost one million suffer serious sports related injuries. Sports related injuries account for 41% of musculoskeletal injuries in kids age 5-21 years. Most injuries occur in 13 year olds, who are immature physically, emotionally and intellectually.

Sprains, strains, overuse injuries and fractures are the most common youth sports injuries and children going through growth spurts or exercising without adequate rest periods are most vulnerable. Basketball, track, baseball, gymnastics, and swimming are the most common sports in which overuse injuries are seen.

Most worrisome, 300,000 brain injuries per year are sports related and 20% of football players sustain traumatic brain injuries. 8 % of spinal cord injuries are sports injuries. Children are especially vulnerable to extremes of temperature and there have been deaths of high school football players due to heat stroke. These injuries and fatalities are preventable - cancel practice and games during extremes of weather.

Experts recommend that kids involved in sports participate in a complete fitness and flexibility program to help identify imbalances and areas for improvement to prevent injuries.

Thank you adobemac for use of photo High School Football, Gainesville.

Labels: sports injuries

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