CDC Reports Data for Injuries and Deaths Among Children

The CDC has recently reported data regarding Kentucky's unintentional death and injury rates for children. The unintentional injury death rate was 23.1 per 100,000 population; this was higher than the national rate of 15.0 per 100,000 population. The unintentional injury death rate was 23.1 per 100,000 population; this was higher than the national rate of 15.0 per 100,000 population.

Kentucky averages 255 deaths of children 0 - 19 in a year's time. Transportation deaths and injuries lead the report at 14.7%.

Kentucky Improves Health Ranking Among States

In 2008, Kentucky improved its health status ranking among the other 49 states by improving from 43rd to 37th in the state rankings, according to the United Health Foundation. However, the incidence of obesity since 1990 has increased 135%. Our percentage of Kentuckians without health insurance increased over 2007. Not surprising considering the economic climate.

Rise in Stress: Poor Health Habits

In the Boston Globe Sunday paper, an article reports on the consequences of the poor economy on health. Doctors and hospitals are reporting patients picking up bad habits they once had kicked, foregoing screening, and higher levels of stress. They are blaming it on the economy. Massachusetts health status in 2008 was third. Kentucky's health status improved from 43rd in 2007 to 37th in 2008. If Massachusetts is seeing this trend, what is the trend for Kentuckians?

More Funding for SCHIP

The Los Angeles Times reported on the January passage by Congress of additonal funding for SCHIP to cover an additonal 4 million children in the United States. It is expected to be signed into law by President Obama. This surely will impact Kentucky, with 67,000 eligible kids who are not currently enrolled.

According to the Washington Post and Kaiser Health News, Americans are struggling even more to pay medical bills in this worsening economy. Many of these have insurance but struggle to pay
" fewer benefits, higher co-pays and additional deductibles -- and are at risk for large out-of-pocket bills when serious illness or injury strike. "

Submitted by Dr. Bob Flashman

AMA Journal Reports Seniors Mixing OTC and Prescription Drugs

The New York Times reported on an American Medical Association journal that 1 in 25 seniors mixes over the counter drugs with prescription drugs and supplements and are at risk of suffering a bad reaction.

NIH Health Disparities Conference Focuses on Success in Addressing Gaps

The National Institute of Health in a fact sheet on health disparities frames the issue in this way: "Americans enjoyed improved health and longer lives during the latter part of the 20th century. However, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian/Pacific Islanders, who represented 25 percent of the U.S. population, continued to experience striking health disparities, including shorter life expectancy and higher rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, substance abuse, and infant mortality and low birth weight. Scientists believed these health disparities resulted from the complex interaction among several factors such as biology, the environment, and specific behaviours that were significantly impacted by a shortage of racial and ethnic minority health professionals, discrimination, and inequities in income, education, and access to health care."

In Kentucky, Appalachia also is impacted by high poverty levels, a shortage of health professionals, inequities in education and access to health care. HEEL was funded to address the rural health disparities in health literacy. One such project is Team UP! which successfully leveraged a state and local partnership to improve screening rates of never or rarely screened women in 9 east Kentucky counties. This project is being presented at a poster session at the NIH Summit on the Science of Health Disparities this week in National Harbor, MD.

KY Children not as Healthy as they could be : A Snapshot of Kentucky

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has published a report ranking the states on surrounding social, economic and physical environment factors that affect our health. According to RWJ "the levels of health for most Kentucky children fall short of levels for children in the most advantaged subgroups in the state and across the country."

The reports states:
"Kentucky ranks 30th among states based on the size of the gap in infant mortality by mother’s education, when comparing the current overall state rate of 6.2 deaths per 1,000 live births with the lower rate—3.9 deaths per 1,000 live births—seen among infants born to the state’s most educated mothers.

Kentucky ranks 29th among states based on the size of the gap in children’s general health status by family income, when comparing the current overall rate of 13.1 percent of children in less than optimal health with the lower rate—5.3 percent—seen among children in higher-income families."

See the complete report at RWJF website.