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Partnership Pulse

Wishing you a happy holiday season and a healthy 2013!

Partnership for Prevention's board of directors and staff

In December, Partnership joined United

Health Foundation and American Public

Health Association in releasing the 2012 America's Health Rankings®. The Rankings found that Americans are living longer, but are unnecessarily sicker due to high rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and sedentary behaviors. Vermont was the healthiest state for the sixth year in a row. Every year, all 50 states are ranked based on a comprehensive set of measures that include health behaviors, public and health policies, community and environment conditions, and clinical care data. These measures assess the nation's health state-by-state.

Partnership has launched the National Coalition for Sexual Health,

which aims to improve sexual health and well-being by encouraging conversations about sexual health and promoting high quality sexual health information and health services. The launch follows a year of planning and consultations with experts. To date, fifteen organizations and a number of nationally recognized experts have joined. Action groups focused on health care and communications will meet in January and February, 2013.  The Communications Action Group will create and promote consumer-friendly language and messages about sexual health, conduct a national media relations initiative, and develop tools to help members create effective sexual health communications. The Health Care Action Group will select activities to facilitate providers' conversations with patients about sexual health and encourage the integration of sexual health into clinical practice.

The National Chlamydia Coalition's (NCC) new website now makes it easier to find resources and connect with experts. The website includes: an updated and improved Chlamydia Resource Exchange (CRE), a database of free public awareness and educational materials on chlamydia and other STDs; a new edition of Why Screen for Chlamydia, an implementation guide to help health care providers improve chlamydia screening; and an up-to-date list of resources for healthcare providers, including clinical practice tools, teaching materials, patient education materials, and CMEs.

The NCC has also formed a new collaboration with the National Committee for Quality Assurance.  The NCC recently shared evidence-based methods and resources for improving chlamydia screening HEDIS rates with more than 300 health plan representatives at meetings in Seattle, WA and Washington, DC.  

Jennifer Jenson, Managing Senior Fellow, served on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee that developed a new report, An Integrated Framework for Assessing the Value of Community-Based Prevention. The IOM has proposed a new framework for thinking about and measuring the value of community prevention. This framework stresses the importance of taking a comprehensive view when accounting for the benefits and harms of community interventions. This means accounting not just for health effects such as changes in disease, mortality, and quality of life, but also for the non-health impact of prevention activities on community well-being and community process. It also means measuring the resource cost of community interventions and comparing this cost with benefits and harms. The ultimate goal is helping communities and other decision-makers determine which prevention activities and interventions are worthwhile and best-suited to particular communities.  

Nutrition: Partnership joined more than 100 organizations and individuals in urging Nickelodeon executives to implement standards on the foods marketed to children on all Nickelodeon channels and other media (internet, mobile platforms, etc).   

Tobacco: Partnership and two dozen other organizations submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to a petition filed by tobacco companies. RJ Reynolds and the American Snuff Company petitioned the FDA to alter the text of a legally mandated smokeless tobacco product warning statement. The altered text would have presented smokeless tobacco as less harmful than cigarettes. 

 Prevention News

Childhood Obesity Starting to Decrease

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has issued provisional recommendations for 1) Tdap vaccine for all pregnant women, irrespective of previous vaccination status and 2) Measles, Rubella, Congenital Rubella Syndrome, and Mumps. Provisional recommendations are approved by the ACIP but are under review by CDC and HHS.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended health communication campaigns that include mass media and the distribution of free or reduced-price relevant health products. The Task Force has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of stand-alone mass media campaigns to increase physical activity. The updated evidence review found only moderate and inconsistent effects. 

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recently issued a final recommendation statement on menopausal hormone therapy for primary prevention of chronic conditions. The USPSTF recommends against the use of estrogen and progestin for the primary prevention of chronic conditions such as coronary heart disease, stroke, thromboembolic disease, pulmonary embolism, cancer, and bone fractures.  The USPSTF has also issued a draft recommendation statement for interventions to prevent tobacco use in children and adolescents, which is available for public comment until January 7, 2013. 

Report Highlights Gaps in Insurance Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Treatment