The September issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research, is now online at http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/. In this issue of NIH News in Health:

“Good Health to Go: Eating Smart at School”
“Back to School with Diabetes: Plan Ahead for a Smooth Start to School”
“Health Capsules”:

• Children’s Physical Activity Drops
• Diabetes and a Healthy Pregnancy
• Featured Web Site: NIDA Goes Back to School http://www.backtoschool.drugabuse.gov/

Download a PDF version for printing http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/pdf/NIHNiH Sep08.pdf [scb]

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. - August 25, 2008) A new grant from The Commonwealth Fund will be used by The Joint Commission to revise and develop accreditation standards for culturally competent patient-centered care in hospitals across America. This standards development initiative builds upon The Joint Commission’s ongoing Hospitals, Language, and Culture: A Snapshot of the Nation study that examines how hospitals in the United States respond to the diverse cultural and language needs of their patients.The Joint Commission is currently seeking nominations for the Expert Advisory Panel. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. The deadline to submit nominations is Monday, September 8, 2008. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/5fhryd [scb]

Public’s Use of the Internet for Health Information Rapidly Escalates
A national study released today by the Center for Studying Health System Change shows that Americans are increasingly looking for health information from sources other than medical professionals. In 2007, 56 percent of American adults sought health information from a source other than their own doctor, up from 38 percent in 2001. The proportion of Americans using the Internet for personal health information doubled since 2001.
Read the news release. http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=33852&c=EMC-CA142
Read the study. http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=33774&c=EMC-CA142
[from the RWJF Contents Alert]

From the Center for Studying Health System Change, see Tracking Report No. 20, August 2008 http://www.hschange.org/CONTENT/1006/ [scb]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched CDC-TV, a new online video resource available through the CDC. CDC-TV videos will cover a variety of health, safety and preparedness topics. The premiere series on CDC-TV is “Health Matters.” The first segment of the series, “Break the Silence: Stop the Violence,” addresses the topic of teen dating violence. In this video, parents and teens discuss the problem of dating violence and how to prevent it.

The library of available videos through CDC-TV will expand to include single-topic presentations as well as series for children, parents and public health professionals. Most are short and all include captioning for the hearing-impaired. The videos are part of CDC’s efforts to increase access to information that can help people prevent illness and injury.

Click here to visit the video library. [rb]

Quarter of Latinos Get No Health Information from Medical Professionals, New Survey Finds

WASHINGTON - More than one in four Hispanic adults in the United States lack a usual health care provider and a similar proportion report obtaining no health care information from medical professionals in the past year, according to a report released today by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

At the same time, the report finds that more than eight in 10 receive health information from alternative sources, such as television and radio. This includes most of those who get no information from doctors or other medical professionals.

The report Hispanics and Health Care in the United States: Access, Information and Knowledge is available at the Pew Hispanic Center’s website, http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=91, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s website, http://www.rwjf.org. [scb]

This year, under American Library Association (ALA) President Jim Rettig’s leadership, members will have new opportunities to participate in ALA and to communicate their success stories. One of these opportunities is an ALA-wide virtual poster session. The first of two poster sessions will debut this fall. Its focus is “Community Central.”

Share your experiences of making your library vital in your community (any kind of community). The possibilities are almost endless. Are you reaching underserved populations? Are you vital to local political activity? Is your library a center of learning? Are you visible outside the building? Demonstrate the specific purpose of your community involvement and the ways that you have achieved that purpose. Photos, images, and sounds may accompany your presentation. http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/august2008/rettigposter.cfm [scb]

Curious about what you can do to create a presentation and promote Consumer Health?

Take a look at this free, online product, a joint project of the NN/LM MidContinental Region, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, McGoogan Library of Medicine and MLS student, Michael Straatmann of the University of Missouri. Created on Google Docs and featuring information on MedlinePlus, Go Local Nebraska, the Consumer Health Information Resource Service (from UNMC) and Evaluation of Web Sites, it is accessible at: www.tinyurl.com/nebraskanotebook.

No need to download software, and no user or password needed! Use it to inform yourself or give a presentation! Your comments would be appreciated at: www.tinyurl.com/nenotebook or contact Marty Magee at mmagee@unmc.edu (mm)

The Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking nominations to fill vacant appointments to the 2009 Council of Public Representatives (COPR) roster. Nominations are due Friday, September 26, 2008, and are available online at http://copr.nih.gov/nomination.asp.
The COPR advises the NIH Director on cross-cutting issues related to medical research and health issues of public interest that ultimately promote individual, family, and community health. Examples of broad issues explored by the Council include community engagement in research, public trust in the research enterprise, enhancing public awareness and education about NIH, clinical trials recruitment issues, and aspects of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, such as reengineering the clinical research enterprise.

For more information, please visit the following Web sites:
Nomination instructions: http://copr.nih.gov/nomination.asp
Background on the COPR: http://copr.nih.gov
COPR fact sheet: http://copr.nih.gov/factsheet.asp
COPR member biographies: http://copr.nih.gov/current_members.asp /scb

The August 2008 issue of NIH News in Health is now online at http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/. The monthly NIH News in Health newsletter brings you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research.

In this issue:
Arm Yourself for Good Health
Stay Up-to-Date on Vaccines

As summer winds down, students from kindergarten to college are heading off to new schools, with lots of new people to meet-and new germs to catch. One of the best ways to guard you and your family against infectious disease is to stay up-to-date with your vaccines. full story

Matching Genes and Vitamins
You may be one of the many people who take vitamin and mineral supplements as a kind of insurance plan, to make sure your body’s getting enough of all the nutrients you need. New research suggests that doctors may one day be able to design a personalized supplement plan that’s best for your particular body. full story

Health Capsules

• Wide Waists Boost Risk of Death
• Online Care Helps Control Blood Pressure
• Featured Web Site: Findings

Click here to download a PDF version for printing.
[rb]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/ja08/ja08_senior_health.html
NIHSeniorHealth http://nihseniorhealth.gov/, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) consumer health Web site for older adults developed by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine®, released its redesigned site on June 26, 2008. As NIHSeniorHealth grew from ten topics in 2003 to thirty-seven topics today and added features such as exercise stories and its more than ninety-five health videos, the site outgrew its original navigation structure. The homepage includes enhanced navigation for health topics by First letter and Categories in the middle of the page. Each month a new or updated topic is highlighted in the Featured Topic section. The sections on Exercise Stories, Health Videos, and the Trainer’s Toolkit http://nihseniorhealth.gov/toolkit/toolkit.html appear below the new navigation. The Toolkit includes nine modules with a complete lesson plan and handouts for students. [scb]