Long-Awaited Ban on Menthol Cigarettes Could be Delayed into 2024
The long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes may not be announced by the end of the year, but pushed to 2024, according to officials from two national public health groups working to remove the products from the market. Both requested anonymity to discuss the decision ahead of any announcement from the Biden administration. The delay could be announced as early as next week, they suggested.
O...
ASPR Coordinates with Department of Education on COVID-19 Test Distribution
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced in partnership with the Department of Education, free COVID-19 test distribution efforts for school districts across the country. In a letter sent to local education agencies (LEAs) by ED, school districts are being encouraged to order tests directly from the federal government to be made available to students, parents,...
Muppets From Sesame Workshop Help Explain Opioid Addiction to Young Children
More than 4% of children in the U.S. live in a household with a parent who misuses opioids. Many of those children feel confused and anxious about what their parents are going through. Now Sesame Workshop, the educational nonprofit behind one of the world's most famous children's shows, is trying to give young kids a better understanding of addiction in families. The intention is to build their...
PHCC Webinar Recording: Structural Racism and Public Health: How to Talk to Policymakers and Community Members
The Public Health Communication Collaborative (PHCC) recently hosted the webinar, Structural Racism and Public Health: How to Talk to Policymakers and Community Members. You can watch the webinar recording and access the webinar presentation on the PHCC website.
There were many key takeaways from the speakers on communicating effectively about health inequities with policymakers and communi...
Native Scientists Lead $9 Million Research Project on COVID-19 in Indigenous Communities
Last week, the National Institute of Health announced $9 million in funding for the creation of a repository of Indigenous Tribal data for research on COVID-19. The hub will be led and monitored by Native scientists, with the goal of ensuring responsible data collection and sharing among scientists working with indigenous communities.
The project addresses the lack of stated rules in the ac...
A New Study Says the Global Toll of Lead Exposure is Even Worse Than We Thought
According to a new study in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, an estimated 5.455 million adults worldwide died in 2019 from cardiovascular disease (CVD) attributable to lead exposure — a toll more than six times higher than a previous estimate.
The study goes on to provide what its authors say are the first monetary estimates of the total global cost of these lead-attributable deaths, al...
Depression is Costing the Global Economy a ‘Profound’ $1 Trillion Per Year, Warns U.S. Surgeon General
As health officials continue to sound the alarm on the growing loneliness epidemic, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says the prevalence of depression is closely linked. Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk for mental health problems, including depression. About 280 million people—or 5% of adults globally—have depression, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“...
Maryland Aims to Tackle Contraception Deserts
As Maryland continues its push to expand access to reproductive health care, a new collaboration will look to improve contraception services in areas where people don’t have access to all of their birth control options. Maryland, by some measures, has some of the highest rates of unplanned pregnancies and is home to hundreds of thousands of women without easy access to comprehensive contracepti...
Communicators Need an Arsenal of Tools to Combat Disinformation
As disinformation becomes rampant, communicators and brands need an arsenal of tools to combat it effectively. These could range from social listening tools to media intelligence tools that aid in identifying emerging threats and, at times, even mitigating them, helping you to stay prepared.
To address disinformation, BCW, a global communications agency, has implemented a model that utilize...