Recommended community strategies to prevent obesity in the United States
The CDC initiated the Measures Project to identify and recommend 24 strategies that local governments can use to plan and monitor environmental and policy-level changes for obesity prevention... Journal Summary
Heart attack hospitalization decline and smoke-free areas
Barcelona's 2006 smoke-free law has had a positive effect in the decline in heart attack hospitalization rates in the city. We welcome your comments... Journal Review
The Lancet Series: Health in South Africa
The series documents the enormous health battles South Africa is facing on many fronts. As well as the HIV epidemic rampaging through the country, there is an equally devastating tuberculosis epidemic, with many people infected with both. Violence is the second leading cause of death and disability. Poor maternal and child health services mean South Africa is one of just 12 countries that have seen child mortality increase since 1990. And chronic lifestyle-related diseases are also on the increase, because of lifestyle changes and a gradually ageing population. Journal Summary
Urbanization--An emerging humanitarian disaster
Urbanization is a health hazard for certain vulnerable populations, and this demographic shift threatens to create a humanitarian disaster... Journal Summary
Mortality trends from CHD and stroke in the Americas
Even though published a few years ago, this study is worth highlighting for the ProCor audience, as it highlights the relevance of coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular accidents for the Americas region. Evaluating the secular trends of heart disease should be a priority for all countries... Journal Review
Impact of Spain's anti-smoking law on secondhand smoke exposure
The anti-smoking law in Spain has some exemptions that do not fully protect employees and customers from exposure to passive smoking, highlighting the need for comprehensive 100% smoke-free legislation... Journal Review
US Congressional Global Health Caucus Panel Briefing on "Chronic Disease in Emerging Countries"
A legislative briefing for the US Congressional Global Health Caucus in Washington DC on 13 July 2009 convened representatives from the Senate and House of Representatives, key US government offices, and others to increase awareness of the need for the US to assume a leadership role in developing solutions to global chronic disease.... Advocacy & Policy
2009 Rheumatic Fever Week Briefings - The First Salvo in a Global Campaign to 'Stop Rheumatic Fever by 2020'
The National Department of Health of South Africa declared the week of 3-7 August 2009 as Rheumatic Fever Week. Throughout the week, ProCor ran daily briefings on the worldwide campaign to prevent and eventually eradicate rheumatic fever. In this commentary, Dr. Bongani Mayosi, who organized the series of briefings, discusses the imipact of Rheumatic Fever Week and the necessity of ongoing global collaborative efforts... Advocacy & Policy
Rheumatic Fever Week in South Africa Day 5 Briefing: Tonga MOH aims to screen all schoolchildren for rheumatic heart disease (7 August 2009)
In 2003, Dr. Toa Fakakovikaetau embarked on an echocardiography screening program to determine the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease among primary school children in Tonga. Based on the alarmingly high incidence of RHD identified by the pilot screening program, Dr. Toa and other partners initiated more widwspread screening, treatment, and a registry. The program's data convinced Tonga's Ministry of Health that RHD represents a very high priority in child health, and has resulted in a national campaign to eliminate RHD by 2020. Advocacy & Policy
Modest salt reduction in whites, blacks, and Asians with mild hypertension
A lower salt diet can translate to favorable effects on blood pressure, urinary albumin, and pulse wave velocity in men and women of different race/ethnicities. Efforts need to be continued to modify the sodium content of prepared foods and individual food products, especially canned foods and soups... Journal Review
Rheumatic Fever Week in South Africa Day 4 Briefing: WHF program shows early success in Asia Pacific Region (6 August 2009)
The World Heart Federation has focused support for rheumatic heart disease control in the Pacific region where the burden of disease is high... Advocacy & Policy
Rheumatic Fever Week in South Africa Day 3 Briefing: Join global RHD registry (5 August 2009)
Do you want to join a global registry of rheumatic heart disease? A prospective, international, multi-center registry of 3000 RHD patients is being recruited from centers in Canada, India, China, Egypt, and participating countries from Africa and South America. Coordinated by the Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton Canada, this is an initial attempt to formally compare patient and practice profiles of rheumatic valvular disease in developed and developing countries... Advocacy & Policy
Rheumatic Fever Week in South Africa Day 2 Briefing: RHDnet (4 August 2009)
The Rheumatic Heart Disease Network (RHDnet) (www.worldheart.org/rhd) is the World Heart Federation's internet-based resource and communication center for rheumatic heart disease. It has been developed as a free resource for health professionals and communities around the world... Advocacy & Policy
Rheumatic Fever Week Day 1 Briefing: The A.S.A.P Programme (3 August 2009)
A recent study has shown that rheumatic fever is at the bottom of the list in terms of dollars spent for research on neglected diseases. A study by Mary Moran and colleagues has shown that only US$1.67 million was spent on research into rheumatic fever in 2007 compared to 1000 times that amount on HIV/AIDS... Advocacy & Policy
Effect of Mexico's public health insurance for the poor on diabetes treatment and control
Mexico's Seguro Popular has improved both access to health services and biological health outcomes among adults with diabetes. These findings may be applicable to other developing countries seeking to improve healthcare coverage for the poor by expanding their public health insurance programs... Journal Review
Smoke-free policies in Mexico and Uruguay
A survey in Mexico and Uruguay highlights the need to educate the lay public about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and benefits of smoke-free workplaces... Journal Review
Am J Prev Med: Tobacco policy and its unintended consequences among low-income women
The unintended consequences of tobacco policy among low-income women globally is the focus of the August 2009 supplement issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. "The devastating social and economic consequences of tobacco call for immediate global and concerted efforts to secure the health and well-being of disadvantaged women and girls"... Journal Summary
Indigenous populations worldwide face chronic disease, mental health, and poverty-related challenges
"In some Indigenous populations rates of lifestyle-related chronic diseases are increasing by more than 25% per decade. This is looming as an international public health catastrophe," states a Lancet press release announcing two key review articles on the health of Indigenous people in the 4 July 2009 issue... Journal Summary
100th anniversary of Chagas Disease: People still dying, progress still lacking
The 100th anniversary of the discovery of Trypanosoma Cruzi, which causes Chagas Disease, is highlighted in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases with several relevant articles. Chagas Disease is responsible for the highest estimated disease burden due to infectious diseases in Latin America, together with the intestinal helminth infections... Journal Summary
Smoking cessation for hospitalized CAD patients
Providing smoking cessation for patients admitted for coronary artery disease could have a major impact on health and health care costs... Journal Review
