August 2013

Did You Know? is a weekly feature from the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support to inform your prevention activities. We invite you to read, share, and take action!

View the Current Did You Know?

August 30, 2013

Comprehensive worksite health promotion programs can reduce sick leave, health plan costs, and workers’ compensation and disability insurance costs by about 25%, according to an evaluation of 62 studies [PDF-541KB].
Only 6.9 percent of employers offer comprehensive worksite health promotion programs, according to a national survey.
The CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard is one of the few validated tools that can help employers assess and choose evidence-based strategies to build comprehensive worksite health promotion programs.

August 23, 2013

Fungal diseases, including fungal meningitis, pose a threat to public health nationally and globally. Early and accurate diagnosis by healthcare professionals is essential.
Valley fever is sweeping across the Southwest. Learn more about this disease and its costly consequences [PDF-2.9MB]—affecting more than 20,000 people each year.
CDC is taking action [PDF-391KB] to understand why and how different fungal diseases are more common in certain geographic regions by responding to outbreaks, monitoring long-term trends, and promoting cost-effective prevention measures.

August 16, 2013

The CDC Learning Connection provides free access to learning products and training resources from across the public health community.
Users can browse monthly spotlights on public health topics and mobile lessons on the go, and access CDC TRAIN, the most comprehensive catalog of public health learning products in the nation.
Health professionals can sign-up for a free CDC TRAIN account and search through thousands of online courses, including continuing education courses.

August 9, 2013

Obesity rates among low-income preschool children declined slightly from 2008 through 2011 in 19 of 43 states and US territories studied.
Children who are overweight or obese as preschoolers are 5 times as likely as normal-weight children to be overweight or obese as adults.
State and local officials can use recommended strategies [PDF-2.6MB] to help drive down rates of childhood obesity in their communities.

August 2, 2013

Routine childhood immunization prevents an estimated 20 million cases of disease and 42,000 deaths per year.
Every year, scientific and medical experts review the latest research on how to control vaccine-preventable diseases to update the schedule of recommended vaccines. See the 2013 schedules for children, teens, and adults.
New posters, videos, PSAs, tweets, Facebook posts, and more are available to share during National Immunization Awareness Month in August and year-round.