It’s as much a cultural challenge as it is an individual one. African-American women appear to be unmoved by the growing obesity epidemic among their ranks, with little regard to the serious health dangers it poses. They have the highest obesity rate of any group of Americans, with four out of five black women having a [...]
CDC Grant Allows Georgia to Expand HIV Testing Efforts
December 1, 2012 | Posted by
He is at peace, now. Rashad Santiago, 25, is always telling people to get tested for HIV. He works in a pharmacy in the West End of Atlanta. He counsels those who test negative to get tested again in six months. He provides life-saving medicines to people who test positive. But Rashad Santiago’s secret was [...]
Obesity Continues To Plague African-American Women
November 29, 2012 | Posted by
No population in the United States has a higher obesity rate than African American women, with four out of five defined as overweight or obese, according to a 2012 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their weight issues are also contributing factors in other maladies that typically plague black women more than [...]
CDC Strongly Recommends Flu Vaccine for All Over the Age of 6
October 14, 2012 | Posted by
As school bells ring out announcing a new school year and pigskins fly through the air announcing the arrival of a new football season, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) begins its annual influenza vaccine campaign. “Flu” or influenza is a viral illness associated with fever, severe muscle aches, general malaise and respiratory [...]
Meningitis Deaths Bring Attention to a Poorly Regulated Industry
October 8, 2012 | Posted by
As the number of cases of people contracting fungal meningitis has risen to 91 in nine states, with 7 deaths, health officials around the country can just hold their breath and hope the disease abates in its slow path of destruction. The outbreak is linked to people who received steroid injections primarily for back pain, [...]
Federal Immunization Goals – Close, but Still Unmet
August 24, 2012 | Posted by
Most kindergartners are up to date with their vaccines, but federal immunization goals nevertheless remain unmet, the CDC says. According to a CDC report, the average number of kids who have been vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella is 94.8%. Health officials have set their target at greater than 95%. “Coverage is not the way [...]
Youth Smoking Continues Decline, But More Slowly
August 10, 2012 | Posted by
Nearly 30% of middle and high school boys and nearly 18% of girls used some form of tobacco last year, the federal government said in a report published Thursday. Over the last decade, there has been a slow decline in tobacco use among middle and high school students, the report from the Centers for Disease [...]
CDC: Risky Sexual Behavior Among Black Youth Declines
July 25, 2012 | Posted by
While HIV remains a major threat to sexually active teens across America, recent studies show a drastic decline in sexually risky behavior among black teens. According to The National Youth Risk Behavior Survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, the percentage of black high school students that said they had [...]
Despite Childhood Obesity Concerns, Gym Classes Are Being Cut
July 11, 2012 | Posted by
Although First Lady Michelle Obama and others have brought more attention to childhood obesity, schools across the country are slowly getting rid of physical education programs. According to a survey conducted by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of students polled had no physical education during the week. In New York and [...]
Moderate Drinking While Pregnant is Now Ok Says New Study
June 21, 2012 | Posted by
I’m sure for somebody, this is “good” news: A new study out of the UK suggests that pregnant women can consume one to eight alcoholic drinks a week without causing any developmental problems in their children. Backed by funding from the Centers For Disease Control, Danish researchers studied more than 1600 pregnant women from their [...]
