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Partnership Pulse

Nutrition: Partnership signed onto a letter supporting the School Food Modernization Act. Many schools lack stoves, refrigerators, and other equipment needed to prepare fresher, healthier meals. This bill would provide grants so schools can purchase cafeteria equipment and train food service personnel to serve healthier school meals. 

Partnership and many others urged the Secretary of Agriculture to use his existing administrative authority to allow demonstration projects in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps). Demonstration projects are needed evaluate new ways to improve the nutritional quality of purchases  through the program. 

Physical Activity: Partnership joined 70 organizations in supporting the Fitness Integrated with Teaching Act (FIT Kids Act). The bill would help schools implement quality physical education programs. Letters were sent to the House and Senate. The Senate included the bill in its version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. 

Tobacco: Partnership joined others in asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to deny requests to extend a public comment period to consider rulemaking on menthol in cigarettes and other tobacco products. The groups urge quick action by the FDA because menthol increases nicotine dependence and is appealing to youth.

 Prevention News

Obesity Rates are a Mixed Bag

Recent reports show that some progress is being made in the battle against obesity, but it's not time to celebrate yet. The best news is that obesity rates for preschoolers declined in 18 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands (out of 43 states and territories studied) between 2008 and 2011. And for the first time, low-income children saw a drop in obesity. Other good news is that adult obesity rates remained steady in all states except one (Arkansas). Now for the bad news. Obesity rates are still extremely high. The adult obesity rate is more than 30% in 13 states, and every state is now above 20%.  Even though obesity in children declined in many states, rates remained steady or increased in the other states and territories included in the study. Clearly, much work remains before obesity rates reverse course for the whole U.S. population.  

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued two final recommendation statements in July and August.  

Tobacco: The USPSTF recommends that primary care clinicians provide interventions (including education and brief counseling) to school-aged youth (ages 10 to 17) to prevent initiation of tobacco use (B grade). 

Glaucoma: The USPSTF found insufficient evidence to recommend screening for glaucoma in adults (I grade). It was unable to assess the balance of benefits and harms associated with screening patients that don't report vision problems.    

The USPSTF also made the following available:

• the evidence review for screening for lung cancer, along with a draft recommendation statement.
• the final research plan for screening for type 2 diabetes. The research plan will direct the review of the evidence to update the recommendation.
• draft research plans for aspirin to prevent cardiovascular events, and screening preschool children for speech and language delays. The public comment periods are now closed, but the research plans can still be viewed.

The National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council released its annual 2013 report. Read about activities that federal agencies and their private sector partners are undertaking to implement the National Prevention Strategy. Examples include: 

• the Million Hearts initiative to reduce heart attack and stroke (Dept of Health and Human Services)
• encouraging public housing agencies to adopt smoke-free multi-unit housing policies (Dept of Housing and Urban Development)
• establishing farmers markets, community gardens, and farm stands to improve access to healthy foods in underserved communities (Dept of Agriculture and Dept of Health and Human Services)
• screening and treating veterans for HIV, hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections (Dept of Veterans Affairs)

The NYC Health Department has released a free mobile app that helps  cooks calculate how many calories are in meals they prepare and suggests ways to reduce calories. Both home cooks and professional chefs can use the app. It can be downloaded to iPhone and Android devices. A web-based version is also available.

Partnership Seeks Strategic Partner

Partnership for Prevention seeks a strategic alliance with an organization that can assist in furthering the mission of advocating for prevention resources and expanding knowledge about effective disease prevention and health promotion policies. We seek to align programmatic and administrative functions to increase implementation of proven prevention strategies. Contact Rose Matulionis (rmatulionis@prevent.org, 202-375-7808) by October 15, 2013 for further details.

The National Health Council is holding a webinar on September 11 from 2:00 - 3:30 pm (EDT) on state exchange implementation. The webinar will cover what is publicly known about premiums and plan design, the insurance providers participating by state, information on states that have announced delays in implementing their exchange, and a discussion of the information patients should gather prior to comparing plans. Register here by September 9. Contact Kelly Garrity (kgarrity@nhcouncil.org) with questions about the webinar.

NC Prevention Partners and the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance will host a webinar on September 17 from 3:30 - 4:30 pm (EDT) on increasing physical activity among youth. Strategies from the report, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Strategies to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth, will be discussed. Click here to register. Also watch an earlier webinar on the National Physical Activity Plan in which specific strategies are identified to help Americans be more physically active.