Sarasota Health

Historic Anti-Smoking Bill

2009-06-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

New legislation was passed that will help reduce the hundreds of thousands of smoking-related deaths each year in the United States. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act will give the FDA more regulatory power over the tobacco industry. The FDA will have the ability to regulate marketing, sale, and tobacco product content. One of the major goals of the legislation is to reduce the number of young people who start smoking by eliminating flavored cigarettes and getting rid of product labels such as "mild" which might make users think they are smoking a less harmful cigarette.

--http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31305225/ns/politics-capitol_hill/

Double The Calories

2009-06-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

A healthy diet is not just about what you eat but how much you eat. The food in our pantries and restaurants are actually a lot bigger in portion size than they were two decades ago. A bagel is twice the size and more than double the calories. A portion of spaghetti and meatballs now averages over 1,000 calories, more than double the 500 calories it used to be.

--http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/user-post-portion-explosion-456931/

This Is HOT -- Health Technology

2009-06-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hothead Technologies in Atlanta created a football helmet that measures body temperature in athletes as they play and sends that information to coaches. The helmet uses a system called HOT (Heat Observation Technology) that incorporates a thermometer in the padding of the helmet and transmits temperatures to coaches so they can be aware of whether a player is close to getting ill.

--http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-05/burn-notice

Weekly Address: Health Care Reform

2009-06-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

President Obama focuses on the rising cost of health care to make the point that health care reform is urgent.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the United States has the most expensive healthcare system with people paying approximately $316,600 in healthcare costs over their lifetime.

Car Smells

2009-05-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

So how are car smells related to health? Cars are made of all sorts of material, some of which are toxic to humans. The hosts of the radio program, Car Talk, had a great interview with Jeff Hearhart who has studied car smells to identify what car chemicals are released into the air.

The folks at HealthCar.org have studied as many cars as they can to identify some of the best rated cars with the least toxic chemicals and those cars with the worst ratings. The Nissan Versa was rated the worst while the Chevy Cobalt was rated the best. You can check to see the rating of your car if it has been tested, here.

Our Nation's Power

2009-05-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

NPR created a great graphic on our nation's power grid. It maps out our current power usage and shows our future capacity for solar and wind power.

Green House

2009-05-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

Clayton Homes has introduced a home that is stylish, innovative, environmentally friendly, and affordable. The homes cost approximately $100 per square foot and the cost of living is low since the energy savings of having a home with solar panels, energy efficient windows, and a rain water catchment system is usually large. According to the manufacturer, it only costs a $1 a day in energy costs to run utilities. Surprisingly, it also looks comfortable with bamboo floors, a lot natural light from windows, and a modern kitchen. They call it an i-house.

Here are some of the features of the i-house.
And here is a virtual tour of their houses.

A Vision for High Speed Rail

2009-04-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

This is a very exciting project--it'll improve our rail system, decrease our automobile dependency, provide a variety of people with access to travel they would not normally have, and increase economic and commercial development along the routes.

Health Gadgets: CardioTrainer

2009-04-14T15:41:00.001-07:00

Cell phones are now being used to keep healthy. Android phones, like the G1, allow users to download applications made by developers. One application made by WorkSmart Labs, called CardioTrainer, allows users to track their workouts. It will record your jogging, biking, or hiking route and give you detailed information about how far you went, what your average speed was, and how the elevation changed throughout the route. It's a great program to help you keep track of your workout goals. You can even send your route to Google Maps and share them with your friends, like this Myakka hike-

View Myakka in a larger map

Ugly Statistics

2009-04-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

Timothy Noah at Slate.com, wrote a very interesting article on the importance of health care reform.

It starts here: "Between 1999 and 2008, employer-sponsored health insurance premiums increased six times faster than wages."

Here is a graph from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services--

Based on the families I've talked to, this graph accurately represents our health care reality.

Timothy notes what this means for the average worker, "Whatever pay increases the average worker received were wiped out, and then some, by the rapidly growing amounts deducted from his paycheck to cover health insurance." Wages have not increased in proportion to health care costs. Instead, health care costs have increased tremendously over the past ten years, making it harder for Americans to afford adequate care.

NPHW Day 7: Wrap-Up

2009-04-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

National Public Health Week comes to an end today. If there is anything we learned it is that public health is an important and diverse field. This week, we have focused on communities, climate change, workplace health, and health at schools.

In the beginning of the week, we tried to illustrate how broad the public health field is by showing you three random pictures and asking what they have to do with public health. We covered the first picture of suburbs here.

One other picture was a music player.

Public health departments across the world have started to experiment with using music to help communicate health messages. Music is such a strong part of any culture, so if health concepts can become attached to this facet of society, public health might become better integrated into communities. Health is often seen as a separate entity or industry, but so many things in our community affect our health. Using music to demonstrate the importance of this has been a new way for health to become more salient.

Additionally, music activism has become a popular way of communicating health messages. Popular performers can raise the attention of certain health issues by encouraging listeners to promote health. Take a look at the 2007 Unite Against AIDS Concert. Music artist, Bono, has been using his popularity to help increase awareness and efforts for a variety of global health issues, such as AIDS.

The last image was an airplane.

The inspiration for this image came from President Obama who strongly supports a global public health infrastructure since "these days, a pandemic can get on a plane" and be in America overnight. Airline travel has brought diseases halfway across the world to our doorstep. President Obama notes public health is our way of preventing and protecting the world from global health issues.

NPHW Day 6: The Sunshine State

2009-04-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today we are going to focus on a local public health story that has made headlines around the world. Florida Power & Light is starting a project to create a solar-powered city, the first in the world.

"Called Babcock Ranch, the city will aim to build 19,500 houses and about 6 million square feet of retail, light industrial, and office space when it is completed, the developers said." --Reuters

The clean energy project has so many benefits, starting with creating 20,000 new jobs in Florida and then reducing energy costs for city residents and businesses while decreasing the amount of pollution in our atmosphere.

NPHW Day 5: Quote of the Day

2009-04-10T20:20:00.001-07:00

I think this quote displays the meaning of public health quite nicely.

"Although it is an essential part of the picture, health is so much more than just access to care, which is most frequently discussed. It’s federal funding that provides for public health programs across the nation, it’s communities that are built in a way the supports physical activity, it’s workplaces that provide resources to help employees become tobacco-free, it’s schools that offer healthy food choices and it’s families that support each other in living and adopting healthy behaviors." --NPHW

NPHW Day 4: Health at Schools

2009-04-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

The American Public Health Association is increasing awareness today about unhealthy food options in American schools. "Public health professional shave made great strides in raising awareness of the importance of getting unhealthy vending machines out of schools and replacing them with healthy options...But it's not enough. Too many schools continue to sell high calorie foods because they need the additional revenue to cover budget shortfalls."

A recent study showed startling statistics on what vending machine foods are available to students at school.

80% of the snacks were candy, chips, or sweet baked goods
.0026% of the snack options were fruits or vegetables
75% of the drinks had poor nutritional value
85% of snacks had poor nutritional value

Some school districts have successfully eliminated unhealthy food and drink options from public schools, like this district in California. More schools are considering a ban on unhealthy vending machine options as criticism mounts over the negative health consequences. Although money is an issue, one major report found that schools can raise just as much money without unhealthy food options than with.

NPHW Day 3: Health at Work

2009-04-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

The American Public Health Association spent today focusing on health at work. They talked about how wellness committees can promote worksite health. "These committees advocate for healthier food options in the company cafeteria, set up discounted gym memberships for employees, offer workshops on stress reduction and much more. They work to ensure that the workplace helps workers become healthier, rather than serves as a barrier," APHA noted.

World Health Day 2009: Save Lives

2009-04-07T14:14:00.001-07:00

Today is also World Health Day. Each year, World Health Day focuses on a major health issue. Last year focused on climate change. This year is focused on the safety and quality of health facilities, especially their ability to handle the health effects of major disasters.

"When an emergency or disaster occurs, most lives are lost or saved in the immediate aftermath of the event," Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, said in her statement. "The tragedy of a major emergency or disaster is compounded when health facilities fail...In large emergencies, such as those caused by earthquakes or floods, some countries have lost as much as 50% of their hospital capacity, right at the time when life-saving services were most acutely needed."

In 2008, there was an alarming increase in natural disaster deaths. According to the WHO, 235,816 people were killed last year by such disasters. This was four times higher than the average death toll over the previous seven years. This increase was the result of two major natural disasters--Cyclone Nagris in Myanmar and a major earthquake in China.

The World Health Organization offered six solutions to help with the problem of insecure healthcare facilities.

1. Situate, design and build new health facilities
2. Assess the safety of existing facilities
3. Retrofit existing facilities
4. Protect non-structural elements: essential services, equipment, medicines
5. Plan and train for emergencies
6, Build partnerships for safe health facilities

NPHW Day 2: Community

2009-04-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

The second day of National Public Health Week presents this question: How do we make sure that people understand that simply providing health insurance to all Americans isn't enough to make us healthy?

So many things in our community affect our health and livelihood. Check out this post about how where you live is important to your health.

How does this image relate to public health?

In so many ways.

Suburban neighborhoods provide safe roads for kids to play and less exposure to violence. However, there are also higher rates of obesity in suburbia, which many attribute to how suburban communities are designed. Suburban communities have an interesting geographic layout. For instance, a home might be geographically close to retail locations, but take a long time to get to because sprawling neighborhoods block easy access to a variety of locations. Cities often grow vertically, meaning that there are so many places in a short distance from any given place. However, suburban neighborhoods grow horizontally, making pedestrian travel inconvenient. Take a look at this picture--

View Suburban Community in a larger map

How long do you think it would take to get to a nearby retail location from the house down the street?

View Suburban Geography in a larger map

The house is only 1156 feet away, but according to Google Maps, the 1156 feet turns into 1.7 miles of driving because of the way the neighborhood is built into the surrounding roads.

View Driving to Retail in a larger map

The map shows that residents would have to drive over .5 miles before they can exit their neighborhood. Then they would have to drive another mile to get to the intersection, and finally do a u-turn to get to the opposite side of the road where retail locations are located. There are a lot of instances in suburban areas where residents are geographically close to many locations, but must take a longer drive to reach those areas. Suburbia promotes a driving lifestyle, which not only decreases physical activity of its residents, but also leads to higher levels of traffic pollution.

NPHW Day 1: Healthiest Nation in One Generation

2009-04-06T11:34:00.001-07:00

National Public Health Week starts off with a campaign to create the healthiest nation in one generation.

Public health is your health. Many communities go far to make sure their citizens are safe, healthy, and happy, but much more is needed to create one of the healthiest generations in the world. Our country certainly has the resources, but it takes a large campaign like this to help spread the importance of all sorts of health factors, from clean air to safe roads.

National Public Health Week '09

2009-04-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is a very exciting week--tomorrow will be the first day of National Public Health Week. This blog will cover how people all across the country are observing public health week. We will also investigate the importance of public health in our lives. The American Public Health Association's current motto is "protect, prevent, live well." These are values that will be explored throughout the week.

Public health is a broad field and we are faced with public health related objects everywhere we go. Can you tell how the following pictures relate to public health?

Find out this week.

Walgreens Offering Free Health Services

2009-03-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

Walgreens is offering free clinic visits and treatments for a variety of health issues for their clinic patients who lose their job and are uninsured.

"Drugstore operator Walgreens will offer free clinic visits to the unemployed and uninsured for the rest of the year, providing tests and routine treatment for minor ailments through its walk-in clinics — though patients will still pay for precriptions.

"Walgreens said patients who lose their job and health insurance after March 31 will be able to get free treatment at its in-store Take Care clinics for respiratory problems, allergies, infections and skin conditions, among other ailments. Typically those treatments cost $59 or more for patients with no insurance." -Associated Press

Walgreens offers health services through their Take Care clinics in select stores. Walgreen's is calling their program the "Take Care Recovery Plan", which can be found here.

These free services will be offered Monday-Friday, between 11am and 3pm. Immediate family members will be eligible for free services, but as a note, these services do not include check-ups and prescription medication will still cost money.

This is a generous service offered by Walgreens. Below are the nearest locations with Take Care Clinics in the Sarasota area, unfortunately, the closest one is in St. Petersburg.

900 49th St. N
St. Petersburg, FL 33710

View Larger Map

Other locations-

3851 4th St. North
St. Petersburg, FL 33703

6560 Ulmerton Rd
Largo, FL 33771

14004 Walsingham Rd.
Largo, FL 33774

128 E Brandon Blvd
Brandon, FL 33511

Fast Food Culture

2009-03-22T12:40:00.001-07:00

You can now watch the famous fast food documentary, Super Size Me, on Hulu for free. I watched the film and read the comments other viewers left. There were many interesting remarks. Some people commented on the effectiveness of the film: "This film single-handedly did away with a lucrative marketing gimmick from one of the most powerful corporations on the planet." Other comments were neutral with many people noting that they realize fast food is bad but they cannot help themselves--"had it yesterday" one person said. Other comments rated the film negatively, stating that the film has a "look how smart I am, look how dumb you are" preachy vibe that "does nothing to curtail non-sensible dietary habits."

The comments made me wonder what is the most effective way of going from a fast food culture to a healthy food culture? It seems that advertising campaigns and entertaining scare-tactic documentaries will only go so far when fast-food lifestyles are tightly tied into our society. It seems what we need is a large-scale cultural shift for us to move away from our high calorie, low activity lifestyles. Does that happen incrementally--through lawsuits, new policies, and bigger and better health food companies? Or is it something that will sweep through our culture as a result of a major event or news story?

It is obvious that cultural changes are difficult considering the fast food industry is so widespread. Fast food is easy food. Everywhere we go, we are surrounded by places that provide quick, inexpensive food--from gas stations and convenient stores to food chains like Burger King. These fast food establishments are part of our culture, as Super Size Me notes. Many of these locations have toys and play areas to attract young kids and families. Children at a young age associate fast food with fun food. There is a purpose behind the naming of "Happy Meals."

Here is a glimpse of how widespread fast food establishments are in our neighborhood--

Within a 10 mile radius from downtown Sarasota there are

14 McDonald's
8 Wendy's
6 Burger Kings
6 KFCs
3 Taco Bells.

In a 10 mile radius, you can find 37 of the top fast food establishments, many of them with drive-thrus. In other words, you should be able to find nearly four fast food restaurants in a one mile radius.

So, one of the major problems is that fast food is convenient and affordable. Another problem is a lack of universal knowledge about food. Many people realize "fast food is bad" and "vegetables are good" but when you ask why, it is hard to get a thorough answer. In Super Size Me, people were randomly asked, "what is a calorie?" A lot of people laughed and said they did not know. I honestly think food science should be a mandatory course in public education. Even students I talk to in biology courses in college have a difficult time explaining how nutrients are absorbed by our body. Without this knowledge, it is difficult to know exactly what foods are healthy and what foods are not--and why that is the case. We need good information to make good decisions about our health and diet instead of relying on superficial knowledge of food. Our society needs to internalize food information before people can start rejecting fast food in favor of healthier food establishments. Until this happens, people will continue to eat at places where their friends and family eat, places that are affordable and easy to get to, and places that have tasty food that make them happy.

Advertising Health: Anti-Smoking Campaigns

2009-03-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

There are a variety of ways anti-smoking campaigns use video advertisements to promote their message.

Song and Dance

This advertisement uses entertaining humor to grab your attention by using musical sarcasm to illustrate how ridiculous tobacco companies are with their attempts to cover-up the negative health consequences of smoking cigarettes.

Not Quitting is Harder

Some believe the most effective anti-smoking ads have real people, real stories, and negative emotions. These type of advertisements are supposed to make viewers relate to a smoking sufferer on a serious, emotional level. Many of these ads can be graphic like the one below.

Scientific Facts

Other anti-smoking ads make their point using a simple, direct, scientific message: smoking is very unhealthy.

Reverse Psychology

One of my favorite anti-smoking advertisements use a method of "reverse advertisement." Tobacco companies are notorious for their sexy advertisements that are intended to make smoking appear cool and attractive. This advertisement does a good job at targeting this approach.

Low Cost Health Food

2009-03-02T22:25:00.000-08:00

Here's the list-

Frozen Vegetables
Canned Salmon
Brown Rice
Edamame
Sweet Potatoes

On a personal note--edamame is sooo good.

Discrimination and Health

2009-03-01T19:58:00.001-08:00

I wanted to continue the discussion on the association between discrimination and health since I came across a good article that outlines five inequality variables that lead to negative health outcomes. This blog has talked about two major factors -- access to quality health care and social stress. This article mentions these two factors and notes additional factors that are important to consider.

These five variables are a result of a variety of inequalities found in lower socioeconomic brackets.

The first variable is economic and social deprivation. The author notes "residential and occupational segregation lead to greater economic deprivation...and increased likelihood of living in neighborhoods without good supermarkets, thereby reducing access to affordable nutritious diets; risk of hypertension is elevated by nutritional pathways involving high fat, high salt, and low vegetable diets."

Second, residential inequalities lead to higher exposure of toxic substances and hazardous conditions among those with a lower socioeconomic status. "Residential segregation increases risk of exposure to lead...contaminated soil..."

The third factor is socially inflicted trauma. This ranges from psychological stress caused by formal or informal discrimination to violence. These conditions "provoke fear" which can cause sustained levels of hypertension and high blood pressure, plus increasing the risk of injury as a result of violence.

The fourth factor is targeted marketing of legal and illegal substances, such as alcohol and junk food. Studies have found targeted alcohol beverage marketing in lower income communities. This type of marketing increases the "harmful use of alcohol" to cope with distress.

The fifth factor is one that this blog has talked a lot about--inadequate health care, including access to health care facilities. "Insufficient and inappropriate" medical can lead to undiagnosed or poorly treated conditions.

An abstract of the article, written by Nancy Krieger (Professor of Society, Human Development and Health at Harvard School of Public Health), can be found here.

Sarasota Emissions

2009-02-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

Purdue University released an informative Google Maps overlay that will show you the amount of CO2 emissions for each county in the country, plus showing you the sources of the emissions. Sarasota emitted 723,239 metric tons of CO2, mostly coming from onroad emissions (from cars, trucks, and buses). Per capita, Sarasota's CO2 emissions are low compared to other counties. Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, and Manattee counties had higher CO2 emissions per capita than Sarasota County.

Check it out here.

Social Stress and Health

2009-02-28T17:30:00.000-08:00

This blog has touched upon two important topics in health -- (1) the association between stress and poor health; and (2) the notable health disparities found across people in different social statuses.

Interestingly, recent research has started to find a lot of connections between these two topics. This blog has named some of the reasons why we believe there is distinct health disparities across socioeconomic levels, specifically talking about how citizens with less income have less access to quality medical services. As a result, the health of people in lower socioeconomic levels tend to be poorer, with lower life expectancy, higher rates of cardiovascular disease, higher rates of illnesses, and more negative self-reported health.

New research has focused on a different factor than access to medical services to explain health disparities--stress. People in disadvantaged social statuses experience significantly more stress, and as a result, experience more health problems since stress weakens the immune system and increases the risk of serious illness. Individuals with a lower socioeconomic status deal with more chronic stressors, such as job insecurity, violence, and poorer living conditions. Additionally, people in lower socioeconomic conditions are more likely to experience social stress from prejudice-related situations.

Additionally, humans naturally respond to stress through coping. Coping is a way for our body to mediate the affects of stress on our lives. However, coping behaviors often result in negative health behaviors, such as cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet, and substance abuse. Increased stress leads to increased rates of smoking, drinking, and other negative health factors.

Overall, people in lower socioeconomic statuses experience more stress in addition to having to deal with less access to quality medical services. This leads to significant health disparities in our society.

Are Vitamin Supplements Healthy?

2009-02-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

There has been a growing amount of evidence that suggests antioxidant vitamins (Vitamins A, C, and E) do not protect us as well as we think they do when we take them in supplement form. And the evidence is strong.

A scientific study followed nearly 15,000 male physicians who took a specific dosage of vitamin C and vitamin E during a ten year period. At the end of the trial period, the study found that the rate of cancer was the same among the test group as it was for the placebo group. The study concluded that "neither vitamin E nor vitamin C supplements reduced the risk of prostate cancer, 'total cancer' or other cancers such as colorectal or lung." You can read about the study here. The large sample size and long length of study provides strong results. Most researchers do not have the resources to run a study with almost 15,000 participants through a ten year period.

A recent study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine found that multivitamin supplements do not reduce cancer risk in postmenopausal women. The study included data from 161,800 women who took multivitamins for at least eight years--another substantial research project.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that had 35,000 research participants, all middle-aged men who took selenium supplements, Vitamin E, neither, or both during a five-year span. There was no decrease in the risk of prostate cancer. On the other hand, researchers found a 13 percent higher rate of prostate cancer in the group that received Vitamin E and a 5 percent higher rate in the group that received selenium supplements. This was the largest prostate cancer prevention trial study ever produced.

The JAMA study concerned some researchers, since its data suggested there were harmful effects to taking vitamin supplements. Other research has shown similar trends. A 2006 study found higher mortality rates among head and neck cancer patients who took antioxidant vitamin supplements. There was a slight increase in lung cancer rates among participants who took vitamin E supplements in this study. And a large study that analyzed the results of 47 trials with over 180,000 participants found that supplements slightly increase mortality rates.

Overall, antioxidant vitamin supplements appear to have no benefits at increasing life longevity or decreasing risk of certain cancers. Some studies show that these vitamin supplements might have a harmful effect on our health. The best source of vitamins is in our diet, not in pill form. A healthy diet filled with fruits and vegetables will provide us with the most amount of protection from diseases.

Un-lovely Health

2009-02-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

If you don't celebrate Valentine's Day or believe it is just another holiday perpetuated by flower and candy corporations, then this is the blog post for you. In the previous post, I briefly mentioned the health benefits associated with love. Now, let's explore some of the health consequences.

One of the health consequences is obvious -- kissing is icky. Kissing is an easy way to transmit oral bacteria. Bacteria that builds up in someone's mouth can easily spread through saliva. One study suggested that a type of bacteria that causes cavities may transmit itself through saliva, "Streptoccus mutans is the bacterium blamed for causing cavities, and may be transmissible through saliva."

Speaking of cavities, the chocolate and candy people eat during Valentine's Day can increase your risk of getting cavities. Oral bacteria use sugar as a form of energy to grow and stick to your teeth. A root canal is not lovely. Plus, some dentists have claimed that oral plaque can increase your risk of heart disease.

Avoid bacteria,
Your Sarasota Health Blogger

Lovely Health

2009-02-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

Today is Valentine's Day. The day of love. There are many reasons to celebrate love. Sure, it brings nice feelings, and sometimes, delicious candy. But, it also brings very positive health benefits.

"Engaging in joyful activities such as love may activate areas in the brain responsible for emotion, attention, motivation and memory..." one researcher notes. Love reduces stress, boosts your heart, improves your mental health, and strengthens your immune system. Wow!

Plus, love keeps people alive. A British study on marriage and death found that people who were married had a much lower risk of dying.

Have a healthy and happy Valentine's Day.

I love you,
Your Sarasota Health Blogger

Traffic Noise and Heart Attacks

2009-02-02T18:19:00.001-08:00

In a previous post, I talked about the health consequences of traffic. I cited that traffic noise can cause stress and other psychological problems, like lack of concentration.

A new study by Swedish medical specialists have identified an association between traffic noise and heart attacks. They found that there was a 40 percent "higher risk of a heart attack in people exposed to traffic noise exceeding 50 decibels..." This is a pretty interesting study on the effects of noise on the heart.

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-01-31T23:36:00.000-08:00

Let's take a minute to note all of the wonderful health benefits of playing football. Football provides decent exercise to help increase your fitness and improve your well-being. Many people, young and old, join football clubs to keep active and have fun. Football can help you lose weight, build muscle strength, reduce your risk of heart disease, and lower your stress levels.

However, you can also get a concussion, sprain your ankle, tear your ACL, or dislocate your shoulder. (That's why I only play two-hand touch!)

If you're like me, you'll be watching football instead of playing football tomorrow. While you're not risking serious injury sitting on an armchair compared to those getting chased down by Troy Polamalu on the field, your body will still want a little more physical activity. No kidding, thanks to health.com, here are 30-minute halftime workouts that will help you release your football excitement. And here are healthy Super Bowl Foods you can have for your Super Bowl party.

In the spirit of the Super Bowl, health professionals at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center wrote an article about maximizing your health and safety in a football style. The article starts off by comparing your health goals to a football game by giving you a game plan for improving your health. One strategy suggests that you should "limit the opposing team in the red zone - keep your sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,300 milligrams a day." Then the article goes over how "you can satisfy your appetite on Super Bowl Sunday without looking like a Steelers lineman post-game" by making sure you "kick off the Super Bowl with a breakfast bowl." The Pittsburgh medical specialists also talk about the dangers of being surrounded by screaming fans as well as the costs and benefits of having your emotions attached to a football team. Basically, if your team wins, your mood should be pretty good.

Have a fun Super Bowl Sunday,
Your Sarasota Health Blogger

Dieting Does Not Work?

2009-01-21T23:04:00.000-08:00

Obesity is a major health problem in our nation and is associated with various diseases, such as heart disease. It is also a growing problem. In 1997, our obesity rate was 19.4%. In 2007, it was 26.6%, with 64% of adults being classified as overweight. The graphs below show state incident rates of obesity in 1990 and 2006.

The most common treatment for obesity is diet and exercise. However, there have been several arguments that dieting is ineffective, and sometimes harmful, depending on the type of diet.

I was watching the Discovery Channel late last night (around 4am) and they had a health episode about obesity. Some of the experts interviewed during the segment claimed that the vast majority of patients cannot successfully diet and quickly regain their lost weight and sometimes even more weight. Some people attribute failed diets to lack of willpower and self-control, but there is a biological basis for this phenomenon. In our evolutionary past, our bodies valued fat. It cushioned our vital organs, insulated our body from frigid temperatures, and provided our system with a reserve of molecules to promote healthy cell function. When our bodies experience a significant weight drop, it thinks we are experiencing a famine. Our biological mechanisms do not understand that our body is dieting in order to reach a healthy weight level, it just notices that there has been a large drop in its fat reserve. So what happens? The body tries to protect itself by building back up the fat. People who diet often experience drops in mood, headaches, and physical pain, which could be our body's way of saying, "this isn't working for me."

Whether the biological response to dieting is true or not, research has supported that dieting often does not work. UCLA researchers analyzed 31 long-term dieting studies to determine the effectiveness of dieting. Psychologist and lead researcher, Traci Mann, reported the following--

"You can initially lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight on any number of diets, but the weight comes back. We found that the majority of people regained all the weight, plus more. Sustained weight loss was found only in a small minority of participants, while complete weight regain was found in the majority. Diets do not lead to sustained weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people."

A recent study by The New England Journal of Medicine corroborated these results.

Keep in mind, that repeated weight loss attempts can lead to health issues, such as heart problems and stroke.

Unfortunately, there is often a negative stigma around people who fail at dieting. The growing rate of obesity is associated with the growing number of weight discrimination reports. Dieting is difficult and can often fail. However, it is very important to have a healthy diet and to keep active. The combination of both healthy eating and an active lifestyle is the best way to achieve a healthy weight level.

Obesity is a societal problem and according to scientists, the best way to combat obesity is to look at the societal issues that relate to our increased rates of obesity. Our genes have remained the same for thousands of years, so our higher rates of obesity is not something that is genetic, but environmental. Not only are we consuming less healthy foods in our diet, but our lifestyles have significantly changed. Our bodies were made to roam sub-Saharan Africa in search of food. Now, we live more sedentary lifestyles as our daily routines have become dependent on technology. Many of us (more than 95% of Floridians) drive to work instead of biking or walking and we have become addicted to television and computers (however, it is okay to be addicted to health blogs). Because of this, scientists argue that promoting healthier diets and active lifestyles is the only solution to our increasing obesity problem.

Our Report Card

2009-01-17T23:40:00.000-08:00

Looking at the results from the American Lung Association, the state of Florida received three "F"s and a "B" for tobacco control. An "F" for tobacco prevention and control spending, an "F" for cigarette tax, and an "F" for cessation coverage. However, the state did receive a "B" for smokefree air since it restricts smoking in government workplaces, schools, restaurants, stores, and recreational facilities. A breakdown of our report card can be found here.

Daschle's Health Care Discussions

2009-01-14T20:32:00.000-08:00

Last month, Sarasota held a community health care discussion to provide input to Presidential-elect Obama's transition team on health care issues we face.

There's now a video of the Health and Human Services Secretary-designate, Tom Daschle, participating in these discussions.

Based on the video, people across the country share some of the same concerns that Sarasota citizens expressed during their community health discussion:

Concern about the way insurance companies dictate the type of care patients receive, the growing costs of medical care, and difficult access to certain levels of health care.

Another thing expressed by Sarasota citizens and other discussion participants is the need for a stronger emphasis on preventive medicine. I'm glad that President-elect Obama also shares these views.

Sarasota Memorial vs. Manatee Memorial

2009-01-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

The New York Times had an interesting article about the web sites that doctors use to research doctors and diseases.

The most fascinating web site was www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov from the Department of Health and Human Services that allows you to compare hospitals within your area.

I naturally decided to take a look at a comparison between Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Manatee Memorial Hospital.

Statistically, both hospitals performed well, typically performing above the US hospital average. The two hospitals performed nearly the same in many categories. However, there were some categories where one hospital outperformed the other. Overall, it seems like Sarasota Memorial performed slightly better than Manatee Memorial, but it really depends on the category.

The first category dealt with surgical care, including the percentage of patients who received the right kind of antibiotics at the right time to prevent infections. Sarasota Memorial was much better at giving antibiotics at the right time to prevent surgical infections and both hospitals had nearly the same performance with providing the right kind of antibiotic to prevent infection. Manatee Memorial performed better at stopping antibiotic dosages at the right time, but I'm not sure that makes up for having a weaker performance giving antibiotics at the right time.

I decided to create a few charts using Excel to help compare the hospitals. I also included the US hospital average for further comparison. Both Sarasota and Manatee Memorial performed better than the US hospital average in these categories. Click on the image to see a larger view.

If you have a heart attack, it seems like you're in great hands at both hospitals. The hospitals performed nearly the same in every reported statistic except for two categories. Manatee Memorial gave 57% of their heart attack patients Fibrinolytic medication within 30 minutes of arrival, while Sarasota Memorial gave 0% of their patients that medication. It's important to note that the data for this statistic was so low for both hospitals (only 1 case was used for Sarasota Memorial) that there is no way of really knowing if these percentages are true. The second category, in which Manatee Memorial also performed better, was the percent of heart attack patients given PCI within 90 minutes of arrival. Eighty-three percent of Manatee patients received PCI within 90 minutes while only fifty-two percent of Sarasota Memorial patients did.

One of the biggest differences between the two hospitals was not the type of medicine patients received, but the type of experience patients had while they were there. This blog has reported how important good doctor-patient communication is, as well as having patients feel like they are in a clean and organized environment. Well, Sarasota Memorial performed better on surveys given to patients about their inpatient care during their stay. Sarasota's performance wasn't spectacular since they only performed around the national average, but Sarasota Memorial did perform significantly better than Manatee in every patient experience category. A higher percentage of Sarasota Memorial patients rated their hospital experience very positively and a higher percentage of Sarasota Memorial patients also felt that their nurses and doctors always communicated well with them. The largest percentage difference was that 77% of Sarasota Memorial patients would definitely recommend the hospital while only 51% of Manatee Memorial patients said the same. Click on the image for a larger view.

Feel free to explore the comparisons at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov and be sure to check out the other medical links from the New York Times article.

The Urban Brain

2009-01-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

"For the first time in history, the majority of people reside in cities," Jonah Lehrer writes. Human evolution started with us swinging from trees and roaming the African savannah and now we're living in dense urban environments with fast-paced lifestyles and constant visual stimulation.

More research is now being done on how the mind is affected by urban environments. With more concrete than green space, cities are quite different from the natural environments we evolved from. According to a University of Michigan psychological test, participants who travelled through the city had a worse mood and had significantly lower scores on attention and working memory tests. Other researchers have stated that city environments can overwhelm the brain, leading to emotional control issues. This blog has talked about some of the problems associated with noise stress, an issue that residents of urban areas constantly experience. Jonah Lehrer made an interesting comment, "a tired brain, run down by the stimuli of city life, is more likely to lose its temper."

Other studies have shown the benefits of green space. Even people confined to indoor spaces, like in hospitals, benefit significantly by just having a view of trees from their window -- their moods tend to be better and they tend to recover more quickly from surgery or treatment.

This article stresses the importance of parks in urban areas so people can have an easy escape from the city. Marc Berman, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, was quoted, "It's not an accident that Central Park is in the middle of Manhattan."

U.S. Life Expectancy

2009-01-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Dr. Robert Butler, CEO of the International Longevity Center in New York, argued that there are four major reasons why American life expectancy has slowed during the last five years.

Butler's four reasons were clearly described in The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch. The reasons are found below.

1. The shockingly high infant mortality rate in the U.S. Mostly because so many babies are born in urban slums and country hollows, where prenatal and infant care is often primitive, America has the second steepest newborn mortality rate among developed nations. In 2005, the latest year for which statistics are available, about seven out of every 1,000 babies in the U.S. died before their first birthdays. Though there has been steady improvement for many years, the U.S. is 29th in the world, behind even Cuba.

2. The multibillion dollar political power of the industries that contribute to the steep rate of obesity among U.S. children and adults, such as fast foods and sugared drinks. Butler urges that the U.S. government create public-private initiatives to promote healthier diets and physical fitness programs among the public at large.

3. The estimated 46 million Americans (15.8 percent of the population) who do not have health insurance and thus lack the kind of medical care that would expand and enhance longevity.

4. The slowdown in medical research in the U.S. Especially absent is the kind of what-makes-the-sky-blue basic research usually conducted by younger scientists and technicians, who tend to be the most innovative, daring, productive -- and successful when it comes to life-expanding discoveries.

Bike to Work for $$

2009-01-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

"As of January 1, bicyclists got their first piece of the economic stimulus plan," David Beard of The Boston Globe's 'The Green Blog' commented. Cyclists who commute to work "can get reimbursed up to $20 per month, either as a cash reimbursement or a pre-tax deduction" if their employers participate in the national program.

The plan was passed by Congress, referred to as The Bicycle Commuter Act, written by Congreesman Blumenauer of Oregon. You can read the full legislation here.

Health News

2009-01-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

"Hospitalizations for heart attacks fell sharply in Pueblo, Colo., after the implementation of a law that banned smoking in public places and work places" according to a Centers for Disease Control report.

If you made plans this year to quit smoking, the American Lung Association has a few tips.

New Jersey became the first state to require flu shots for preschool students. State epidemiologist, Dr. Tina Tan, said "stopping flu transmission among kids will stop flu transmission in the community at large."

Tracking the Flu

2009-01-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

The Centers for Disease Control have a variety of surveillance measures to analyze medical data to detect or anticipate disease outbreaks. Well, Google has one, too.

Google Flu Trends is a Google service that tracks the occurrence of flu across the United States based on the number flu-related searches made in areas around the country. It actually has been very accurate at tracking flu cases, with their statistics matching closely to the CDCs resources, and often times, measuring outbreaks one to two weeks quicker.

This year, flu rates have been at low to moderate levels in each state, including Florida which has seen a moderate amount of flu cases since the end of September.

Open for Questions

2008-12-30T22:21:00.000-08:00

In addition to the community health care discussions the Obama-Biden transition team is conducting to get more input on community health needs, the campaign has started a feature on their web site called "Open for Questions" which allows anyone to ask questions to be answered by the transition team.

Questions are ranked by users, so questions that people want answers to most will be answered. You can vote or ask questions by going to their Open for Questions web page.

Many of the questions regard health care. Here are some of the most popular health care questions--

"In all other 1st world countries, there's a minimal level of universal healthcare for all citizens. What will your adminstration do to provide truly universal, affordable healthcare for all US citizens, regardless of employment status?"

"We all recognize the insurance industry is the problem, not lack of insurance--what are you going to do about getting single payer (government) health care, as other progressive countries throughout the industrialized world have done?"

"What will you do to encourage education for disease prevention ? I am talking about environmental, nutritional and exercise education. It seems a waste resources to be detecting disease when you can prevent it."

Many questions deal with frustrations over insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Other people simply want to know how and when will we have affordable health care for everyone in our country.

New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-30T09:59:00.000-08:00

New Year's is the time of year where people look a little more closely at their personal health and set goals for themselves for the new year. A few of the most popular New Year's resolutions--

Quit smoking
Exercise more
Spend more time with family and friends
Reduce stress
Volunteer to help others
Eat healthier
Take a trip
Maintain a healthy weight

To a healthy and happy New Year,
Your Sarasota Health Blogger

Music Therapy

2008-12-27T12:59:00.000-08:00

Brian Johnson, of the band AC/DC, was in Sarasota last week to dedicate a music room at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. You can read the article, here.

Music therapy can help patients relax and has been found to reduce stress and make treatment and recovery easier. Not only that, it's fun.

Drugs, Drugs, Drugs

2008-12-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

Another question that was asked by the transition team during the community health discussion was "How can public policy promote healthier lifestyles?"

A lot of the comments to this question dealt with our reliance on prescription drugs. Some people told stories about how attractive drugs have become when they are advertised on TV and magazines. Drug advertisements have made prescription drugs a more appealing solution for medical care. People are able to walk into the doctor's office and immediately tell the doctor, "this is my problem, I'd like to try _____." It is obvious that more people in our society are turning to drugs to resolve many of their health issues, thinking that prescription drugs are an easy solution to their medical problems.

Drug advertisements can exaggerate health problems that are really not that major to begin with. For example, restless leg syndrome was a health issue that few people reported having prior to massive advertisements by drug companies.

The numbers speak clearly: Pharmaceutical sales have risen in the US to over $735 billion a year. Sociological researcher, Simon Williams, wrote an article discussing the major reasons why pharmaceuticals drugs have become so common in our nation. One central factor regards how the role of some drug companies has shifted from treating medical diseases to manufacturing and emphasizing diseases. In collaboration with doctors, medical groups, and the media, drug companies have a strong ability to create attention to certain diseases. Drug companies are not just marketing treatment, but also diseases. Williams refers to this as "pharmaceuticalization" of medicine -- the process in which drug companies are able to turn some things into medical matters. Pharmaceutical companies have gotten to the point where they have gained some medical authority and are viewed as contributors to medical knowledge in our society. They now advise us about what diseases we might have and that we should ask our doctor about possible prescriptions. Furthermore, drug companies are able to target and advertise to specific groups to make in-roads and personalize the medicine for them. Overall, pharmaceutical companies have gained more medical power in our society as well as becoming more effective at selling their product.

Another researcher, Nick Fox, talked about the domestication of pharmaceutical consumption in our society. He notes that drug products are now much more available and easier to purchases because of the internet. Direct-to-consumer marketing has benefited drug companies since they are able to give consumers a one-stop shopping experience for consumers. Consumers are able to get all of their information about diseases and drugs online, while also being able to fills prescriptions, get discounts, and have medicine shipped to their front door. Purchasing prescriptions has become a shipping experience that the drug companies have control over. This is why many drug companies use "lifestyle marketing" to promote their products.

It has now become part of our lifestyle to use drugs for all sorts of health problems--to help our sex lives, control our diet, alleviate daily allergies, and help us sleep. Drugs have become the solution to our annoying lifestyle factors, such as lack of sleep. As drug companies infuse their product into our daily lives, people's attitudes towards drugs have changed as more people are viewing drugs as simple solutions to health and lifestyle issues. Many believe that this is a result of skillful marketing.

Interestingly, historians of medicine are able to show how diseases appear and disappear based on social processes and treatments available in a given society. Drug companies keep lobbying for new disease categories to help sell their treatments. More lifestyle ailments that were once considered non-health related are now in the medical domain as a result of some of the efforts by pharmaceutical companies. Now there are more drugs that are found for a variety of lifestyle issues, which has led to a domestication of pharmaceutical consumption.

Drug companies have been criticized for seeking to market pills towards diseases that will give them the most profit, rather than focusing on developing treatments for major illnesses. Our reliance on prescription drugs can cause people to ignore healthier solutions to some of their health issues.

Our Major Problems

2008-12-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Newtown CHAT participated in a community health care discussion to give feedback to President-elect Obama's transition team regarding health care issues facing many people in Sarasota. The Obama administration wants a collective effort to reform health care and asked participants to fill out a survey and give discussion feedback on a variety of health concerns. By the beginning of next month, the Health Policy Transition Team will use the feedback they received to prepare a report for the President-elect. Senator Daschle, the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, has also been participating in the community discussions occurring across the nation.

All of the participants were eager and excited to talk about health care issues. Everyone provided thoughtful responses to the seven discussion questions the Obama administration wanted to get feedback on. A copy of the discussion guide can be found on the transition project's web site, here.

Over the next week, I'm going to cover the exciting discussion participants had during the meeting. This week's topic comes from the first question asked by the transition team: What do you perceive is the biggest problem in the health system?"

Based on the comments, there are several major problems with our health care system that participants wanted addressed. First, access to quality health care is often difficult, especially since the health care system in our country can be complex. Many of the participants said that it can be very hard to navigate our health care system. They said that insurance companies make it more difficult to get the type of care patients want, oftentimes requiring referrals and limiting access to certain doctors or medical procedures. Insurance companies often limit care by limiting coverage. There was a large amount of frustration over the role insurance companies have in our health care system. It seemed apparent that insurance companies often dictated patient care, which is frustrating for both doctors and patients.

Another major issue is that health care services differ across socioeconomic levels. Due to affordability issues, people in lower socioeconomic levels have many more challenges getting decent health care. Minor health care issues can become major financial issues for people with limited health care coverage and income.

Research on health disparities greatly support the comments participants made on our greatest problems with our health care system. According to policy research by the Obama transition team, "large medical bills have contributed to half of bankruptcies and foreclosures." Additionally, one previous blog post talked about some of the health problems associated with living in a poorer community. Furthermore, "being uninsured leads to delayed care" and expensive treatment. But, "even people with coverage are increasingly finding that it is insufficient or simply not there when needed."

How Would You Fix Health Care?

2008-12-15T16:18:00.000-08:00

President-elect Obama is making health care one of his top priorities and him and his transition team is looking for ideas and input on the challenges and possible solutions facing our health care system.

The Sarasota Health Department will be holding a community health care discussion to give feedback to the transition team. This discussion will occur Tuesday, December 16th at the Selby Goodwill at 6pm. The event is hosted by the Newtown CHAT.

Google Health

2008-12-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

One of the loudest complaints about our health care system is the lack of electronic coordination between doctors. Each specialist you go to, each hospital visit you have, each doctor you have an appointment with -- there are forms. Lots of forms. Usually they ask for the same information you put on a previous form at a previous doctor's office.

We live in an age of technology so it seems it should be easier for a doctor to access your medical history. Well, Google has taken the steps to produce such a system.

Earlier in the year Google unveiled Google Health. According to Google, "Google Health aims to solve an urgent need that dovetails our overall mission of organizing patient information and making it accessible and useful. Through our health offering, our users will be empowered to college, store, and manage their own medical records online."

With Google Health, you can track your medical history, research your conditions, import your medical records, see how your medications might interact, and search for doctors and hospitals.

To create such a system, Google put together a Health Advisory Council made up of medical doctors, health specialists, and policy experts.

Google Health is a free service and its major criticism is over privacy, since Google Health is not considered a covered entity under HIPA.

In Our Town

2008-12-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, one resident of Sarasota created a community herb garden in their front lawn to share freshly grown herbs with their neighbors. Anybody could walk up and sample the available herbs.

There are plenty of benefits to community gardens. Community gardening is a way for people to share fresh food with each other which can help strengthen a sense of community and increase personal ties between community members. The gardens provide an easy opportunity to meet neighbors.

Interestingly, without any neighborhood meetings, two other residents built community gardens on the same street as the resident with the herb garden. These are pictures of a vegetable garden and a salsa garden on Wisteria Street in Sarasota.

Calculate Your Carbon Footprint

2008-12-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

The health of our environment affects the health of humans and human actions affect the environment. Measuring your carbon footprint is a useful way to measure your impact on the environment.

Scientists at The Nature Conservancy developed a calculator for individuals and households to measure their carbon footprint.

To learn more about carbon footprints and to calculate your impact on the environment, visit the Carbon Footprint Calculator web page here.

Click the image below to see a map of per capita greenhouse gas emissions--

Men and Sleep

2008-12-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

Sleep is essential and we need sleep to function. According to the National Institutes of Health, inadequate sleep can cause slower reaction times, weaker concentration, mood fluctuations, behavior problems, memory lapses, and accidents and injuries. Sleep is critically important, and best of all, free. So why do so many people have problems with sleeping?

There are a variety of answers to that question, but one researcher looked at how sleeping attitudes might affect sleep, specifically in men. Robert Meadows researched the type of attitudes men have about sleeping and found that men's masculine roles can lead to poor sleeping habits. Meadows interviewed men to investigate their sleep behaviors and attitudes. Many of the men bragged about how little sleep they're able to get to function. Others talked about sleep as a "bodily need", saying that their body needs sleep rather than 'I want' sleep. Some talked about sleep only as a necessity to function for a job. Many said that sleep "is a waste of time" and that sleep should never get in the way of "having a life." A lot of the men talked about sleep as if it were a "wimpy" activity that conflicted with more important necessities, whether it be work or social activities.

The author argues that there are social meanings attached to sleep which could conflict with social gender roles men have as being "hard-working," self-sufficient individuals. The author states, "men are demonstrating dominant norms of masculinity when they refuse to take sick leave from work, when they insist they need little sleep..." There seems to be a balancing act where sleep is important for some activities but not as important for others.

Overall, it seems that men's attitudes regarding sleep are based, in some part, on masculine attitudes found in our culture.

Psychology and Health

2008-12-01T13:26:00.001-08:00

Psychology and medicine seem to be two separate fields -- one concerning the study of human behavior and the other on medical science. However, there has been an increase in health research by psychologists. One psychological study focused on ways for doctors to improve communication with patients. Good doctor-patient communication can lead to better health outcomes, less stress on a patient, more medical disclosure from a patient, and a greater chance that the patient will follow their treatment and return to the doctor’s office for any additional medical issues.

The article found that there are two different types of doctor-patient communication. The first type is doctor-centered consultation. This style of communication is where the doctor controls the conversation by asking questions and then forming a treatment plan. On the other side of the communication spectrum there is patient-centered consultations. This type of communication is where the patient says all they need to say regarding their medical issue and then discusses possible treatment choices with the doctor.

The study went on to investigate which type of consultation do patients (and their friends and relatives) prefer. All were most satisfied with the patient-centered consultation. Patients feel more engaged and involved with the medical process, and as a result, are more satisfied with their visit and treatment plan.

Since patients prefer patient-centered consultations and there are evident benefits for this style of communication, doctors should consider using the patient-centered consultation model for their practice.

Research Article-
Boyer, M.J. (2000). Communication styles in the cancer consultation: preferences for a patient-centered approach. Psycho-oncology, 9, 2, 147.

20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day

2008-12-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

Progress and challenges mark World AIDS Day--

"One of the most important initiatives of my administration has been the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR. It's the largest international health initiative dedicated to a single disease. When we launched PEPFAR, our goal was to support treatment for two million people in five years. Today, I'm pleased to announce that we have exceeded that goal -- early." President Bush discusses AIDS relief program on World AIDS Day (Click here for more information on PEPFAR)

"On this twentieth anniversary of World AIDS Day, I think it's appropriate to look back for a moment to when this day was first observed. In 1988, when ministers of health from around the world first had the notion to set aside a day to highlight the threat of HIV/AIDS, they faced widespread ignorance and fear. Back then, many refused to even acknowledge the existence of this disease, let alone the devastating impact it was having on families and communities around the world.

"Today, because of the work of people like you, women in Kenya who were widowed by the disease, and once shunned by society, have banded together to support and empower each other. Scientists around the world are discovering and engineering new medicines to give people with HIV/AIDS another chance at life. NGOs and faith-based institutions are marshaling the best of the human spirit to help those affected. And world governments are coming together to address the humanitarian crisis the pandemic has left in its wake. I salute President Bush for his leadership in crafting a plan for AIDS relief in Africa and backing it up with funding dedicated to saving lives and preventing the spread of the disease. And my administration will continue this critical work to address the crisis around the world." Excerpt from President-elect Barack Obama's video remarks to the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health to honor World AIDS Day.

"The leaders of government across the globe have pledged to strengthen efforts to combat and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS on the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day Monday." World AIDS Day Focuses on Prevention

"The international commemoration has perennially been accompanied by new, bleak reports, and bureaucratic hand-wringing over the invariable failure of supply – in the form of drugs, management and financing – to keep up with the needs of the desperately ill around the world. However, there’s actually some rather interesting news on this World AIDS Day...for the first time since the advent of anti-retroviral therapy and vaccine trials, hope for a cure has emerged. Through a bone marrow transplant, a German scientist has perhaps cleared the first AIDS patient of the virus – quite possibly the first time in human history that a person with AIDS has been effectively freed of the virus." Health expert, Josh Ruxin, at the NY Times

"Much has been accomplished in the fight against HIV/AIDS from scientific, medical and public health standpoints. However, now is no time to rest on our accomplishments or our laurels. The statistics of the HIV/AIDS pandemic tell us that much more needs to be done." Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, CNN

"The number of people living with HIV is continuing to rise in every part of the world...There are now 33 million people living with HIV worldwide..." HIV Facts

The Hidden Challenges of Dieting

2008-11-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

Bad eating habits and poor diets are major health concerns in our society. Some of the most common diseases in our culture relate to how and what we eat -- coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. As a result, many people try, often times unsuccessfully, to change their diet. There are a variety of diet guides to help people make the transition from an unhealthy diet to a healthy one. The themes are pretty consistent in these guides--the major goal to successfully dieting is willpower. A Google search on "how to diet successfully" will yield results for a popular web site that suggests boredom "is one of the main reasons that people give up their diets." Many people state self-control and willpower are the keys to a successful diet.

However, recent research has found that there are external factors that influence eating behavior which people are unaware of. The research, conducted by health psychologists, found that environmental factors can influence people's food intake. For instance, there is a strong relationship between the "presence and behavior" of other people and an individual's eating habits. A person is more likely to increase their food intake when there are more people eating with them, especially if those people are also eating large portions of their meal. Additionally, the portion of food people get influences how much they eat. If a person is served a smaller amount of food on a smaller plate, they are just as likely to feel full and satisfied as someone served with a larger plate with more food. This studied verified these claims, but went further by giving participants a survey to assess how much they were aware of the external influences of their eating habits. Nearly every participant said they ate how much they ate because they were hungry or that the food tasted good, even though the external factors had a significant influence on their eating habits. Overall, people were unaware of these external factors, even as it clearly led to certain eating habits.

Another study assessed the perception of eaters who ate from larger soup bowls. Participants were given large soup bowls that measured how much a person ate in comparison with participants with smaller soup bowls. The participants with larger soup bowls ate substantially more soup, 73% more, which was equivalent to 113 additional calories. However, those participants, on average, stated that they ate only around 4 calories more than the participants with smaller bowls. Obviously, the portions of food people get will influence how much they eat without them noticing exactly how much they are eating.

People will overeat without realizing they are doing it. Most importantly, they are unaware of the factors influencing higher food intake. "Willpower" cannot overcome factors that people are completely unaware of while they are eating. The researchers concluded "if external environmental factors influence people's food intake without their awareness or acknowledgement, then maintaing a healthy diet can be a challenge." There are hidden challenges to dieting that go beyond internal food desires.

Tom Daschle's Health Care Views

2008-11-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

Former Senator Tom Daschle will be President-Elect Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services. The Wall Street Journal looked through Daschle's book, Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis, and reported on Daschle's health care views.

Tom Daschle's book can be found here.

Manasota World AIDS Day

2008-11-22T17:46:00.001-08:00

Manatee and Sarasota counties participated in World AIDS Day 2008 today. The goal of this world-wide campaign is to bring attention to the AIDS epidemic. In keeping with the spirit of the event, I would like to bring up some important information regarding the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS.

In 2001, a United Nations and World Health Organization survey found that 40 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS. It is estimated that 60 million people have been infected with the virus since the start of the epidemic. The researchers wrote, "Twenty years after the first clinical evidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome was reported, AIDS has become the most devastating disease humankind has ever faced."

Advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS have not been matched with "enough progress on the prevention front," according to the UN and WHO survey. The survey calls for prompt, focused prevention efforts, especially in developing countries where over 50 percent of young people (those between the ages of 15-24) "have never heard of AIDS or harbor serious misconceptions about how HIV is transmitted." These countries include the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

In the year 2000, approximately 3 million people died from HIV/AIDS. An estimated twenty thousand lived in North America.

According to the CDC, in 2003, an estimated 1,185,000 people in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS. Most shockingly, 24-27% of those living with HIV were undiagnosed and unaware of their infection.

In 2006, the most amount of AIDS cases were found in adults between the ages of 40 and 44 in the United States, with an estimated 7,298 cases. Adults between the ages of 35 and 39 had the second most number of cases, followed by adults between the ages of 45 and 49.

New York had the highest number of AIDS cases in 2006, with 5,495 being reported. Florida had the second highest reported number of AIDS cases in 2006, with 4,932 cases being reported.

It is estimated that 448,871 people are living with AIDS in the United States.

A reported 59,139 people have died from AIDS in the state of Florida.

For more information, please visit worldaidscampaign.org or any of the links found above.

To get more involved with the AIDS campaign, visit this web site.

History of Public Health

2008-10-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

Community life has been at the center of public health throughout its history. Many major health concerns deal with community characteristics and conditions. For instance, the control of disease, the conditions of the physical environment, the quality and supply of water and food, medical care, disaster relief, and support for disabled or less wealthy citizens are all factors dealing with community health. Interestingly, these community health factors were addressed in civilizations dating as far back as 2100 BC. Community cleanliness and hygiene were important to Egyptians as early as 4500 years ago. Egyptian neighborhoods would “purify” the city by cleaning buildings inside and out, disposing of waste, and carrying out health ceremonies to rid the community of diseases.

The major health problems that we face today are very similar to the health problems humans encountered thousands of years ago, such as sanitation, spread of disease, and disaster relief. Although humans have experienced health problems all across the world and for thousands of years, some communities are affected differently by health problems. Throughout human history, societies that have focused on community health have been more successful at creating living conditions that protect the health and well being of its citizens. Researchers have found that these communities are usually more capable of controlling diseases, preserving water quality, and withstanding natural disasters. Longer life expectancy and lower infant mortality are usually the outcome.

Greek literature discussed the importance of healthy communities and environments as early as 400 BC. Hippocrates wrote that “ill-health developed when there was an imbalance between man and his environment." In his later book, Airs, Waters and Places, Hippocrates discussed the relationship between environmental factors and disease. He talked about how water and air quality, diet, and weather can affect the spread of disease.

Over 2000 years later, public health is still rooted in the community. However, there have been major advances in modern public health. Between 1880 and 1900, scientific investigators discovered a variety of pathogenic diseases, from typhoid and malaria to the plague using laboratory technology, such as light microscopes. The physical discovery of these diseases led to experiments that tested the behavior of these species and the possible treatments for fighting deadly pathogens. Our understanding of contagious diseases was based on the incredible amount of research conducted during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Researchers soon found that mosquitoes, ticks, and rats could quickly and easily spread diseases and used this knowledge to help prevent the spread of diseases, especially in urban environments. The development of vaccines during this time period went far to protect large populations from some of the most deadly diseases.

In the late 20th century, public health policy started to focus on the social factors that increase the risk of negative health conditions in certain populations. Health inequalities, education, and poverty received more focus from health specialists as researchers investigated the significant health differences found across communities. In the United Kingdom, approximately 20% of its health services budget goes to dealing with social and environmental conditions, such as unemployment, poverty, housing, and pollution.

Presently, public health encompasses a variety of different programs. Medical doctors, disaster relief workers, environmental groups, health educators, transportation planners, and public works experts all contribute to the field of public health. The goals of health programs are to protect citizens from health problems and to promote positive health behavior, whether it is through vaccinations or focusing on providing health services to at-risk groups. Most importantly, public health is, and always has been, about the community.

Transportation and Health Part III

2008-10-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

One way to reduce the health consequences of traffic is to walk or cycle. Walking and cycling is a form of exercise and studies have shown that there are tremendous health benefits from participating in these activities. Health benefits include—

a 50% reduction in the risk of developing coronary heart disease
a 50% reduction in the risk of developing adult diabetes
a 50% reduction in the risk of becoming obese
a 30% reduction in the risk of developing hypertension
reduced osteoporosis
decline in blood pressure in people with hypertension
relief of symptoms of depression and anxiety
prevention of falls in the elderly

However, walking may not be something that is convenient or enjoyable. It depends greatly on location. Community planners use the term “walkability” to measure walking conditions in an area. There are a variety of factors that affect the walkability of a specific area. Perception of safety, population density, street connectivity, amount of retail, size of sidewalks, aesthetics of the route are just some of the factors. People want to feel that walking is worth it, so they seek safe and enjoyable routes. The most walkable routes focus on pedestrian traffic rather than vehicle traffic. For instance, larger sidewalks will make people feel safe from vehicle traffic and also increase the flow of pedestrian traffic.

Just like the traffic engineers who use Level-of-Service (LOS) measurements to assess the quality of roadways, community planners use Level-of-Service measurements to assess the quality of pedestrian routes. These measurements are often based on whether routes are convenient by looking at how routes connect with each other. Planners look at how easy it is for people to get from one destination to another. Planners also look at how dense pedestrian traffic is and whether sidewalks are providing ample amount of space for a good flow of traffic.

One popular walkability measurement looks at how far someone would have to walk to retail areas, schools, parks, libraries, and other sites. The website, walkscore.com, uses this measurement to assess how walkable an area is on a scale of 1-100. Downtown Sarasota is considered a “Walker’s Paradise,” with a score of 95 (depending on which area of downtown). However, the score drops significantly in the neighborhoods surrounding downtown. On Fruitville and Tuttle, the walkability score drops to “Somewhat Walkable” with a score of 52. This is a neighborhood that is just 1 mile away from downtown. Most dense suburban neighborhoods have a walkability score in the 40s and 50s, especially if retail plazas are nearby. Some areas of the county have a "Car Dependent" rating in the low 30s. Desoto Road and 301 received a 31. So, while many areas of downtown are highly walkable, the vast majority of residents are not in a highly walkable location.

View Larger Map

Walking and cycling make you active and provide numerous health benefits. However, for walking and cycling to be a major form of transportation, people need to have an environment that is walkable. This includes higher quality sidewalks, more convenient bike and walking trails, and community planning that focuses on the pedestrian.

More information:
Pedestrian LOS

Transportation and Health Part II

2008-10-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Transportation deals with environmental health in many ways. One of the most obvious ways is that traffic creates noise. Noise also creates problems. Noise pollution can easily cause stress and frustration for individuals. One of the major consequences to traffic noise is disturbed sleep. Not only can it be more difficult for an individual to fall asleep with a lot of traffic noise, but quality of sleep also decreases. Lack of sleep can cause fatigue, depression, and decreased performance. Traffic noise can interfere with memory, attention, and focus. Studies have shown that an increase in background noise decreases the ability for a person to solve analytical problems. Other studies show that aggression increases as noise increases. Aggression and stress can lead to heart disease and hypertension. Some noise pollution can cause hearing impairment. Overall, traffic noise is annoying and people go to great lengths to reduce their exposure to it.

A major environmental health issue dealing with traffic is air quality. According to a major study, traffic increases the amount of “particulate matter” in the air, which leads to “increased mortality, increased admissions to hospital for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, increased frequency of respiratory symptoms and use of medication by people with asthma, and reduced lung function.” Vehicle exhaust also has health consequences. Studies have found carcinogens in diesel engine exhaust and have found higher rates of cancer among people who work around exhaust fumes. Vehicle exhaust also has a detrimental affect on our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a well-known air pollutant that is reported to be one of the major causes of climate change on Earth.

Hundreds and thousands of deaths across the world are attributed to air pollution. Respiratory disease has increased as more and more people are suffering from asthma and bronchitis. The World Health Organization wants stricter standards on vehicles to reduce the amount of air pollution caused by traffic each day.

Our psychological and social health are also tied to transportation in a variety of ways. Traffic can cause stress, aggression, and nervousness. An interesting quote from a study on aggressive driving behavior states, “the car has been described as an instrument of dominance, with the road as an arena for competition and control. The car also symbolizes power and provides some protection, which makes drivers less restrained.” Furthermore, accident victims experience long-term physical injuries, but also psychological problems. Long-term stress from motor vehicle accidents is common, even when there are no injuries from the accident. Some people experience trauma after a major accident, oftentimes having flashbacks or nightmares. A social consequence to driving is reduced social life. Researchers have noted that “close-knit communities have given way to neighborhoods that do not encourage social interaction, and this has resulted in increased social isolation.”

Overall, traffic has serious health concerns – from direct environmental effects to lower quality of life due to traffic noise and stress.

Transportation and Health Part I

2008-10-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

In a previous blog post, I discussed the relationship “place” has with public health. I explained that there are many characteristics of a specific location that affect the health and well being of its citizens. In one example, I talked about the role transportation has for providing citizens with access to quality and affordable health care. Transportation has a large role in the health of a community, much larger than just providing health care access to citizens. I will be focusing on the connection between public health and transportation over the next few blog posts. This post will focus on traffic safety while the following posts will discuss environmental health issues and walkability.

Traffic safety is important. Motor vehicle fatalities are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 34. The highest rate of driving fatality occurs between the ages of 21 and 24. More experienced drivers are less likely to get into a fatal crash, however, more than 37,000 people each year die from a motor vehicle accident.

A significant proportion of motor vehicle deaths and injuries involve pedestrians and cyclists. Pedestrians and cyclists account for thirty-five percent of motor vehicle deaths and twenty-one percent of motor vehicle injuries.

Many accidents tend to occur in built-up areas where more pedestrians are affected. The highest risk areas for pedestrians and cyclists are on minor roads, especially around intersections. Sadly, schools and neighborhoods are often situated off these arterial roads, putting children at risk.

There are a variety of reasons for why traffic accidents occur. The three major reasons are the road, the car, and the driver. Roadway designs can greatly affect the rate of accidents in a certain area. Some roadways are better designed than others. The space between lanes, the length of merge lanes, whether there is a stop sign or traffic signal at an intersection, placement of traffic signs, posted speed limits, and roadway visibility are just some of the many variables that affect the safety of certain roads. Oftentimes, roadways are engineered exceptionally well, but over time, population growth, nearby development, and changes in traffic behavior put stress on roads and intersections. Interestingly, some transportation planners make roadways more dangerous to decrease risky driving behavior. Two ideas for making Tamiami Trail safer was to decrease the width of each lane or put roadside parking on the Trail in the downtown area. This would slow down traffic and force drivers to be more aware of their surroundings. It is what engineers call “traffic calming.”

Traffic engineers measure the quality of road infrastructures through a Level-of-Service (LOS) assessment that measures traffic flow on an A-F scale, F being the worst rating. Newly designed roads often score an A or B, even during rush hour. However, overtime, LOS ratings tend to drop as roadways reach their capacity. Many of Sarasota’s roadways have a D or F rating during rush hour. Low ranked roads can have serious safety issues, especially to pedestrians and cyclists. Driver stress and road rage increases at lower LOS ratings and many driving maneuvers become riskier.

Cars are often the cause of an accident. Popped tires, breakdowns, weak brake pedals, etc. There are many new car features on the market that have been proven to decrease vehicular accidents. Electronic stability control (ESC) is a newer feature that detects whether a vehicle is exceeding its handling capabilities. If a vehicle were at risk for losing control, the electronic stability control technology would reduce engine power and automatically apply braking power to individual wheels. ESC is only standard on some vehicles and optional in others. Car manufactures are also making vehicles safer for pedestrians in case there is an accident by designing the front-end of a vehicle in a certain way to decrease the force of impact on a pedestrian.

However, drivers are nearly always the primary cause of an accident. Speeding, reckless driving, impaired driving, road rage are all driving risks that the driver can avoid. The most common type of accident in Sarasota County are rear-end collisions. This type of accident is usually caused by a driver who was not paying attention. The most accident-prone intersection in Sarasota County is Center Road at U.S. 41.

Overall, traffic safety is a major concern. Deaths and injuries to drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists occur too often and can be easily avoided. Traffic engineers and city officials are always working towards improving roadways, car manufacturers are putting a large emphasis on safety features (not only features that protect individuals in case of an accident, but prevent accidents in the first place), and police officers and traffic safety campaigns are being aimed at stopping and preventing bad driving behavior. The life and safety of many residents are tied to transportation safety.

More information:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Pedestrian Safety in Florida

World AIDS Day

2008-10-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

Sarasota and Manatee Counties unite for World AIDS Day and AIDS Walk Theme: “Respect and Protect: Together We Can Stop the Spread of HIV and end HIV Prejudice”

To bring renewed awareness to HIV/AIDS and other health issues, Sarasota and Manatee County organizations are sponsoring the 2008 Manasota World AIDS Day Health/Wellness Expo and AIDS Walk. The events will take place on Saturday, Nov. 22 at the Sudakoff Center on the east side of the New College of Florida campus – vicinity of U.S. 41 (N. Tamami Trail), just north of University Parkway. The AIDS Walk begins at 9 a.m. Walkers should register between 8 and 8:45 a.m. that day.

View Larger Map

Following the AIDS Walk, people can receive a variety of free health screenings, HIV testing, and information about community services. The event, which continues through 3 p.m., will include discussions led by local experts to empower parents in talking with their teens about a range of challenging issues. Topics include teen sexuality, rape prevention, HIV prevention, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) prevention, teen sexuality, substance abuse, tobacco and kids, and depression/suicide.

There will be local entertainment, door prize drawings, the AIDS quilt display, and activities for families with young children. Students from New College of Florida, and area colleges and universities will offer free activities for youth. The creative work of the bi-county poster contest winners will also be on display. All World AIDS Day activities are free and open to the public, with the exception of the food venues.

The day’s events incorporate the theme, Respect and Protect: Together We Can Stop the Spread of HIV and end HIV Prejudice. “Everyone has a role to play in reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS in our community. Since HIV/AIDS is on the rise among young people, we are committed to empowering parents to help their teenage children make informed decisions about their health,” said John Acevedo, of Community AIDS Network who also serves as the HIV/AIDS Network of Sarasota (HANS) chair.

This event is sponsored by the HIV/AIDS Network of Sarasota (HANS) in conjunction with the World AIDS Day 2008 Planning Committee, a collaboration, chaired by nationally syndicated Health Beat of America radio host Rochelle Herman, that includes New College of Florida, Community AIDS Network, the Sarasota and Manatee County Health Departments, Manatee County Rural Health Services, Trinity Charities, and Southwest Florida Community AIDS Quilts.

For more information, visit www.manasotaworldaidsday.org or call 941-366-0461, extension 1042. For specific information about the AIDS Walk, call Hope Wulliman at 941-224-4999. For information about New College of Florida, call Aimee Chouinard at 941-487-4152 or visit www.ncf.edu.

More information about HIV/AIDS can be found here.

Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise

2008-10-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

There are two life factors that have caused me to have a less-than-healthy diet. One, groceries are expensive. Two, I'm a poor college student.

I recently noticed that my grocery purchases have considerably changed. I used to have a nutritionally rich grocery list that I would use every week to find items to stack my pantry with. It was a great list; it would have made any doctor happy to have me as a patient. Over the past several months I've been crossing off more and more items from my list and just going for sale purchases. It means that my diet has become seasonal. During the 4th of July, I purchased packets of hot dogs that were 2-for-1. For the back-to-school sales, I bought a ton of Goldfish snacks that were marked half-off. And now...unfortunately, it's Halloween season and I have had a lot of Butterfingers.

It's not good. My life expectancy was probably cut in half. I'm a college student that is not just hungry for knowledge, but also hungry for real food. I really miss the weekly allowance I got when I was twelve. I also miss the great dinners my mom made. While Hot Pockets might be delicious, they're not nutritious. But, what's a student to do?

Well, I found that there are ways to buy smart. It does not have to be difficult to eat healthy on a budget. While pizza and Chef Boyardee are convenient for any person, regardless if they are a student, there are simple ways to find grocery items that make the most health sense.

First, the downtown Farmer's Market is wonderful. Local vendors provide healthy food that is cheaper and fresher than at many other places.

Health expert, Sally Wadyka, gave a good list of items that are healthy and cheap. Beans, eggs, bananas, carrots, flank steak, sweet potatoes, tuna, and walnuts are very affordable foods that provide for a well-rounded diet.

As a student, I'm starting to find more ways to save on food that my body appreciates, and these two suggestions are just a start. Going from cafeteria food to Whole Foods is not an easy jump with a small amount of money, but healthy eating is less expensive than I originally felt it to be. Fortunately, my healthier diet is returning without the same expense.

Sick Around the World

2008-10-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

The United States spends over two trillion dollars a year on health care, which is over 15% of our GDP. Yet, 74% of Americans believe significant changes are needed to our health care system. Countries like Japan and the United Kingdom spend a lot less money on their health care system and rank higher in terms of overall level of health than the United States. How do they do it? What are the costs and benefits to different types of health care systems found around the world?

PBS Frontline investigated health care systems in five capitalist democracies to see what lessons we might be able to learn as more and more Americans demand changes to our health care system. The investigation looks into the cultural, structural, and financial differences of health care systems around the world.

This is an interesting documentary that makes you question health care from philosophical and practical perspectives. It seems that slightly different health care systems can provide huge benefits in terms of access and affordability.

The graphs below compare how much each nation spends on health care to its average life expectancy. While the United States spends the most on health care, it also has lower life expectancy compared to other developed nations.

While we have some of the best hospitals, doctors, and technology in the world, the cost of health care in America is high and many Americans have little or no health coverage.

Frontline looks at the pros and cons of health care systems found around the world to see how other nations provide adequate health services to all of its citizens at lower costs. The Washington Post correspondent and NPR commentator, T.R. Reid, goes to five countries to report on their health care systems. The full episode can be found online here.

A preview of the documentary--

The Candidates on Health Care

2008-10-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

Health care has become one of the most important issues this election, consistently ranking among the top issues American's are concerned about. Many voters will make voting decisions based on the health care policies of the candidates. This blog post will focus on providing information on the health care plans and records of the two major presidential candidates.

First, Senator John McCain's health care plan can be found on his campaign web site here. His Senate record and speeches related to health care issues can be found on his Senate web site here.

Your Candidates-Your Health is a voter guide questionnaire that describes each candidate's views and proposals regarding health issues in our country. Senator McCain's stance on these questions can be found on his profile page here.

Senator Barack Obama's health care plan can be found on his campaign web site here. Senator Obama's stance on health care issues while in the Senate can be found at his Senate web page here. Senator Obama's survey responses to the Your Candidates-Your Health questionnaire can be found at his profile page here.

Finding an objective analysis of each candidate's health care positions can be difficult. However, there are a few good sources that have been cited frequently by health experts. One source was cited by an informative reader of this blog. The source is a policy analysis report by the Commonwealth Fund, which can be found on this web page. The report was recently written and provides detailed information regarding both candidates' plans, including an interactive summary comparison. Another great source was found in The New England Journal of Medicine, by Dr. Jonathan Oberlander. The article discusses some of the major philosophical and practical differences between the health care plans of the two major presidential candidates. The full-text of the article can be found on their Election 2008 perspective page.

I encourage readers to comment on this section with links and sources they have on the health care proposals of either candidate. I enjoy reading your comments and I think your posts will create an even better resource of health information for our community.

Below is an Associated Press video of the two candidates talking about health care during the second debate.

Health and Politics

2008-10-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

Health and politics are closely tied together in the United States. Our elected officials make major decisions regarding health care in our country. From the creation of Medicare and Medicaid to the administration of Veteran health services, the health of our society is often based on programs and decisions made in our government. Nearly 28% of Americans have health insurance from a government program. However, the government does not just pay attention to health coverage and services. Congress created the Department of Health and Human Services to certify food and drugs through the FDA, prevent disease through the Centers for Disease Prevention, protect our lives from disasters and emergencies, and provide us with information regarding the safety of products we purchase.

Americans are aware of how important government decisions are regarding our health. According to a recent survey, 82% of the public were more likely to vote for a candidate who supported increased funding for health research and 76% were more likely to support a candidate who promised more funding for health care reform. Seventy-four percent of Americans believe that significant changes are needed to make our health care system better with eighty-one percent of Americans believing that our health care system should focus more on preventing illness rather than dealing with illnesses once symptoms are apparent. A large majority of people want increased funding for health care -- from local health departments to federal health service programs.

Framingham Heart Study

2008-10-05T19:31:00.001-07:00

The Framingham Heart Study is one of the best studies we have of the major health factors associated with cardiovascular disease. The study started with over 5,000 participants from Framingham, Massachusetts. A substantial amount of health and lifestyle variables were collected about these participants throughout their lifetime. This has provided researchers with a rich collection of data about individuals who developed heart disease.

In addition to factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, researchers have also identified psychosocial factors related to heart disease. Stress, tension, and anger were significantly correlated with heart disease. Higher levels of each variable increased the risk of heart disease. Suppressed hostility was also a variable associated with heart disease. Individuals who discussed their anger and emotions in a healthy way (for instance, talking with friends) were at a lower risk for developing heart disease than individuals who bottled up their negative emotions. A more obvious variable, job work load, was also associated with heart disease.

More information about the Framingham Heart Study can be found here.

Blue Zones

2008-09-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

Lifestyle and health are tied together. Physical, psychological, and social factors are highly related to our overall well-being. An interesting research project has identified several areas of the world where health expectancy exceeds 90 to 100 years at consistent rates. A few of these areas are the mountainous Barbagia region of Sardinia off the coast of Italy, the Japanese Island of Okinawa, and the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica.

Researchers have identified several health variables that are consistent across these areas that might be the cause of their high life expectancies. These variables are-

Close family and social networks that are active and integrated in the community
No smoking
Constant moderate physical activity (such as agriculture work)
Plant-based diet

Overall, these close-knit communities have low-stress lifestyles, healthy diets, and positive social relationships.

ABC News wrote an article about Blue Zones earlier this year. The article can be found here.

This is a video of a CNN segment on Blue Zones-

Grrr

2008-09-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

From students to employers -- everyone experiences stress (including bloggers). Stress comes in different forms, whether physical, psychological, or social. Psychological researchers, Holmes and Rahe, produced a list of major stressors. Their list represents the most significant sources of stress in an average person's life. The most stressful event is the death of a spouse/significant other. Other stressors include personal injury, financial struggles, retirement, and moving to a new residence. Physical stressors include noise stress, which some people might experience regularly in certain work conditions or living in dense urban neighborhoods.

While stress is common, we can experience significant health consequences to prolonged stress. Studies have shown that stress weakens our immune system leading us more susceptible to diseases. Stress can also increase our heart rate and blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Chronic stress worsens these conditions. Stress has also been correlated with higher rates of coronary heart disease.

Additionally, stress can motivate individuals to engage in behaviors that are unhealthy. One study showed that individuals are more likely to drink alcoholic beverages and smoke in response to increased stress. Trouble sleeping/lack of sleep is another health consequence of stress.

Our physical and mental well-being is affected by stress. Stressful lifestyles can worsen our health and also lead to unhealthy behaviors. Learning to reduce daily stress is important for our health. Some health professionals consider stress to be America's #1 health problem. The American Institute of Stress lists some ways to help you reduce stress in your life.

Flu Vaccinations

2008-09-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

Flu season is approaching. According to the White House, influenza "results in approximately 36,000 deaths and more than 200,000 hospitalizations each year." The flu vaccine is developed and administered each year to increase a population's immunity to influenza. According to the CDC, "influenza vaccination is the primary method for preventing influenza and its severe complications."

To make it easier for residents to get vaccinated, Sarasota will have 15 drive thru flu shot clinics with the first one on September 27th at The Tabernacle Community Church. More information can be found here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has important information about the seasonal flu vaccine at their web site.

Computers Are Public Health

2008-09-15T17:01:00.001-07:00

Computers -- the beautiful things that connect you to the world -- are related to public health in a variety of ways.

Access to computers and the internet can increase the quality of health information and care people receive. Online health resources can improve “the quality of individual health-related decisions” by making health information more accessible, according to researchers. These resources “may lead to better clinical decisions and efficient use of limited health care resources.” Additionally, online health communities provide more ways for health professionals to communicate with the public. Health forums are becoming increasingly popular as a source of public health information. Online resources can also keep the public up-to-date on health events in their communities.

However, computer use can also affect your health. Studies have shown that computer use has increased among children and teenagers. According to one study, children spend 75.5% of their day inactive (in front of a computer, tv, or homework). In comparison, children only spend 1.4% of their day doing vigorous activity. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to obesity and poor social relationships. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started a campaign to get kids active and healthy. Information on the campaign, titled VERB, can be found here.

"Stuff" Is Public Health

2008-09-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Go to the mall, and you'll see plenty of "stuff" that is public health. Annie Leopard, an environmental health expert, produced a clear and interesting documentary on...stuff. Annie shows the environmental health concerns related to the extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal of products in an informative and entertaining web video. From the shoes we wear to the computers we purchase, Annie explores how all products are connected to public health.

Annie's documentary and web site can be found at www.storyofstuff.com

Health In Motion

2008-09-14T17:53:00.001-07:00

Sarasota has increased access to health care services through its Health in Motion mobile medical unit. The unit provides health services to underserved areas of Sarasota. You can learn more by visiting the Sarasota County Health Department's Health In Motion web page.

The September schedule for Health in Motion can be found here.

Location, Location, Location

2008-09-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

When people think "health" they often think of germs, diseases, and medicine. Sure, I'd be healthier if I stay far away from my roommate when he is sick and wash my hands correctly and frequently. But, health, especially public health, goes much further than focusing on illnesses. Real estate agents know best when they say everything is "location, location, location."

Location influences the health of communities in several ways. An obvious and important factor of community health is access to health care services. Many locations, especially poorer communities, have fewer physicians than affluent communities. Access to basic health services is associated with positive health outcomes. However, access to health services differs across communities. Distance and transportation can make it more difficult for some community members to reach health services. Some cities take access to health services into consideration when developing public transportation routes. Some cities add routes between health facilities and communities with fewer health resources to increase access to health care.

Certain locations contain negative health factors. Dense urban environments can have higher noise stress and pollution. Water quality, crime rate, and the availability of outdoor recreation space differs across communities.

Additionally, geographic location can make some communities more or less vulnerable to natural disasters. Some neighborhoods in New Orleans are located below sea level. When Hurricane Katrina hit, these neighborhoods were most vulnerable to flooding and experienced widespread destruction.

Furthermore, the environment can affect our psychology. Residents in less crowded neighborhoods with clean streets and better landscaping experience less environmental stress than residents living in more crowded and polluted conditions.

Overall, where you live can significantly affect your mental and physical well-being.

Public Health Is Your Health

2008-09-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

What is Public Health?

2008-09-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

"College is great. Everything I learned in college I have used in life," my dad said to me as he helped me move my mini-fridge up a flight of stairs and into my dorm room. "Awesome," I replied.

A week later I started classes. I was eager to learn and excited for my first college lesson. My brain was running on high-voltage as I walked into my first class with my textbook in hand. I took a seat in the front of class and smiled at the professor. She smiled back -- I knew this was going to be a good class.

We went around the room introducing ourselves. "Hi, I'm Bradley, a first-year student from South Florida. I'm interested in health psychology, sociology, and political science." After everyone introduced themselves the professor gave a short introduction. She received a Ph.D in Health Psychology and had been teaching for four years. She then described the topics we would be covering over the course of the semester -- health psychology, political psychology, and social psychology. "This is going to be awesome," I thought.

The professor then turned to me and asked, "Bradley, how would you define health?"

I froze. There was an awkward silence as I looked down and away from the professor while trying to think of an answer. A few more seconds went by. This wasn't as awesome as I thought it would be. I was hoping she would help me answer the question after a few more seconds went by. But nothing. I was nervous. I was wishing the characters from Schoolhouse Rock would jump out from behind me and give a fifty-second song-and-dance answer to my question. Still nothing.

I then responded, "I'm not sure."

"Good," she said. "A perfect starting point." She then went on to explain how many concepts don't have textbook definitions, especially health psychology. Public health is a broad concept encompassing many diverse topics. One sentence does not fully describe or clearly explain public health. Sure, public health can be described in one sentence. "Public health is the study and practice of managing threats to the health of a community." But a sentence does not illustrate the many different aspects and approaches to public health.

I quickly learned my first lesson in college: There are some things textbooks cannot teach you.

My dad would be happy with me. My first lesson in college was an important one that I used in many aspects of my life. It was a great lesson when I decided to study public health. I went beyond the textbook and started to explore public health in my community. By talking to people, going to forums, and learning from different disciplines.

The focus of this blog is to explore public health in Sarasota. But, first, we need to discover what public health means. The University of South Florida College of Public Health explains how health professionals have a difficult time defining public health. One reason is that public health is a wide area of study. "The base of knowledge for public health comes from a variety of disciplines, ranging from social sciences to biological sciences and business..."

This blog will go beyond the textbook to spotlight public health in Sarasota. It will explore Sarasota health issues from all different angles through stories and multimedia. Hopefully we all can learn how to answer "What is public health?" without freezing.

News: Vaccination Report

2008-09-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on September 4th showing that childhood immunization rates were at "near record levels." Public health officials were worried that parents had become fearful of vaccinations as concerns were raised about the connection between vaccinations and autism. The FDA released a health information pamphlet to promote the benefits of childhood vaccinations and to address concerns parents might have. The CDC also addressed concerns over the link between vaccinations containing thimerosal and autism in a report by Dr. Paul Offit. Dr. Offit cites four large medical studies that compared the rate of autism in children who received vaccines containing thimerosal to those who received vaccines without thimerosal. The rate of autism was the same in both groups.

Public health officials feel that their immunization programs have been successful, with 77% of children being fully vaccinated by all of the recommended vaccines. Less than 1 percent of children received no vaccinations.

The CDC's report can be found here.

Facts and Figures

2008-09-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

More than 15% of children in Sarasota and Manatee have no health insurance
Florida's average for the percent of children without insurance coverage -- 12%
The nation's average is 8.9% for children under the age of 18
Over 12% of adults in Sarasota have no insurance coverage
The nation's average is 16.4% for adults under the age of 65
Sarasota has a higher percentage of people with high blood pressure and melanoma compared to the state average
Sarasota has a lower rate of heart disease and adult obesity than the state average
The county averages more motor vehicle fatalities and unintentional injury deaths than Florida's average
The poverty level in Sarasota is 9.2% compared to 9% statewide
Only 31% of adults nationwide exercised on a regular basis
Approximately 45 million in-patient surgeries are performed each year

National Center for Health Statistics

CHIP Sarasota Health Scorecard

Florida CHARTS

Welcome!

2008-09-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

I did not know much about health when I started college three years ago. I knew that if I ate a donut when I woke up I could have enough energy to walk to class. I knew that leftover pizza tastes great -- cold or heated. I knew that Happy Meals made me happy and there was nothing better than celebrating the end of the school week with a box of Funfetti cake. I felt I was being practical. Fast food was inexpensive, plus it tasted good and it filled me up. If I craved it I ate it. That was my personal health philosophy.

That philosophy has changed. While poking the Pillsbury Doughboy's tummy looks fun and eating his food tastes delicious -- it was bad for me. While my heart was filled with happiness, it was also filled with trans-fat. I realized my unhealthy lifestyle when I decided to join some friends on a long jog around campus. I got fatigued really quickly and had to slow my pace down drastically. My jogging time was worse than what it was in sixth grade. It was bothersome -- thirteen year-old Bradley could outperform eighteen year-old Bradley. Not only was I jealous of my younger self, but I quickly became concerned about my health.

I went back to my dorm room and looked at the food I had in my pantry to assess how bad my diet had gotten. I could have easily refilled a Hershey's vending machine with what was in my room. Maybe two.

I consulted my doctor and health-conscious friends to help improve my well-being. I used the Sarasota community to gradually improve my health. I found a map of bicycle routes in Sarasota and started to bike to some of my favorite destinations. I visited Selby Gardens and Siesta Key for nice outdoor walks. I found health trails via the Sarasota County Health Department's Pathways to Health site. I soon became a pro and started hiking at Myakka on a regular basis. I got groceries at the Farmers' Market downtown and played basketball at many of the local parks around town. I went from having a bad diet and a sedentary college lifestyle to being healthy, active, and fit. My college life is like watching Super Size Me in reverse.

During my semesters, I studied public health and became much more knowledgeable about my personal health. In addition, I learned a lot about community health as I constantly researched health issues and became more aware of public health concerns. I soon became a resource for many of my friends who sought a healthier lifestyle.

I still have a lot to learn about health and I decided to start a community health blog for Sarasota where people can learn and talk about health issues and share their own advice and ideas. I will share my own experiences by writing blog stories as I explore community health issues in Sarasota.

Enjoy!