|
|
We invite you to contribute story ideas and event listings for our consideration in Perinatal e-News. To submit items please e-mail contact@labestbabies.org. |
| |
|
|
|
The goal of Men's Health Week, sponsored by the Men's Health
Network, is to heighten awareness of preventable health problems and encourage
early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.
On
April 30, 2009, U.S. Representatives Barron Hill (D-IN) and Tim Murphy (R-PA) introduced
the "Men and Families Health Care Act of 2009" in the House of Representatives,
that will establish an Office of Men's Health at the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, modeled on the existing Office of Women's Health.
"There
is a silent health crisis in America,"
says Dr. David Gremillion of the Men's Health Network, "...on average, American
men live sicker and die younger than American women."
An
Office of Men's Health would address this crisis. In 1920, men could expect to
live about one year less than women, but the life expectancy gap has grown to almost
six years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Men
also have a higher death rate from each of the 10 leading causes of death: cancer,
injuries, cerebrovascular disease (such as stroke), chronic lower respiratory
disease (such as emphysema), diabetes, pneumonia/flu, HIV infection, suicide
and homicide.
Men
see a doctor about half as often women, and a higher percentage have no
healthcare coverage. Men make up most of the workforce of dangerous occupations
like mining and construction. And men are more likely to have less healthy
lifestyles and indulge in risk-taking behaviors.
African-American
men, in particular, are at high risk, with an average life expectancy of 68.9
years, lower than that of white men (75.7 years), white women (80.8 years), and
African-American women (76.5 years). African-American men are at particular at risk
of becoming homicide victims, with a rate of 1 in 30 for African-American males,
as compared to 1 in 179 for white males, 1 in 132 for black females, and 1 in
495 for white females
Because of its impact on wives, mothers, daughters, and
sisters, men's health is an issue that impacts the whole family. An Office
of Men's Health would coordinate outreach and awareness efforts on the federal
and state levels, promote preventive health behaviors, and facilitate the
sharing of information and findings among researchers.
Learn more:
Participate in National Men's Health Week
Men's Health Network's "The Silent Health Crisis" Fact Sheet
The Office of Men's Health
|
|
Hearing Screening in Newborns
|
|
Each year about 12,000 babies (3 in 1,000) are born in the U.S. with
significant hearing impairment, making it one of the most common birth defects,
and the most common birth defect for which there is a screening program. According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 90 percent of babies born
with hearing impairment are born to parents who can hear. Genetic factors are
believed to cause around 33 percent of cases of hearing impairment in infants
and young children.
Hearing loss may also be caused by environmental factors,
such as certain diseases or infections in the newborn, or the mother during
pregnancy, such as rubella (German
measles), cytomegalovirus
infections, toxoplasmosis,
herpes
infection, and syphilis. It can also
be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, or by preterm birth
(before 37 complete weeks of pregnancy).
In about 30 percent of babies with a hearing impairment, the
impairment is part of a syndrome that includes other health problems.
The CDC recommends that all babies be screened for hearing
impairment before they leave the hospital. Many states, including California, participate
in Universal Newborn Hearing Screening. The program is designed to ensure that
every infant who does not pass a hearing test is quickly linked with the appropriate
diagnostic and treatment services and any other intervention services that will
lead to the best possible outcome.
Without testing, babies with hearing impairment are often
not diagnosed until two or three years of age; and by this time, their speech
and language development may be delayed. A baby diagnosed with a congenital
hearing impairment should begin receiving treatment before six months of age. Studies
suggest that early intervention can allow hearing-impaired children to develop
communication skills comparable to those of hearing children.
Parents should be educated about signs of hearing impairment
in babies and children, and are advised to see their healthcare provider if
they notice signs, such as a failure to startle at loud sounds, not turning
toward the sound of a voice or imitating sounds (after about six months of age),
a lack of babbling at nine months, not using single words by 18 months, and using
gestures instead of words to express needs.
Learn more:
The
CDC's Early Hearing
Detection and Intervention Program
The National Center
for Hearing Assessment and Management
Hearing impairment information from the March of Dimes
American Association of Pediatrics Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs by state
Newborn screening information from the American Association of Pediatrics
California Newborn Hearing Screening program
. | |
|
Visit our Web News & Events section. | | |
|
