In This Issue
America's Health Rankings
National Coalition for Sexual Health
National Chlamydia Coalition
Jenson Contributes to IOM Report
ActionToQuit Update
Policy and Advocacy
Childhood Obesity Decreasing
New Prevention Recommendations
Talking to Kids About Weight
Immunization Resources
Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Treatment

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Partnership Pulse

 Nov/Dec 2012

Wishing you a happy holiday season and a healthy 2013!

 

Partnership for Prevention's board of directors and staff

Partnership News
2012 America's Health Rankings® Released

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 Launches National Coalition for Sexual Health

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.

National Chlamydia Coalition Update

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.  

Partnership's Jenson Contributes Expertise to New IOM Report

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.  

ActionToQuit Update
On December 14, Partnership's ActionToQuit initiative co-sponsored a webinar on Meaningful Use and Tobacco Cessation with the University of Wisconsin - Center for Tobacco Research & Intervention and the Multi-State Collaborative for Health Systems Change.  Drs. Michael Fiore and Farzad Mostashari were presenters. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) run financial incentive programs that promote the "meaningful use" of certified electronic health records (EHRs) to improve patient care. Prompts can be built into EHRs for clinicians to record tobacco use status, advise the patient to quit, and refer or connect patients to cessation resources.
Policy and Advocacy

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

Some American cities are seeing declining rates of childhood obesity. Although researchers don't know exactly why rates are decreasing, the declines are occurring in cities with aggressive anti-obesity policies and programs, such as Los Angeles, New York City, and Philadelphia. However, rates are not declining equally in all populations. Hispanic and African American children continue to see higher obesity rates than white children. Read more here.
New Prevention Recommendations 

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. 

Resources and Reports  
Online Guide Helps Parents Talk to Kids About Weight
The STOP Obesity Alliance and Alliance for a Healthier Generation released a guide to help parents talk to their kids about weight and obesity. Weigh In: Talking to Your Children about Weight and Health is an online guide designed to help parents answer children's questions about weight and help them with issues like bullying and body image. The guide is for children ages 7 - 11.
New Immunization Resources for Healthcare Professionals
The Immunization Action Coalition has released two new resources for healthcare professionals who administer vaccines. Needle Tips (October 2012) is a free publication for healthcare professionals who provide immunization services to adults, adolescents or children. Vaccinate Adults (October 2012) is a shortened version of Needle Tips written for those who vaccinate adults. Both resources contain ready-to-print educational materials, vaccine news highlights, and a Q&A column with CDC experts.

Report Highlights Gaps in Insurance Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Treatment 

A report released by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids illustrates that gaps still exist in tobacco cessation coverage provided by many insurance companies. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires health insurers to cover tobacco cessation treatment and other A and B grade preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Thirty nine insurance policies from six states were analyzed for their coverage of tobacco cessation treatment. The analysis uncovered significant variation in how tobacco cessation was covered, as well as conflicting or ambiguous language. 
Partnership for Prevention was founded in 1991 by leaders dedicated to making disease prevention and health promotion a national priority and America a healthier nation. Partnership seeks to increase understanding and use of clinical preventive services and population-based prevention to improve health.