Health News
- Study In Ky., 3 Other States Indicates Exposure To Secondhand Smoke In Vehicles Can Cause Asthma Attacks In Non-smokers
Kentucky adults who have never smoked are more likely to have an asthma attack when exposed to secondhand smoke in a vehicle than those who are not exposed, according to a research paper recently published in Tobacco Control, an international, peer-reviewed...
- Kentucky Spends Less Than A Penny Of Its Tobacco-settlement Money On Prevention Programs; Few States Do Very Much
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News A new report says that 15 years after the 1998 state tobacco settlement, Kentucky ranks 38th in the nation in funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs, only 3.7 percent of the amount recommended by the federal Centers...
- This Week Is National Public Health Week; This Year's Focus Is On Prevention And Wellness
With a focus on prevention and wellness this year, the Kentucky Department of Public Health is promoting national Public Health Week, which kicked off yesterday and will be observed until Sunday. The prevention theme was chosen to underscore the impact...
- Kentucky Is 43rd Among The States In Health Rankings Report
Kentucky is near the bottom of the list in a ranking that determines which states are the healthiest. It came in 43rd, up from 44th last year. Kentucky's low ranking is attributed to its unusually high numbers of people who smoke, are obese, die...
- Prediction: Smoking Bans Will Be In Effect Nationwide By 2020
Bans of smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants and bars, will probably be in effect nationwide by 2020, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded. "It is by no means a foregone conclusion that we'll...
Health News
CDC names top 10 public health achievements in past decade, including tobacco control; Ky. still leads nation in tobacco use
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have named the top 10 public health achievements of the last decade. They include controlling infectious diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis; fighting tobacco use; improving motor-vehicle safety by having safer vehicles, roads and driving; reducing heart disease and death; and improving public safety preparedness following Sept. 11, 2001.
The 10 were not ranked. "Others include improvements in vaccine-preventable diseases, better maternal and infant health, better cancer prevention, improved occupational safety, and the aggressive steps that have led to fewer childhood lead poisonings," reports Bill Hendrick of WebMD Health News.
The 10 were not ranked. "Others include improvements in vaccine-preventable diseases, better maternal and infant health, better cancer prevention, improved occupational safety, and the aggressive steps that have led to fewer childhood lead poisonings," reports Bill Hendrick of WebMD Health News."Americans are living longer, healthier and more productive lives than ever before thanks in part to extraordinary achievements in public health over the past decade," CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden said in a press release. "Continued investments in prevention will help us and our children live even longer, healthier and more productive lives while bringing down health care costs."
The report shows the improvements have saved billions of dollars nationwide. Fortifying food with folic acid, which reduced neural tube defects like spina bifida, has alone resulted in a savings of $4.6 billion in the past 10 years. Preventing motor vehicle crashes could save $99 billion in medical and lost work costs each year. Preventing lead exposure in children could save $213 billion each year.
While tobacco control has advanced nationally, and Kentucky's smoking rate has dropped slightly, the state continues to lead the nation in tobacco use, at 25 percent of adults. While about two dozen Kentucky communities have passed smoke-free laws, a statewide ban has never gotten anywhere in the legislature. The number of states with comprehensive smoke-free laws increased from zero in 2000 to 25 states (plus Washington, D.C.) in 2010.
Motor vehicle safety has improved, a trend that has been noted in Kentucky. The number of traffic-related fatalities in Kentucky has decreased for the past six years. In 2010, 759 people died on Kentucky roads compared to 791 the year before. This year so far, 220 people have died in traffic-related accidents compared to 237 last year. Nationwide, the death rate related to motor vehicle accidents went from 14.9 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 11 per 100,000 in 2009. (Read more)
- Study In Ky., 3 Other States Indicates Exposure To Secondhand Smoke In Vehicles Can Cause Asthma Attacks In Non-smokers
Kentucky adults who have never smoked are more likely to have an asthma attack when exposed to secondhand smoke in a vehicle than those who are not exposed, according to a research paper recently published in Tobacco Control, an international, peer-reviewed...
- Kentucky Spends Less Than A Penny Of Its Tobacco-settlement Money On Prevention Programs; Few States Do Very Much
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News A new report says that 15 years after the 1998 state tobacco settlement, Kentucky ranks 38th in the nation in funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs, only 3.7 percent of the amount recommended by the federal Centers...
- This Week Is National Public Health Week; This Year's Focus Is On Prevention And Wellness
With a focus on prevention and wellness this year, the Kentucky Department of Public Health is promoting national Public Health Week, which kicked off yesterday and will be observed until Sunday. The prevention theme was chosen to underscore the impact...
- Kentucky Is 43rd Among The States In Health Rankings Report
Kentucky is near the bottom of the list in a ranking that determines which states are the healthiest. It came in 43rd, up from 44th last year. Kentucky's low ranking is attributed to its unusually high numbers of people who smoke, are obese, die...
- Prediction: Smoking Bans Will Be In Effect Nationwide By 2020
Bans of smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants and bars, will probably be in effect nationwide by 2020, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded. "It is by no means a foregone conclusion that we'll...