The report Shortchanging America's Health: A State-By-State Look at How Federal Public Health Dollars are Spent was released this week by the non-profit organizations Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). It outlines federal government funding for disease prevention programs provided to the fifty states in fiscal year 2008.

The report found that annual per capita spending varies widely among the states (ranging from $12.74 and $52.78 per person). The national average for state funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for public health is $17.60 per person. The report notes that even at the high end, this level of spending on public health is a tiny fraction of the country's total investment in health. The vast majority of heath spending is invested in treating people after they've become sick. The report authors suggest that spending more money on disease prevention programs up front would lessen the need to spend so much on disease treatment "after the fact."

Below is a list of the bottom 10 states that received the least funding per state resident from the CDC in fiscal year 2008, followed in parentheses by the dollar amount of per capita spending.

The top 10 worst states for federal public health funding per capita are:

• Indiana ($12.74)
• Ohio ($12.76)
• Virginia ($12.88)
• Florida ($13.29)
• Kentucky ($13.94)
• Pennsylvania ($13.99)
• Tennessee ($14.96)
• Wisconsin ($14.97)
• Missouri ($15.14)
• Kansas ($15.14)

Interested in learning more about disease prevention? Join the Healia Support Group for Wellness and Lifestyle.

Related blog post: The Top 10 States for Federal Public Health Funding

_{Source: Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Shortchanging America's Health: A State-By-State Look at How Federal Public Health Dollars are Spent, 3/09. http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/shortchanging09.pdf}

_{Photo: ThrasherDave, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Two non-profit organizations, the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today released a new report on federal government funding for the fifty states in fiscal year 2008 for publich health disease prevention programs. The report, Shortchanging America's Health: A State-By-State Look at How Federal Public Health Dollars are Spent also examines how the economic downturn could lead to serious cuts to disease prevention and emergency preparedness programs at the state level.

The report found that states receive an average of $17.60 per person from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for public health programs and that annual per capita spending varies widely among the states (ranging from $12.74 and $52.78 per person). The report notes that even at the high end, this level of spending on public health is a tiny fraction of the country's total investment in health. The vast majority of heath spending is invested in treating people after they've become sick. The report authors suggest that spending more money on disease prevention programs up front would lessen the need to spend so much on disease treatment "after the fact."

In tough financial times, the problem of small investment in public health is only expected to get worse, leading to serious long term consequences for the nation’s health and health spending. State funding for public health programs is expected to drop given the widespread budget shortfalls among the states and federal funding is unlikely to make up the all difference. However, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (also known as the stimulus package) includes an additional $1 billion for public health programs for next year, which will help provide additional support in many communities.

Below is a list of the top 10 states that received the most funding per state resident from the CDC in fiscal year 2008, followed in parentheses by the dollar amount of per capita spending. It is no coincidence that the list is populated mostly with America’s smallest states: some public health programs funded by the CDC are not apportioned by population, giving smaller states a larger amount per person.

The top 10 states for federal public health funding per capita are:

1. Alaska ($52.78)
2. Vermont ($35.15)
3. Wyoming ($32.43)
4. Rhode Island ($32.09)
5. New Mexico ($30.94)
6. South Dakota ($29.12)
7. North Dakota ($27.45)
8. Hawaii ($25.55)
9. Delaware ($24.98)
10. Montana ($24.33)

Interested in learning more about disease prevention? Join the Healia Health Community for Wellness and Lifestyle.

_{Source: Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Shortchanging America's Health: A State-By-State Look at How Federal Public Health Dollars are Spent, 3/09. http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/shortchanging09.pdf}

_{Photo: jswieringa, Flickr, Creative Commons}

A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week finds that car and other transportation-related accidents are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S. About 8,000 child and teen deaths each year in the U.S. involve a motor vehicle occupant, pedestrian, or cyclist, with the highest fatality rates being among occupants of motor vehicles.

To prepare the report, the CDC examined data collected between 2000 and 2006 on emergency room visits and fatalities in children and teens from birth to age nineteen. According to the report, an estimated 9.2 million children visit emergency departments each year for unintentional injuries. Falls caused the most non-fatal injuries (about 2.8 million each year) and were associated with over half of the nonfatal injuries involving children less than one year. Drowning and poisoning were also leading causes of non-fatal injuries among children less than four years old

The report also notes that between 2000 and 2005, unintentional injuries resulted in 73,052 deaths among children and teens, with transportation-related deaths leading the way. Such deaths were highest among children 15 to 19 years of age. Overall, males were almost twice as likely to die from unintentional injuries as females.

The release of the CDC’s report coincided with the World Health Organization′s (WHO) and the United Nations Children′s Fund′s (UNICEF) launch of the 2008 World Report on Child Injury Prevention. The global report found that car crashes, drowning, and other accidents kill 830,000 children worldwide each year. Road crashes are the leading cause of accidental death worldwide, killing 260,000 children each year and injuring 10 million, with drowning, burns, falls, and accidental poisoning rounding out the top five.

Around 95 percent of the worldwide accidental deaths occurred in the developing world, mostly in Africa, and in richer nations deaths from accidents disproportionately affect the poor.

For information about the preventing child injuries and death, see the CDC’s “Protect the Ones You Love” initiative at www.cdc.gov/safechild. The Healia Health Community on Child Health is a great place to discuss the measures you take to keep your kids safe and get ideas from other parents.

_{Sources: UPI, CDC}

_{Photo: Old Man Lee, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Today marks the start of National Influenza Vaccination Week, which runs December 8 through 14 this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designed the event to highlight the importance of continuing influenza (flu) vaccination, as well as to remind people that it is still beneficial to get the flu vaccine in December and the months beyond.

The flu is a contagious disease caused by the influenza virus that produces symptoms such as high fever, sore throat, coughing, body aches, extreme fatigue, runny or stuffy nose, and even nausea and diarrhea in children. It spreads easily from person to person but simple actions such as vaccination and good hygiene are effective ways to protect yourself. The flu virus changes every year and so the flu vaccine must be administered yearly in order to be effective. Vaccination should begin as soon as vaccine is available and continue throughout the flu season, into December, January, and beyond.

Each year in the United States, an average of 20,000 children younger than five are hospitalized because of flu-related complications. As many as one in five children younger than five may have to see the doctor, visit the ER or other urgent care for treatment for flu. About 100 children on average die from complications of influenza each year.

This year, Tuesday, December 9th, is designated as Children's Vaccination Day. Thursday, December 11th, is designated as Seniors' vaccination Day, and Friday, December 12th, will focus on vaccination of health care workers.

Between 143 million and 146 million doses of influenza vaccine will be produced for use in the United States during the 2008-09 influenza season. This is an all-time high supply of vaccine making it possible for more people than ever to seek protection from the flu.

The CDC recommends that children aged six months up to their 19th birthday get vaccinated against the flu. Children under six months are too young to receive the flu vaccine, but they are among the most vulnerable to develop serious, even fatal, complications from flu. This makes it crucial for close contacts (family members, caregivers, etc.) of such infants to be vaccinated, and the CDC also recommends that close contacts of all children younger than five get a flu vaccine each year to provide added protection to this high risk group. Additionally, people who live with or have other close contact with a child or children of any age with a chronic health problem (asthma, diabetes, etc.) should get a flu vaccine.

Children ages six months up to nine years who are getting a flu vaccine for the first time need two doses of vaccine the first year. The second dose should be given 28 or more days after the first dose.

Get specific advice on how to avoid the flu by reading 3 Tips for Preventing the Flu. For more information on flu vaccination, see the CDC website on seasonal flu vaccines. For information on how to cope with the flu, join the Healia Health Community on cold and flu.

_{Adapted from CDC, Vocus/PRWEB releases}

_{Photo: Jim Gathany, CDC, PHIL}

Influenza or “the flu” is a serious contagious disease. Each year in the United States more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, 20,000 of whom are children younger than 5 years old. Approximately 36,000 people die from flu each year, which is more than the number of people who die from more widely publicized causes such as prostate cancer, homicide, and MRSA.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges you to take the following steps to protect yourself and others from the flu:

1. Take time to get a flu vaccine.
   The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. While there are many different flu viruses, the flu vaccine protects against the three main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season. The vaccine can protect you from getting sick from these three viruses or it can make your illness milder if you get a different flu virus. Getting a vaccine is very important for people at high risk for serious flu complications, including young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart or lung disease, and people 65 and older. People who live with or care for those at high risk should also get a flu vaccine to protect their high-risk contact.


2. Take everyday preventive actions.
   The things you do everyday can make you more or less likely to get the flu. Some simple preventative measures can reduce your chances of getting the flu dramatically: Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective. Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth because this is the main way germs are spread. If you get the flu, you can reduce the chances of infecting others by staying home from work or school and limiting contact with others, covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and throwing the tissue in the trash after you use it.


3. Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor recommends them.
   If you do get the flu, antiviral drugs are an important treatment option. (They are not a substitute for vaccination.) Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. These drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster and may also prevent serious flu complications. This could be especially important for people at high risk. Antiviral drugs work best if started within two days soon of developing flu-like symptoms, which include: fever (usually high), headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches.

For more information on the flu or to pose a question to other people like you or to health experts, see the Healia Health Community on Cold and Flu.

Related Healia Health Blog post on National Influenza Vaccincation Week

_{Source: Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm}

_{Photo: Lost Albatross, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today expanded the number of Americans who should get the flu vaccine. The CDC advised that all children between 6 months and 19 years old should get vaccinated now with either a vaccine shot or the nasal spray vaccine. The CDC also continues to recommend the vaccine for people in high risk groups, including health care workers, people 50 and older, pregnant women, and those with chronic conditions.

Federal health officials stated that there should be plenty of flu vaccine available and that this year's formula will be more effective than last year's. Each year, the CDC makes predictions about the flu virus strains that will circulate in the coming flu season.

According to the CDC, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized each year for flu complications and 36,000 people die annually from the flu-related problems.

Parents with children should consider vaccinating their children well in advance of the peak flu season which is usually January and February. Call your pediatrician or local health department to find out where the flu vaccine is available.  

Have a question about the flu vaccine? Ask the Healia Flu Community.

_{Photo: Judy Schmidt, CDC}

A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that the Southern United States has some of the highest levels of obesity. Mississippi has had the highest obesity rate every year since 2004. Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Louisiana have also clustered near the top of the list.

The South is known for a traditional Southern diet that is high in fat and fried foods. This type of diet along with a sedentary lifestyle is likely the reason for their high obesity rates.

1. Mississippi, 32.0 percent
2. Alabama, 30.3
3. Tennessee, 30.1
4. Louisiana, 29.8
5. West Virginia, 29.5
6. Arkansas, 28.7
7. South Carolina, 28.4
8. Georgia, 28.2
9. Oklahoma, 28.1
10. Texas, 28.1 

 

Over the last few weeks, we have seen ice, rain, and snow storms devastate many areas of the United States; preparation is one of the best ways to combat winter weather problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers free winter weather and safety updates at http://www.emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/. This site contains information regarding emergency supply lists, winter storm preparation, indoor and outdoor safety, and loss of power preparation.

This week, winter weather warnings and advisories were posted due to a cold front that stretched from Texas to New Hampshire. According to CNN, roads were treacherous and more than a half-million homes and businesses lost power from the Plains into parts of the Northeast due to ice and freezing rain. To prevent injuries from winter weather, the CDC suggests equipping your car with the following emergency supplies:

• Cell phone; portable charger and extra batteries
• Shovel
• Windshield scraper
• Battery-powered radio (and extra batteries)
• Flashlight (and extra batteries)
• Water
• Snack food
• Extra hats, coats, mittens
• Blankets
• Chains or rope
• Tire chains
• Canned compressed air with sealant (emergency tire repair)
• Road salt and sand
• Booster cables
• Emergency flares
• Bright colored flag; help signs
• First aid kit
• Tool kit
• Road maps
• Compass
• Waterproof matches and a can (to melt snow for water)
• Paper towels