Student participation in PE and sports has lots of benefits like improved social skills, confidence, general health, well-being and healthier weight. According to the CDC rates for obesity among students with disabilities are 38% higher than for students without disabilities. Students who have intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities and mobility limitations have the highest obesity rates. [...]
Last year we welcomed about 87,000 newborns to Arizona. Our Newborn Screening Program (in our State Lab) ensures that each are tested for 28 inherited disorders and hearing problems. The goal is to help kids avoid illness, developmental delays and even death. Teamwork, communication and coordination are critical in making this program effective. A quick [...]
Do you know a young adult that might be interested in a career in the exciting field of public health? If you do, they may be in luck. The Public Health Associate Program administered by CDC is designed to identify future public health leaders with undergraduate degrees and a passion for public health. Throughout the [...]
Every year a group called the Trust for America’s Health puts out a ‘Report Card” regarding what they believe is an assessment of each state’s readiness for a public health emergency. They use various measurements that they can find and grade each state against each other. The implication is that states that do poorly won’t [...]
During the 2009- 2010 influenza pandemic, we saw how influenza can be unpredictable in terms of who it affects most, when it occurs, and what strains will circulate. This season is no exception. While the circulating strains are exactly what we predicted, the peak of the flu season is hitting earlier than usual (now) and it's [...]
Valley Fever typically peaks in late fall and early winter with a minor peak from June to August (refer to the 2007-2011 Valley Fever Report). Those who've been in Arizona for a while may know that Valley Fever is a lung infection caused by a fungus that is common in the soil here. In most cases, [...]
Healthcare-associated infections are a critical public health challenge in Arizona and in the US. Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are acquired during healthcare treatment and can be devastating and even deadly- and they’re largely preventable. You may have seen the article in last week's Republic about dirty needles and their link to transmission of viruses and drug-resistant superbugs. The article [...]
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices released issued new recommendations to encourage pregnant women to get the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine (Tdap) during their pregnancy. Since most kids get whooping cough from a close family member, vaccinating parents (and teens) is one of the best ways to prevent infants, especially those who are too young [...]
One of the things you learn in business school is the importance of using the concept of a “target market” as a core of your business marketing plan. That’s what we do when it comes to tobacco cessation. We examine our tobacco surveillance data and look at demographic patterns for target populations and look for the [...]
Our Newborn Screening Program (in the State Laboratory) ensures that each newborn is tested for 28 inherited disorders and hearing problems. The goal is to help kids avoid illness, developmental delays and even death by quickly identifying problems and swiftly letting their doctors know so they can implement interventions. On any given day our newborn [...]
