February 7, 2009 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day http://www.blackaidsday.org/

A statement from Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases states:

The scourge of HIV/AIDS, which continues to affect the African-American community disproportionately, highlights the importance of a comprehensive strategy to address the U.S. epidemic. African-Americans make up 12 percent of the U.S. population but account for nearly half of all new HIV infections [1] and almost half of all Americans living with HIV. [2] Recent analyses by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that in 2006, more new HIV infections occurred among young black men who have sex with men than in any other segment of the U.S. population. That same year, black women acquired new HIV infections at 15 times the rate of white women. [3] If African-Americans were a country, they would form the 35th most populous nation in the world but would rank 16th in the number of people living with the virus. [4]

Visit http://AIDS.gov for comprehensive government-wide information on HIV/AIDS; visit http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/ for information about prevention, treatment and clinical trials; and visit http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/specialtopics/hiv/ for information on protecting the civil rights and health information privacy rights of people infected with HIV.

You can read the entire statement at http://www.nih.gov/news/health/feb2009/niaid-04.htm

Thatsnotcool.com is attempting to raise awareness about digital dating abuse and stop it before it gets worse. Sponsored and co-created by the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the Office on Violence Against Women and the Ad Council, the site is designed to address new and complicated problems between teens who are dating or hooking up—problems like constant and controlling texting, pressuring for nude pictures, and breaking into someone’s e-mail or social networking page.http://www.thatsnotcool.com/ [posted on WWWEDU listserv]

AHRQ’s Superheroes Web site provides Spanish-speakers with:

• Tips on ways to stay healthy and talking with their doctor,
• Recommendations on preventive testing,
• Help in understanding prescriptions,
• A glossary of medical terms, and
• Links to other resources that provide health information.

The Web site is part of a public service campaign that urges Hispanics to stay healthy for their loved ones by visiting their doctor for regular screenings. AHRQ developed this campaign with the Ad Council based on research on what messages Hispanics respond to. The Spanish-language campaign features everyday mothers and fathers whose children see them as superheroes and encourages Hispanic adults to be more involved in their health care, especially preventive care.  Visit the Superheroes site at: http://www.ahrq.gov/superheroes/ [posted on Healthliteracy listserv]

Quick Guide to Health Literacy and Older Adults
http://www.health.gov/communication/literacy/olderadults/default.htm

Making Your Web Site Senior Friendly
is an informative checklist Web designers can use while creating online material for older adults. This checklist, published by the National Institute on Aging and the NationalLibrary of Medicine, is available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/checklist.pdf

Making Text Legible: Designing for People with Partial Sight
These guidelines provide good examples of effective legibility choices for anyone. It is available by the Lighthouse International at
http://www.lighthouse.org/accessibility/legible

Effective Color Contrast: Designing for People with Partial Sight and Color Deficiencies
These guidelines provide specific examples of
effective color contrast. It is available from Lighthouse International
at http://www.lighthouse.org/accessibility/effective-color-contrast

In Other Words…When Vision Is an Issue…Communicating With Patients Who Are Visually Impaired
is a concise article that offers practical tips for designing materials for people with visual challenges. You can find it at http://www.healthliteracy.com/article.asp?PageID=3774

Making Web Sites More Accessible for Users Who Are Older and/or Have a Disability
includes background information on visual disabilities and offers strategies for improving accessibility. It is available at
http://www.adrc-tae.org/tiki-index.php?page=TAEIssueBriefs

http://estudiabetes.com/
Thanks to a review done by librarian Maria Fernandez
Estudiabetes.com is a social networking site in Spanish dedicated to people of all ages with diabetes condition, and to the parents of children with diabetes. The main purposes is for them to share their experiences in dealing with the disease, as well as to offer to others, like them, information about diabetes that they have come across. The site also provides breaking news on diabetes.

State of the U.S.A. Health Indicators
Committee on the State of the USA Health Indicators, Institute of Medicine, 2008
Available online at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12534
“………..Policymakers, the media, and the public should focus on 20 specific health indicators as “yardsticks” to measure the overall health and well-being of Americans, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
By providing information that can be compared over time, these 20 indicators will also help Americans track the nation’s progress on improving our health and the effectiveness of public health and care systems.
The indicators are intended for the health section of a new Web site that the nonprofit State of the USA Inc. (SUSA) http://stateoftheusa.org/ is building as a tool for measuring and monitoring the nation on several fronts. The site will aim to help people become more-informed and active participants in national discussions about important topics — such as health, education, and the environment — by giving them a way to measure national progress from year to year and to compare it to that of other countries. Until recently, only researchers and academics have had the capacity for this kind of analysis.
The 20 proposed indicators together provide a broad picture of Americans’ health and the nation’s health systems. They reflect a range of factors that determine well-being, including how many individuals engage in certain risky or healthy behaviors, how well patients fare from the care they receive, and to what extent health professionals and facilities are meeting specific goals. [posted on PAHO/WHO Equity list]

Reducing Inequities in Health and Safety through Prevention
http://www.preventioninstitute.org/documents/HealthEquityMemo_012309.pdf
Prevention Institute and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Institute for Health Policy have released a position paper, Reducing Inequities in Health and Safety through Prevention. The paper emphasizes the need for a national commitment and elements of an agenda focused on achieving equitable health outcomes for all. [Prevention Institute Alert]

Access to healthy foods worse in poor areas
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_74043.html
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
By Anne Harding
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who live in poorer neighborhoods in the US are less likely to have easy access to supermarkets carrying a wide variety of fresh produce and other healthy food, an analysis of 54 studies confirms.
But they probably have plenty of unhealthy fast food joints to choose from, Dr. Nicole I. Larson of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and her colleagues found.
“The research I reviewed suggests there is a need for new policies and other local actions to address the problem of poor access to healthy foods in many lower income, rural, and minority communities,” Larson told Reuters Health.
Evidence is mounting, Larson and her team note, that segregation of neighborhoods by “income, race, and ethnicity” plays a major role in US health disparities, and accessibility to healthy — and unhealthy — food may be a factor. [posted in MedlinePlus Health News, Thursday January 22, 2009]

April is Minority Health Month. The HHS Office of Minority Health has chosen preconception health as the focus for Minority Health Month April 2009; the theme is “Ordinary Couples Don’t Plan Their Pregnancies: Be Extraordinary!“.  Learn more about the HHS initiative at http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=182 [posted on OMHRC E*NEWS FLASH!]

“My Oncofertility” is a website for consumers and providers to learn more about the impact cancer treatment can have on fertility of cancer patients. http://www.myoncofertility.org/

Wisconsin Pandemic Inflenza Toolkit for Families http://pandemic.wisconsin.gov/category.asp?linkcatid=2834&linkid=904&locid=106
Emergency Prparedness programs working on Pandemic Influenza planning have concerns about getting home care info to family members. If/when a Pandemic hits, the medical system will be overwhelmed and families will have to care at home for those stricken with flu, as well as other health conditions if health care facilities close and send patients home. For influenza it’s mostly controlling fever, hydration, and knowing when to call for further assistance. [Posted on HealthLiteracy listserv]

Annual CDC Report Finds High Burden of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Especially among Women and Racial Minorities
http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/Newsroom/PressRelease011309.html
Reported cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea in the United States exceeded 1.4 million in 2007, according to an annual report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These diseases continue to be the most commonly reported infectious diseases in the nation and pose persistent and preventable threats to fertility in the United States. The report shows persistent racial disparities across sexually transmitted diseases (STD), and a particularly heavy burden of disease among women. [posted on PHPartners http://phpartners.org/ - New Links for the week of Jan 16, 2009]

RWJF’s Pioneer Portfolio and Ashoka’s Changemakers have launched a global search for individuals and institutions who help people make better decisions regarding their health and the health of others. Now through April 1, 2009 you are encouraged to enter your idea as part of the new online, open-source competition “Designing for Better Health.”

What can often make the difference in the health-related options we choose are the nudges we get. Nudges are innovative little pushes that can help us make better choices. They entail an individual or institution intentionally creating a choice environment that makes it easier for people to make decisions that can improve their health.

View details of the competetion online at http://www.rwjf.org/pioneer/product.jsp?id=37528 [posted on RWJF Contents Alert]