MMWR

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

(Box) Arthritis Awareness Month – May 2009

Press Contact: CDC Division of Media Relations
Phone: (404) 639-3286

No summary available.

Prevalence and Most Common Causes of Disability Among Adults – United States, 2005

Press Contact: CDC Division of Media Relations
Phone: (404) 639-3286

• Press Release

Aging ‘Baby Boomers’ will likely cause large increases in the number of adults with disabilities over the next 20 years, suggesting a critical need to expand the reach of effective strategies aimed at disability prevention and management (physical activity, obesity, tobacco use, education, etc.) in the population. One in five US adults (47.5 million, 21.8 percent) reported a disability in 2005, an increase of 3.4 million since 1999. The top three most common causes of disability were arthritis or rheumatism, back or spine problems, and heart trouble. Women (24.4 percent) have a higher prevalence of disability compared with men (19.1 percent) at all ages. Disability prevalence increases with age, doubling with each successive age group (18-44, 11.0 percent; 45-64, 23.9 percent; 65 and older, 51.8 percent). There are approximately as many ‘Baby Boomers’ (ages 45-64) affected now as older adults (65 and older), suggesting that their growing numbers will increase demands on the healthcare and public health systems as they age into higher risk groups.

Outbreak of Escherichia coli 0157 Infection at a Day Camp Petting Zoo – Pinellas County, Florida, May-June 2007

Press Contact: CDC Division of Media Relations
Phone: (404) 639-3286

Petting zoo operators need to adhere to guidelines for supervised hand washing and other prevention measures that will help reduce the risk in children for infection from animal contact. Animal settings provide an opportunity for human-animal contact that may facilitate disease transmission. The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) set forth recommendations to minimize risks associated with animals in public settings. This report summarizes a description of an outbreak where even when the venue followed recommendations on the use of hand-washing facilities, signage, and hand hygiene compliance, there still remains a potential for disease transmission.

High School Students Who Tried to Quit Smoking Cigarettes – United States, 2007

Press Contact: Terry Pechacek, Associate Director for Science, Office on Smoking and Health
Phone: (770) 488-5493

Despite their relatively short smoking histories, many adolescents who smoke and try to quit are unsuccessful. Interventions that prevent initiation and increase quitting should be fully implemented to lower the prevalence of smoking among youth. Nearly two-thirds (60.9 percent) of students who ever smoked cigarettes daily tried to quit smoking cigarettes; however, among those who tried to quit, only 12.2 percent were successful. While the prevalence of success in quitting did not vary by sex or race/ethnicity, more students in 9th grade (22.9 percent) than in 10th grade (10.7 percent), 11th grade (8.8 percent) and 12th grade (10.0 percent) were successful at quitting. These findings reinforce the need to fully implement and sustain comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs that increase excise taxes, promote smoke-free air policies, and conduct media campaigns in conjunction with other community-based interventions, such as tobacco-use prevention programs in schools that include school policy and education components. These proven interventions are effective in reducing smoking among youth and adults.

####

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES