Total Worker Health


SAMHSA Reorients Block Grant Programs

The new approach aims the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grants and the Community Mental Health Services Block Grants to aid millions of currently uninsured Americans who will be covered beginning in 2014 because of the Affordable Care Act.

A tobacco-free world by 2040? The NCD Alliance favors it.

Calls Grow Louder to Address Non-Communicable Diseases

Advocates for the You're the Cure campaign lobbied Congress April 12 for more funding targeting heart disease and stroke. The Lancet's NCD Action Group and the NCD Alliance published a statement calling for a tobacco-free world by 2040.

Claims about the relationship between caffeine and alertness and caffeine and increased physical endurance were accepted.

EU Food Safety Agency Rejects Most Health Claims

When the European Food Safety Authority published its opinions April 8 on 442 proposed health claims for food products, it rejected 80 percent of them.

DOL Seeks Comments on Electronic Disclosure by Employee Benefit Plans

The Department of Labor recently announced it is soliciting public comments to assist in determining whether and possibly how to expand or modify current rules regarding the electronic distribution of employee benefit plan information.

Study Finds Welders May be at Increased Risk for Brain Damage

Workers exposed to welding fumes may be at increased risk of damage to the same brain area harmed by Parkinson's disease, according to a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Workplace Design Changes Help Employees Keep Weight Off, Study Says

Researchers found that simple, low-cost interventions — for example, encouraging workers to take the stairs and making healthy options available in vending machines — helped to avoid employee weight gain.

New Federal Guidelines on Preventing Catheter-Related Infections

Following them can improve patient safety and reduce medical costs. Such infections are now considered largely preventable, experts say.

Is Sneezing a Sign of a Cold or Allergies?

A runny or stuffy nose and non-stop sneezing can leave you feeling miserable, but is it a cold or are allergies taking a toll? Finding out whether your symptoms are caused by a cold or allergy is the first step to finding relief, according to allergist members of American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.



Fun, Simple, Rewarding: The New Paradigm

Three keywords are the way to go with programs that encourage employees to become interested in better health.

"Safety is NO Accident: Live Injury-Free" is the theme of NPHW 2011.

Health Groups Focus NPHW on Injuries, Violence

The American Public Health Association kicked off National Public Health Week on April 4 with its first-ever Twitter conversation about preventing both.

Overweight Women, Children Underestimate True Weight, Study Says

“These findings imply that not only is obesity prevalent in urban America, but that those most affected by it are either unaware or underestimate their true weight,” said Dr. Nicole E Dumas, lead author of the study.

Physical Activity Decreases Salt's Effect on Blood Pressure: AHA

“Restricting sodium is particularly important in lowering blood pressure among more sedentary people," said Casey M. Rebholz, M.P.H., lead author of the study.

Oregon's Public Health Week Focused on Injury Prevention

Highlights of the April 4-8 event are the University of Washington School of Public Health dean speaking on the future of public health and the director of CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion speaking on the future direction of chronic disease prevention.

Older Adults Not Getting Recommended Preventive Services: CDC

"If we can help patients age 65 and older get the recommended preventive screenings and regular immunizations, we could significantly reduce unnecessary illness," said Edward Langston, M.D., an American Medical Association board member.

Study Finds Drug-Related Poisoning Causes Nearly 700,000 ER Visits a Year

As new visits for drug-related poisoning in the United States continue to rise, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Association of Poison Control Centers are raising awareness about the dangers of drug poisoning as part of Poison Prevention Week (March 20-26).

Pollution -- both indoor and outdoor -- is a major topic of the International Conference on Environmental and Occupational Determinants of Cancer event.

Conference to Issue Call to Action on Environmental, Occupational Cancers

Asbestos, solar exposure, and pollution -- both indoor and outdoor -- are areas to be discussed during the March 17-18 WHO meeting in Asturias, Spain.

Coffee Drinking Linked to Reduced Stroke Risk in Women, Study Says

Low or no coffee consumption was associated with an increased risk of stroke in a study of 34,670 women (ages 49 to 83) followed for an average 10.4 years.

FDA Approves First New Lupus Drug in 56 Years

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved Benlysta (belimumab) to treat patients with active, autoantibody-positive lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus) who are receiving standard therapy, including corticosteroids, antimalarials, immunosuppressives, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

NSC Launches New Safety, Health Resource for Employers

The resource combines tools, materials, and activities geared to help an organization develop and maintain a successful needs-based program.

About 6 million children are overweight, and that will have an effect as they age into the workforce, said Dr. Joseph Castorina, national director of occupational medicine for Concentra.

Picturing Tomorrow's Workers

Experts wonder whether the next generation of American workers will be healthy enough for the long haul. The latest diabetes estimates from CDC and new dietary guidelines from HHS and USDA are warning signs.

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