Prevention – Page 48 – AZ Dept. of Health Services News

Topics here will include issues that fall into the Prevention Division of the agency, which include – as the name implies – programs that help prevent disease in our state. You will find information about chronic diseases (cancer, heart health, breathing disorders) as well as tobacco use prevention. This area also includes education about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Women, Infant and Children programs; both USDA programs that help provide nutrition to lower income residents.

Home Visiting: An Evidence-Based Best Practice

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:56-07:00December 26th, 2013|Prevention|

Home visiting programs are highly effective at coaching new parents to be better parents. Home visiting is particularly effective in building skills needed to be an effective parent as well as providing support for breastfeeding, nutrition, child development, fussy babies, oral health, and access to community resources. Arizona has a long tradition of supporting home visiting. Arizona's coalition of partners [...]

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Smoking & Stillbirth

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:56-07:00December 23rd, 2013|Prevention|

It’s been almost 50 years since the 1st Surgeon General’s report on the health dangers of smoking and we’re still fighting the battle. About 43 million Americans smoke despite decades of warnings. Science continues to uncover dangerous aspects of tobacco use. A new report highlights the threat to unborn children. The study published in Obstetrics [...]

Newborn Screening Turn-Around Times

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:57-07:00December 13th, 2013|Newborn Screening, Prevention|

An investigative article published by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel a couple of weeks ago has triggered a state by state assessment of newborn screening programs across the country. Arizona is no exception. Our newborn screening and maternal and child health teams have been reviewing our procedures and looking for ways to improve Arizona’s performance. For example, several Arizona [...]

Arizona “Mission of Mercy” Starts Tomorrow

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:57-07:00December 12th, 2013|Prevention|

Seems like anytime you hear a 100+ year old person being interviewed about the secret to long life they say “take care of your teeth and feet and drink cod liver oil”. For good reason. Good oral health is critical to a person’s overall health. Tooth decay and gum disease are linked with heart disease, [...]

Feet Slowing You Down?

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:57-07:00December 10th, 2013|Prevention|

The health of your feet is probably one of the most underappreciated yet important keys to your overall health. Each foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and associated tendons – all taking tremendous pounding over the years. It’s estimated that 75% of Americans will experience foot problems in their lifetime. While both [...]

Teen Stress

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:58-07:00December 9th, 2013|Prevention|

Is the teen in your life stressed out? You’re not alone. According to a recent survey conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health and National Public Radio, almost 40% of parents say their high-schooler is having stress from the demands of achieving good grades in honors [...]

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Arizonans Continue to Kick the Habit

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:58-07:00December 6th, 2013|Prevention|

We continue to make strides to get Arizonans to Kick the Habit. We got the good news this week that Arizona’s adult smoking rate dropped 2 more percentage points in the last year… going from 19% 2011 to 17% today. The data come from this year’s CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System… and it translates [...]

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Flu Near You

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:58-07:00December 5th, 2013|Prevention|

Flu Near You is a free tool that’s been made to help in the fight against flu. The way it works is that people like you and I anonymously report each week on whether we had symptoms or flu shots. The information is used to place a dot on a map of the community so [...]

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To Spank or Not to Spank?

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:58-07:00December 4th, 2013|Prevention|

Finding effective ways to guide kids can be a struggle- especially since each child responds so differently. From “time outs” to “spanking”, parents hope that discipline works to modify behavior. But what about the long-term impact of discipline like spanking? Is it effective in the long-run? A recent study completed and published in the journal [...]

Ocean Predators & Pregnancy

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:58-07:00December 3rd, 2013|Prevention|

There was good news this week about preconception health. A report just out from the EPA found that more women of childbearing age have been avoiding eating the kinds of ocean predators that typically contain mercury (Hg). This is important because mercury can affect the baby’s brain being developed during pregnancy. Mercury is found in [...]

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