A recent survey conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) found that the in-class breakfast program was associated with an additional 21.1% of students eating in 2 or more locations in the morning, leading to increased calorie consumption. NYC DOHMH argues that the small percentage (6.3%) increase in students eating something in the morning does not outweigh the increased calorie intake in three times as many students. Given an overlap of higher rates of obesity and a higher need for federally subsidized school breakfasts in the same neighborhoods, continued efforts are essential in three areas: 1) reduction of food insecurity, 2) improvement of the quality and nutritional value of school breakfasts and 3) increased family education on the school breakfast program and healthier choices for outside of school. It is crucial to ensure that every student has the opportunity for a healthy start to his or her school day.

For more information:

• USDA School Breakfast Program Fact Sheet
• School Breakfast, the New Food Fight, New York Times, 5/1/12
• A dangerous attack on school breakfast, New York Daily News, 4/25/12
• School Breakfast Programs Panned for Feeding Kids Twice, ABC News, 4/20/12

At my school, you can choose between traditional in-person classes that meet on a weekly basis and hybrid classes.  Some hybrids require a few in-person meetings, some require a few live online lectures and most are a mixture of both.  All of the hybrids I’ve taken include pre-recorded lectures that can be completed at any time.  I’ve noticed that assessments in the form of test and quizzes seem to be more frequent than in traditional classes.  I’m grateful for regular assessments because it helps keep me on track.   If you’re a procrastinator like me, you could very easily end up with 14 2-hour lectures to complete at the end of the semester.  I try as much as possible to stick to the live online lecture schedule, even if I know they will be recorded.  Not only do I have a time slot dedicated to it, I also get to ask questions and participate via chat boxes.  It’s great; you can interject whenever something comes to mind without actually interrupting!

At first I thought I wouldn’t like the impersonal nature of online classes, but with the time flexibility and portability they allow, I don’t know how I would manage a full-time job and two classes per semester otherwise.  Another thing I realized was that online classes aren’t necessarily impersonal.  In fact, I find that I tend to participate in class and interact with professors more during online classes.  It’s also nice to take a class while enjoying the comfort of your couch, a cup of tea or even a home cooked meal!  Or…if you’re out of town, the comfort of your hotel room.

One new component of both traditional and online classes is the opportunity (and sometimes requirement) to learn from our classmates outside of class. In one course, we were required to contribute to a class blog and share information about current public health issues. In another course, we shared individually written papers with group members and provided feedback and constructive criticism for each other.

I’ve found that I like taking a mix of online and traditional classes. One day a week, I cut down on travel time and have more of a relaxing class, and the other day I go to campus and can meet with my advisor and/or catch up with classmates. Being online may be more convenient and time efficient, but nothing compares to face-to-face human interaction.

Asset Based Community Development promotes unconditional acceptance of all residents as having the potential to positively contribute to neighborhood improvement efforts. The power of this philosophy was exemplified by a touching story told by Miguel Melendez:

A community re-shaper brought a home cooked meal to a few men loitering on her street, who also happened to be known drug dealers. Although she served them with plastic plates and silverware, one man returned them to her afterwards and said that if someone had been as kind to him growing up he wouldn’t be doing what he was doing now. He never dealt on her street again.

See ABCD at work in New York State, with guidance from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation and technical assistance from the ABCD Institute at Northwestern University:

Project HOPE: Northeast Rochester

Our Town Rocks Project: Barrington, Starkey and Dundee

Me and Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association

I spent an exciting few days in Washington, D.C. last week, at the 2012 National Health Promotion Summit hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR) on April 10-11. The Affordable Care Act‘s focus on prevention paired with Healthy People 2020‘s goals and objectives set the stage for national health promotion. During the Summit we discussed programs and policies that align with national prevention initiatives such as the National Prevention Strategy, Let’s Move, the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities and the National HIV/AIDS Prevention Strategy, and ways stakeholders from various disciplines and community roles contribute to achieving Healthy People 2020 goals and objectives.

“Nothing is more important to our country’s future than the health of our people.”
- Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

The Health Summit featured national leaders in public health including keynote speakers U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh. Dr. Benjamin implored us to (like on an airplane) “put your own face mask on yourself before helping others” and above all, to “bring joy back into being healthy.” In other words, we in the public health field should not neglect caring for our own health, and the healthy lifestyle choices we make must be enjoyable and personally meaningful in order to be sustainable. Secretary Sebelius stressed the vital importance of health and said, “health is fundamental to opportunity – the healthier we are, the more freedom we have to pursue dreams and contribute to the community.” However, as Dr. Koh said, “when prevention works, absolutely nothing happens – it’s boring, and you get to enjoy the miracle of a perfectly healthy normal day.” We need to find a way to celebrate victories preventing disease the same way we would celebrate successfully treating disease. Dr. Koh said, “good health is a gift; it’s precious and fragile, we have it today and hope we have it tomorrow.”

"Bring joy back into being healthy."
- U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin

While in Washington, D.C., I visited the Martin Luther King Memorial for the first time. In the center of the memorial is a large likeness of Dr. King carved out of stone, and on the walls along the pathway, there are quotes from some of his speeches. One particular quote seemed to perfectly embody the spirit of the 2012 National Health Promotion Summit: “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.” Dr. King knew that nourishment for body, mind and spirit is essential to well-being and that it is a human right for all people. The new national health promotion initiatives give his vision a concrete direction and establish the collaboration across disciplines necessary to achieve these goals. I am glad to be a part of the diverse team of health professionals and community leaders throughout the nation fighting to establish and implement policies that enable all people to have the opportunity to reach their fullest health potential.  Prevention of disease is a long-term and multifactorial undertaking; therefore we must sustain the audacity Dr. King spoke of and the momentum gained from the National Health Promotion Summit in order to move our country forward to a healthy and more vibrant tomorrow.

Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington, D.C.

Joining professional organizations: I immediately joined the American Public Health Association (APHA) and its local affiliate, the Public Health Association of New York City (PHANYC). PHANYC is a very active organization with a variety of events throughout the year and numerous committees that meet on a monthly basis. The first event I attended was a career forum featuring public health leaders in academia, government and the military. Even though I hadn’t begun my program yet, it was very inspiring to learn about future career or educational options and make professional contacts. (We have another career forum coming up on 4/18, click here for info.)

Connecting with professors: I read professors’ profiles on my school’s website to select a few that matched my areas of interest – nutrition and policy. I contacted them to see if there was any way for me to get involved in any of their current work. One of the professors connected me with the research coordinator of the Healthy CUNY projects, an initiative to make CUNY the healthiest urban university in the nation by 2016. Over the course of a year, I spent a few hours a week working on a variety of projects such as literature reviews, writing an article on sugar-sweetened beverages, and developing promotional strategies to increase local Green Cart sales.

Making a to-do-list: I created an easily accessible public health to-do-list in Google Docs, which I frequently update and review. I researched potential internship and fellowship programs and compiled a list with their websites and application deadlines. I also added information regarding the Certification in Public Health (CPH) exam, including testing dates. Although exact deadline dates change slightly from year to year, it is still helpful to know general timeframes. My list also includes people I’ve met and want to follow up with. When things get hectic with classes, this list is a lot more helpful than my more short-term focused personal calendar.

Joining Twitter: Twitter is a very useful tool for keeping informed and connecting with new people. I follow major blogs and newspapers, public health professionals, chefs, educational and health promoting organizations, politicians and journalists. In the next two weeks I’ll be tweeting from the National Health Promotion Summit in Washington, D.C. and the New York State Public Health Association annual meeting in Troy, NY. Follow me on Twitter @JMCelio, I would love to hear from you!

1. Monday, April 2nd – Active Living and Healthy Eating
2. Tuesday, April 3rd – Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs
3. Wednesday, April 4th – Communicable Diseases
4. Thursday, April 5th – Reproductive and Sexual Health
5. Friday, April 6th – Mental and Emotional Well-Being, *Public Health Student Day*

Click on a topic above to download a factsheet and learn about ideas for making improvements in yourself and in your community.

A little history on NPHW:

• In 1995, the first full week of April was proclaimed National Public Health Week by former President Bill Clinton.
• For the past 3 years, the final day of NPHW is observed as Public Health Student Day.

NPHW planned activities:

• Twitter chat led by Dr. Georges Benjamin (APHA Executive Director) – Monday, April 2, at 1 p.m. via @NPHW or #NPHWChat
• NPHW Road Tour with Dr. Benjamin – Atlanta, Denver, Baltimore
• Public Health Student Day – APHA event at Morgan State University
• Legislative Action – Send a letter to your member of Congress, check out resources in the NPHW toolkit

Social media:

• Facebook – “Like” the NPHW.org Facebook fan page
• Twitter – Follow @NPHW, tweet/retweet messages using #NPHW
• YouTube – Post videos relating to prevention, “Like” or comment on APHA videos
• Blogging – Subscribe to the NPHW blog, tag any blog posts you write regarding NPHW with “NPHW 2012″

To find events near you, visit the NPHW website and search by state.

—
Sources:
APHA NPHW 2012 Webinar, January 31, 2012: https://apha.adobeconnect.com/_a912675164/p4ehft68a70/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normall
APHA Public Health Newswire, “National Public Health Week 2012 to address disease prevention”: http://www.publichealthnewswire.org/?p=2489

I have been practicing occupational therapy for the past 10 years, working with children with special needs in a variety of settings. I started to notice what foods children ate throughout the day, from school lunches, home packed meals or snacks eaten while traveling to and from school. Many of the children I work with take medication for symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and anxiety.  I began to wonder if some of these symptoms (or at least the severity of symptoms) could be a result of the processed food and “juices” they were eating and drinking, full of sugar and artificial ingredients. This curiosity lead me to study at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. As part of our curriculum, we experimented with new foods and made small manageable changes in our lifestyles. Through this process, we discovered the importance of self-nurturing and how it translates into how we look and feel. At the same time, we learned tools to guide others in making their own healthy transformations.

In January of last year, I attended a symposium at the New York Academy of Medicine that brought together community members, educators and elected officials to share ideas about how to improve access to nutritious foods and physical activity in the fight against obesity in New York State. During this symposium, I realized that whole communities, not just individual people, needed to undergo their own transformations. The more available and mainstream healthier options become, the more likely people are to adopt healthy behaviors. So how does such widespread change occur? It became obvious that the way to make the environment supportive of good health is to affect policy.

One year later, I am in my second semester studying Health Policy and Management at the CUNY School of Public Health. Through my classes, involvement with the Public Health Association of New York City and being aware of the changing political environment, I have been exposed to so many different areas of policy work. My interests have expanded to include food insecurity, health disparities, universal health care, the Affordable Care Act and women’s health. In a future post, I will share opportunities I’ve researched and added to my “Public Health To-Do-List” (some of which I’ve already checked off!), which has helped me to avoid burying my head in the books and keep my eye on the road ahead.

My introduction to the recent media discussion surrounding contraception was Foster Friess’ appearance on MSNBC this past February. Friess is Rick Santorum’s main donor who spoke about how “back in [his] days they used Bayer asprin for contraceptives, the ‘gals’ put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly.” When asked further about Santorum’s views against contraception, he replied, “Well, who cares? What does this have to do with what happens with our country going forward?”

To answer Mr. Friess, contraception has a lot to do with what happens to this country going forward. Do our cities and towns have the means to feed and house families of ten? The “aspirin trick” won’t work; not only is abstinence-only sex ed not effective in reducing unintended pregnancy rates, it also places the sole responsibility of birth control on the woman. This issue pertains to men too, since they are one half of the equation when a pregnancy occurs. Everyone is affected when you strain already strained resources. As John Blumenthal wrote in the Huffington Post, Why aren’t men more outraged by the oral contraception issue?

I urge both men and women to stay informed about contraception legislation on both the national and state levels, and make your voice heard with your elected officials. To see the status of proposed bills, visit eLobbyist for your home state and type in “contraception” in the full text search box. Join forces with a local advocacy group, write petitions, tweet – the possibilities are endless.

Resources:

• RH Reality Check: http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/
• U.S. to shut down Texas women’s health program: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/15/us-usa-contraception-texas-idUSBRE82E1CR20120315
• The History of Contraception, from 1500 AD: http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/05/masters-uterus

Behavioral Science and Health Education

1. Dissemination & Implementation Conference: Workshop: Participants come prepared with the details of a clinical or public health program/intervention that they are interested in studying, including the setting, context, and the size and characteristics of the target population.
2. Get Screened for HIV.4 — You’ve Got the Time: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 4 people living with HIV in the United States today do not know they are infected.
3. How should local councils deal with a meth lab in their community? Luke Mitton, Environmental Health Officer for Horsham Rural City Council presented at the Jena Dyco Meth Lab Cleanup 2011 Conference. Luke talks about the council’s role in the clean up of meth labs, focusing in particular on the situation in Australia.
4. Prescription Drug Overdoses: An American Epidemic: Prescription drugs are now involved in more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined.
5. Using Video Games to Get Fit: President’s Council Executive Director Shellie Pfohl discusses the positive impacts of physical activity and how kids can get active with video games.
6. What Matters Most: A Colorado resident describes living with hepatitis C in one of a series of videos created in a joint project of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Nutrition and Food Safety

7. Environmental Pollutants: Dr. Ellis goes over how the food you eat and things you drink have an even bigger impact on your body than just the caloric value given by these foods.
8. Food price crisis can lead to deteriorating nutrition: Lora Iannotti, PhD, discusses her study that looks at the impact of high food costs on calorie intakes in developing countries.
9. Food Safety Workshop: The Environmental Health Division of the Mecklenburg County Health Department held a food safety workshop for local food service and restaurant owners and operator showing best practices.
10. New Nutrition Labels: Matthew Kreuter, PhD, public health expert and professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, discusses front-of-package nutrition systems and results of a new report.
11. Obesity is a Major Issue in the United States: Mount Sinai’s Dr. Landrigan discusses how obesity has become an epidemic within the United States. The rates of obesity have tripled since the 1970s, and this has led to a significant increase in type 1 and type 2 diabetes as obese children are at a much higher risk of developing diabetes.

Emergency Services and Risk Management

12. Irene’s Aftermath: Robert Stirewalt, Public Information Officer for Vermont Emergency Management, discusses the historic flooding in Vermont caused by Hurricane Irene.
13. Joint Information Center: Joint Information Center drill for Alameda County, California, demonstrating how information is coordinated and disseminated during a disaster or emergency. Narrated by Dr. Muntu Davis.
14. Learning from the New Zealand Earthquake: Chris Hawker: SFU Environmental Health & Safety presents “Learning from the New Zealand Earthquake: Canterbury University Experience.”
15. NPHIC Earthquake Preparedness Tips: The National Public Health Information Coalition has tips and resources for earthquake and general emergency preparedness.
16. Post-Anthrax Public Health Advances Threatened: In 2001, a bioattack of weaponized anthrax galvanized America’s public health care force to create a new model of emergency health response that has safeguarded millions during pandemic influenza, SARS, and even natural disasters.
17. Radiological and Nuclear Disaster Preparedness: Government Training Conference: With concern over continued terrorist threats at home and abroad, “dirty bombs” and the nuclear armament of rogue states, this question is just as relevant today as it was on September 11.

Environmental Health

18. Breast Cancer and the Environment: An Oakland, CA forum on breast cancer and the environment, produced for Alameda County Public Health Department, California, by Albert P. Pappalardo.
19. Dust to Dust: The Health Effects of 9/11: This documentary questions the Environmental Protection Agency’s declaration that there should be no concern about any health hazards associated with exposure to smoke and debris in lower Manhattan immediately following 9/11.
20. The Importance of Studying Children’s Environmental Health: Dr. Landrigan discusses why the Children’s Environmental Health Center (CEHC) was created at Mount Sinai. Scientific evidence is strong and continuing to build that hazardous exposures in the modern environment are important causes of these diseases.
21. Wikileaks: “Politically Difficult” to Measure China’s Real Pollution: A U.S. diplomatic cable from 2006 — just released by Wikileaks in 2011 — says one type of pollution is so bad that authorities don’t even dare to measure it.

Epidemiology

22. Disaster Epidemiology: Database Design: Epidemiologists play an important role in assessing the health effects of natural and man-made disasters and in identifying the factors that contribute to these effects. Join Wayne Enanoria Ph.D., from UC Berkeley’s Center for Infectious Disease Preparedness, in this three-part series as he discusses key topics in disaster epidemiology.
23. Disease Detectives: Epidemiology: Meet three epidemiologists from the past, present and future. Hippocrates tells you about his methods of disease prevention, Sandra Ford will share her story of the early years of HIV/AIDS, and a doctor from the future talks about eradicating polio.
24. Epidemiology Part I: This 4-part program provides the most current information available in the constantly changing field of immunization. Participants are strongly encouraged to visit CDC’s Vaccines and Immunization Web site for updates.
25. Public Health 250A – Lecture 4: Descriptive Epidemiology III: The University of California, Berkeley, provides this 46-minute lecture on epidemiologic methods.

Maternal and Child Health

26. BlueCross Gathers Groups Targeting State’s Infant Mortality Crisis: September is National Infant Mortality Awareness Month. With more than 700 babies dying in Tennessee every year (that’s nearly nine out of every 1,000 births), it’s a problem that needs immediate attention.
27. Global Health Discussion: Maternal Health: Cara from Global Health Bridge discusses Global Health Bridge’s approach to improving maternal health in developing countries.
28. Leaders in Living Well: Baby Basics & Beyond: This is a community-based educational event for expectant parents and parents of young children and is an invaluable learning experience for the young women enrolled in the School-Age Parent Program in the West Allis/West Milwaukee School District.
29. Newborn Screening: Improving Outcomes: Through early identification and treatment, newborn screening provides an opportunity for significant reductions in morbidity and mortality while reducing health care costs associated with treatment of lifelong debilitating conditions.
30. Magic of Motherhood — Maternal/Perinatal Wellness: This video is targeted at pregnant mothers, asking for awareness about several issues that occur during pregnancy at after birth.

Additionally, we also know that around the world others don’t have the same access to public health facilities and information. There is a lot of information out there about the distributing of health resources, as well as information here at home about the threats we face to our health. If you are interested in information about public health, there are some great infographics that can illustrate different statistics. Here are 15 public health infographics:

Diseases and Health Conditions

Around the world, there are disease threats. Here are some public health inforgraphics that take a look at diseases around the world.

1. Progress Against Polio: In the U.S., we’re used to thinking of polio as a disease that no longer exists. However, in other countries, mostly in Third World countries, polio is still a very real threat. In some cases, the disease is still endemic. You can look at this infographic, which includes great color contrast, to easily see where there are still pockets of polio. A great infographic that indicates what we might need to do next.
2. A Look at ‘Preventable’ Deaths & Diseases: This infographic takes a look at different diseases, and how they can be prevented. Looks at some of the deaths that could have been prevented, diseases that can be prevented, and medical errors that can be deadly. And interesting infographic that really puts disease and public health into perspective. It’s clear that, in some cases, there are diseases that do not have to affect us.
3. Cancer: This infographic shares information about cancer, and the types that there are. It looks at the public health numbers behind cancer, including who is likely to contract cancer, and who is likely to die from the disease. It also includes common types of fatal cancer, and other facts about cancer. If you want to learn more about this disease, and how it impacts public health, this is a great infographic.
4. Malaria: This tropical disease affects millions of people each year. Even if you visit a tropical area, there is chance that you could contract malaria. It still constitutes a global public health concern. If you want more information about malaria, this great infographic at World Vision can provide you with solid information and facts abou malaria and its effects.

Life Expectancy and Mortality Rate

Indications of public health in an area can be seen in terms of life expectancy and mortality rate — especially infant mortality rate.

5. USA Life Expectancy: Learn more about the life expectancy in the U.S. by state. An interesting break down of where you can expect to live longest. Hawaii has the highest life expectancy. Its laid back vibe and very agreeable climate are likely reasons for the high life expectancy rate. It’s an interesting infographic that really puts things into perspective. You can live eight years longer if you live in Hawaii instead of the District of Columbia.
6. Life Expectancy and Health Care Costs: This eye opening infographic created a storm when National Geographic released it. It looks at health care costs and life expectancy. The U.S. spends more than anyone else on health care, doesn’t have universal health coverage, and has a life expectancy that is less than many other developed countries. An interesting public health infographic — if only for the controversy it sparked.
7. Life expectancy in America: Takes a look at life expectancy in the U.S. among different groups. Takes a look at different risk factors, regions and ethnic groups. It’s an interesting look at years gained by avoid risk factors, and looks at life expectancy by gender as well as ethnic group. Some interesting surprises, and an interesting look at how income can indicate a higher expectation of risk factors.
8. Child Mortality Rates Infographic: Interested in child mortality around the world? Mortality is considered a public health indicator. This infographic shares interesting information on the rate of child deaths around the world. It’s an interesting infographic, and one that provides reliable information about child death — and what causes it.

Lifestyle Habits

Smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity are all lifestyle habits that can contribute to different aspects of public health. Here are some great infographics on lifestyle habits.

9. The Global Obesity Problem: Obesity isn’t just a growing problem in the United States; it affects other countries as well. Indeed, the lifestyle habits that lead to obesity can also lead to other health problems. Diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer are all linked to obesity in some ways. This infographic looks at the obesity rates around the world. It is true that the U.S. has the highest rate of obesity, but other countries are catching up.
10. The Fries that Bind Us and The Magic Bean Shop: Princeton offers a look at two different infographics describing the place of McDonald’s and Starbucks in public health implications that are related to the foods they show. Sometimes we forget how much sugar Starbucks coffee has, and the lack of nutritional value in McDonald’s food. An eye-opening infographic that provides an interesting look at the way we eat — and how it is being exported around the world.
11. Global Tobacco Trade: Follow the path of cigarettes throughout the world. Information on tobacco, where it comes from, and where it goes. It also includes stats about smoking, as well as the dangerous and unhealthy chemicals found in cigarettes. Includes information on this dangerous lifestyle habit, including the impacts of second hand smoke on others. A fascinating ingraphic from the folks at Princeton University.
12. The Truth About Alcoholism: Alcohol abuse can cause significant impact on personal and public health. The deaths caused by alcohol related accidents each year are a problem, and, of course, there are liver problems, cancer and other diseases that can grow from alcoholism. Just because it’s legal, doesn’t mean it isn’t actually a public health problem.

Health Care

Finally, the quality of health care received has great bearing on public health. These infographics look at health care facts and figures.

13. Global Health Indicators: Are We Better or Worse Off Now?: A great infographic put together with information from a report issued by the World Health Organization. Executive Healthcare published the infographic, which includes a great deal of information, including information about health care workers, access to health care, and sanitation. Additionally, includes other health indicators, like mortality rates and life expectancy. It’s meant to monitor health progress around the world.
14. Health Care Capabilities: Where will you get access to health care facilities? This infographic looks at access to health care, and the existence of acceptable health care capabilities, around the world. It’s an interesting look at at where you can find the health care you need. It has great implications in terms of figuring out where more health care services are needed — and helping you decide what sort of evacuation you might need if you get sick in some countries.
15. Health Reform and the Uninsured: A look at health reform in America, and the uninsured. Many consider a rising number of uninsured a public health issue. And with health care reform possibly being repealed, many are wondering what’s next.