September CDC/NPHIC Call: Key Updates for Public Health Communicators
Did you miss NPHIC’s September 23 CDC/NPHIC Partner Meeting? The call featured timely updates and resources for public health communicators, including an overview of Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) training, the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, and a new website providing local-level COVID-19, RSV and flu transmission estimates.
Presenters also shared…
CDC Report Highlights Disparities in Violent Deaths and Suicide
A new CDC report published finds that more than 72,000 violent deaths occurred across the 50 states and District of Columbia in 2023, with suicides accounting for 62.4% and homicides for 28.5%.
Data from the National Violent Death Reporting System showed substantial disparities: American Indian or Alaska Native people had the highest suicide rate, while Black males had the highest homicide ra…
New Data Show Continued Youth Use of E-Cigarettes and Nicotine Pouches
New 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey data show that 5.2% of U.S. middle and high school students currently use e-cigarettes, while 1.7% use nicotine pouches. The analysis, published October 5 in Public Health Alerts, estimates 1.4 million youth currently vape and 3.7 million have ever used e-cigarettes.
Use was higher among high school students, with 7.1% currently vaping. Among current use…
Medication Overload Raises Safety Concerns for Older Adults
A new KFF Health News report highlights the risks of medication overload among older adults, with experts urging regular reviews to determine whether prescriptions remain necessary.
Geriatrician K. Eric De Jonge says people taking six or seven prescription medications face a nearly 100% chance of experiencing some type of side effect or intolerance. The report notes that medications can accum…
New Learning Opportunity – Talking Health On-Demand Training
The de Beaumont Foundation has launched a free, self-paced Talking Health On-Demand Training to strengthen communication skills among public health professionals.
Recently launched, the approximately six-hour course addresses a recognized skills gap through five interactive modules covering effective communication, research-based messaging strategies, audience tailoring, storytelling w…
Free Health Literacy Resources Available for Health Literacy Month
For Health Literacy Month this October, the Institute of Museum and Library Services is highlighting free health literacy resources through its Information Literacy Initiative, which helps people build skills to find, evaluate, and use information.
InformationLiteracy.gov offers educators and museum and library professionals ready-to-use lesson plans, activities, teaching strategies, and othe…
State of Obesity Report 2026: Better Policies for a Healthier America
New data from Trust for America’s Health’s 2026 State of Obesity report show that adult obesity raState of Obesity Report 2026: Better Policies for a Healthier Americates remained stable nationally in 2025, but the number of states with rates at or above 35% increased to 21, up from 19 in 2024.
About 4 in 10 U.S. adults have obesity, while more than 21% of children and adolescents ages 2 to 1…