Category: 52 Weeks to Health

Alcohol And Your Health Drinking too much can harm your health. Excessive alcohol use led to approximately 95,000 deaths and 2.8 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 29 years. Of all alcohol-attributable deaths, more than 70% involved men and more than 80% involved adults aged 35 or older. Death rates due to excessive alcohol use varied across states, ranging from 21 per 100,000 population in New York and New Jersey to 53 per 100,000 population in New Mexico. The economic costs of […]

WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH? Your local health department’s mission, generally speaking, is to promote the public’s health. Public health professionals try to prevent problems from happening or recurring through implementing educational programs, recommending policies, promoting healthy lifestyles, assuring a safe environment and through the detection and control of infectious diseases. In contrast, clinical professionals like doctors and nurses, focus primarily on treating individuals after they become sick or injured. It is important to note that Kentucky is one of the unhealthiest states in our nation; but, a few healthy lifestyle choices could change this. First, eating normally proportioned helpings of […]

NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH: America, Take the Test! During National Nutrition Month®, celebrated each March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages everyone to “Put Your Best Fork Forward” by making small, healthy shifts in food choices when cooking at home. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend making small changes to eating patterns to include healthier ingredients while cooking at home. Choosing a variety of healthful foods across and within all food groups helps reduce the risk of preventable, lifestyle-related chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. “Evidence shows that making dietary and lifestyle changes can prevent […]

World TB Day is March 24th March 24th has been designated World TB Day in order to raise awareness and support for worldwide TB elimination efforts.  This annual event commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB.  TB has not disappeared – worldwide it still kills approximately a million people a year. Fortunately, the rates in the United States have declined steadily since the 1990s, after a brief resurgence.  In 2019, 8,916 individuals were diagnosed with active TB in the US, of those 66 were in Kentucky and […]

Poison Prevention Across the United States, around 67,500 kids each year are seen because of accidental poisoning.  Of these, around 17 children will die according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.  Around 85% of poisonings occurred at home. Overall, around 24 million people call poison control centers every year. Although most of these accidental poisonings do not turn out to be serious, it illustrates just how common accidental poisonings in kids actually are. Keep Your Home Poison Safe by Following These Simple Tips  General Install safety latches on cupboards for harmful products. Keep all products in original containers. Keep ashtrays […]

February is Heart Disease Awareness Month Are you at risk for Heart Disease?  February has been designated as the month to show that special someone how much you love them.   One of the best ways you can do that is to know if you are at risk for Heart Disease.  Some risk factors for heart disease can be controlled by you while other cannot.   A few of the uncontrollable risk factors are things you should be aware of such as: family history, age, and race.  Some risk factors that you do have control of are: being tobacco free, being physically […]

CANCER The 4th of February has been designated as World Cancer Day. Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems. Cancer is not just one disease, but many diseases, which require different treatments. However prevention strategies are often common to many, if not all cancers. A person’s cancer risk can be reduced with healthy choices like avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol use, protecting your skin from the sun and avoiding indoor tanning, eating a […]