Prevention – Page 51 – 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.

Schistosomiasis, a blood fluke

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:08-07:00September 26th, 2013|Prevention|

You may remember that at the end of May, Maricopa County Department of Public Health warned us about avoiding swimmer’s itch by not wading along the shorelines of some of our lakes. Swimmer’s itch or cercarial dermatitis, is a rash caused by a tiny parasitic flatworm of birds that can occur in lakes and ponds throughout [...]

High Five for Hand Washing

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:08-07:00September 25th, 2013|Prevention|

We know washing our hands is the best way to prevent spreading germs, but a new study shows that one in ten people don’t wash their hands at all after using the bathroom. Only 5% do it right. It’s a big deal when you consider that half of the foodborne illness outbreaks happen because people either don’t wash hands or [...]

CDC’s Smoking Cessation Campaign

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:08-07:00September 24th, 2013|Prevention|

The CDC just released a report for their national smoking cessation campaign launched in March 2012 called “Tips from former smokers.” Nationally, the ‘Tips’ campaign led to an estimated 1.6 million smokers attempting to quit with 100,000 likely quitting for good. The campaign directed callers to 1-800-QUIT-NOW. If you call from an Arizona zip code you [...]

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Leveraging Medicaid to Help Arizonans “Kick the Habit”

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:08-07:00September 19th, 2013|Prevention|

Many of the health disparities in the US are linked to income. In general… the lower a family’s income the greater the prevalence of health disparities. Health impacts from smoking cigarettes are no exception. Arizonans below the poverty line (100% of FPL) are 40% more likely to smoke than those with more money... and about 34% of [...]

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The School Day Just Got Healthier

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:09-07:00September 17th, 2013|Prevention|

Nearly 32 million U.S. kids get meals at school every day- and the meals are based on new nutrition standards from the USDA. Kids attending the schools that participate in the program will have more vegetables and fruits, less fat and salt, and more whole grains. Portion sizes will better meet the needs of growing children. [...]

AZ Life Expectancy Pretty Good

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:09-07:00September 16th, 2013|Prevention|

A new report from the CDC shows some good news for older adults in Arizona. According to the report, people in Arizona have a life expectancy of more than 20 years after the age of 65, with 15 of those years healthy. This places Arizona as one of the top states in the nation for [...]

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Youth Smoking Cessation Campaign Launches

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:09-07:00September 13th, 2013|Prevention|

Our focus groups with young tobacco users across Arizona has found that teen and young adult smokers are different from adult smokers. Young smokers may not smoke daily and don't see themselves as smokers. They also aren’t receptive to the idea of needing help to quit. Many teen and young adult smokers believe that they can quit at [...]

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Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, September 2013

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:10-07:00September 5th, 2013|Prevention|

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and is a great time for us to take stock of where we are in the "Winnable Battle" of combatting obesity. Last month, we got some good news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that obesity rates in children and adults are leveling off after decades [...]

Filariasis

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:10-07:00September 5th, 2013|General, Preparedness, Prevention|

I thought I’d do a series on some interesting tropical diseases over the next few weeks. Let’s start with a disease called filariasis- which can cause something called elephantiasis. You’ve probably heard of a disease in dogs called heartworm. It’s caused by tiny thread-like worms called microfilariae. Like many diseases, there’s a similar disease that [...]

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New AZ Cancer Report

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:12-07:00August 22nd, 2013|Prevention|

Surveillance is a cornerstone of public health practice because it gives us the tools we need to identify priorities and craft effective interventions to improve outcomes. Cancer surveillance is no exception. Our Arizona Cancer Registry tracks and monitors the number and types of cancer cases in the state and publishes reports periodically. Our new report [...]

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