Prevention a priority for Americans in recent poll

Although debate continues over many aspects of health care reform, a poll released by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) found that Americans largely agree on the importance of preventive health care.

According to the poll (pdf), 76% of Americans believe funding for prevention should be increased. Even with 77% believing that prevention will save money, over seven in 10 believe that funding for prevention should be increased regardless of financial gains because it will prevent disease and save lives.

Interestingly, these trends are not bound by political partisanship, nor by regional differences. The memo from RWJF and TFAH reads, “American voters, from coast to coast and across the political spectrum, make it clear that not only do they view prevention as an important part of health care reform, but they are overwhelmingly in favor of increasing our investment in prevention programs. On this issue, people believe it’s less about cost and more about keeping people healthy and improving quality of life, as voters strongly support investing in prevention even if it does not save us money.”

 Read more about the RWJF and TFAH report.

Community-based primary prevention saves money

In an article June 24th from the Associated Press titled “Disease prevention often costs more than it saves,” an AP medical writer firmly states, “The truth is, shockingly few prevention efforts actually save the health care system money overall, despite claims by the president and some in Congress.”

And yet, in a February 2009 report by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), the researchers conclude that prevention will clearly save the country money. 

The difference between these two perspectives is based on the definition of “prevention.” Many individuals and reports consider the “early detection of disease,” such as mammograms and colonoscopies as a component of “prevention.”

However, if we focus on “prevention” as meaning avoiding the development of illness and disease in the first place, the numbers for these interventions are dramatically more straightforward and powerful. We believe that prevention and early detection are clearly different and need to be focused on separately, as they have clearly different cost-benefit ratios.

For every $1 invested in prevention, TFAH explains in their recent report, proven community-based disease prevention programs could save $0.96 within one to two years, $5.60 within 5 years, and $6.20 within 10 to 20 years. And these are just the returns on medical cost savings, not even taking into account gains in “worker productivity, reduced absenteeism at work and school, and enhanced quality of life” that would come from investing in prevention.

With this in mind, it is clear that the differences in cost and savings estimates stated by these two sources are determined by the definition. Using words like “often,” “few,” and “exceptions,” the AP reporter ignores the differences between forms of prevention that would bring nuance to her bold statement. Exceptions to her claim, the reporter admits, include using aspirin to prevent heart disease, vaccinating children, and quitting smoking. However, these exceptions are, in fact, exactly what is meant by “primary prevention.”

Healthier alternatives at the Taste

If you’re one of those Chicagoans who goes to the Taste of Chicago but leaves with the Stomach Ache of Chicago, be on the look out for these healthier options this weekend, compiled by Humana, Inc.

APPETIZERS

Celtic corn on the cob — O’Brien’s

Fresh fruit cup — C’est Si Bon!

Malnati’s salad (Taste portion) — Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria

MAIN COURSE

Chicken tacos — La Justicia

Crawfish boil — Lagniappe-Creole Cajun Joynt

Pasta-and-chicken salad — Tutto Italiano

Pulled turkey with BBQ sauce on the side — Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs

Shark — Polo Cafe & Catering Bridgeport, USA

Turkey burger — B.J.’s Market & Bakery

DESSERTS

Assorted fresh fruit — Dominick’s

Lemon or mango Italian ice — Mazzone’s Italian Ice

Strawberry cheesecake frozen yogurt sandwich — Celebration Creamery

(Courtesy of the Chicago Sun Times)

June 27 is National HIV Testing Day

One out of five people living with HIV are unaware of their HIV status, according to the latest CDC estimate. To hear stories from those who have been tested, head over to blog.AIDS.gov, which has collected stories gathered by organizations like the National Association of People Living with AIDS, POZ, Southern AIDS Living Quilt, The Positive Project, and others.

To find HIV testing sites near you, send a text message with your ZIP code to “KNOWIT” (566948) or visit www.HIVtest.org. After the jump, a list of 34 FREE HIV testing centers in Chicago, all found with a simple search on www.HIVtest.org. 

BHC Spotlight: The Community Health Charities of Illinois

BHC is proud to call the Community Health Charities of Illinois a stakeholder. Community Health Charities of Illinois is the result of a merger in 1998 between the Illinois Council of Voluntary Health Agencies (ICVHA) and National Voluntary Health Agencies of Illinois (NVHA). Connecting employees across Illinois with 40 premiere health agencies that focus on the diseases and disabilities facing more than 125 million people in the United States alone, Community Health Charities is the state’s largest workplace giving program dedicated solely to health causes.

The mission of Community Health Charities of Illinois (CHCI) is to improve the lives of people affected by chronic disease by uniting caring donors in the workplace with our nation’s most trusted health charities. CHCI connects employees to volunteer opportunities and the resources and education provided by these health charities. In addition, CHCI facilitates workplace giving campaigns for hundreds of organizations, giving employees the opportunity to support their choice among 40 health related charities through payroll deductions.

Over 125 million Americans are touched each year by the diseases their member charities are concerned with – so CHCI connects people to health care issues and causes they really care about. In addition, CHCI provides workforces with access to the full range of information, services and referrals provided by their member charities in order to improve the health and well-being of employees and to encourage community involvement.

CHCI’s member charities conduct research; provide patient services and education to improve the health of America. The work of their charities reduces the effect of difficult diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, mental illness, lung disease, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, kidney disease and many others.

CHCI is honored to be a part of the Building Healthier Chicago organization and have been involved with the worksite wellness committee. Through this partnership they are able to reach more individuals and corporations in the Chicago area in order to promote wellness and healthy living. More information can be found at www.healthcharities.org/illinois.

Graffiti and Grub: grassroots grocer on South Side

Chicago Public Radio featured the work of LaDonna Redmond in the food deserts of Chicago’s Englewood and Washington Park neighborhoods, where she’s formed a “a less effete Whole Foods.”

Opening a grocery story with healthy foods has been a dream of Redmond’s for years.

She’s named the place Graffiti and Grub. The first floor will be a grocery store this summer. The second floor – with its cherry wood floors and exposed brick – is the performance space.

The building is smack in the middle of two food desert communities: Englewood and Washington Park.

So Redmond’s emphasis is:

REDMOND: Fresh foods, fresh produce, locally grown, sustainable, organic. But we won’t necessarily use those words in that way. We’ll use those words in the way that we would organize them and they would spell S.O.U.L. – sustainable, organic, urban and local.

Read or listen to the entire report here. Or, for more information on Graffiti and Grub, check them out online on vocalo or their blog, or head to the store at 5923 S. Wentworth.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta begins 4-month fitness forum

In preparation for his 40th birthday, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, has announced a new initiative to help his readers get into shape.  Turning his blog and Twitter account into a four-month forum on fitness, Dr. Gupta is coordinating his effort with Twitterers like Lance Armstrong, Jillian Michaels, RichRoll, and JoePerez. BHC will be reading Dr. Gupta health and wellness advice through the posts on his blog and his tweets under hashtag #1023.

Childhood obesity hits a plateau?

Fast food of the past?

Tara Parker-Pope, who runs the New York Times’ Well blog, reported on an unexpected–but not unwelcome–trend in kids’ diets.

The eating habits of American children appear to be shifting. And for a change, the news is good.

High Body Mass Index for Age Among US Children and Adolescents, 2003-2006 (JAMA) Chicken nuggets, burgers, fries and colas remain popular with the under-13 set, of course. But new market research shows that consumption of these foods at restaurants is declining, while soup, yogurt, fruit, grilled chicken and chocolate milk are on the rise.

Read the full story here.

BHC Spotlight: Salvation Army

The Salvation Army Implements Keep It Fit Chicago to Help Chicagoans Develop Healthy Lifestyles

BHC is proud to call the Salvation Army a stakeholder. The Chicago Metropolitan Division of The Salvation Army (TSA) will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2010, and is one of the largest providers of social services in Illinois. Its service area encompasses Chicagoland, Northern Illinois and Northwestern Indiana, where it provide services that include feeding programs, emergency shelter for the homeless, disaster relief services, rehabilitation services, youth programming, counseling services and early childhood development programs.

At The Salvation Army, the credo is to do the most good, and the obesity problem in Chicago is one area in which the organization believed it could affect some change. The new and innovative health and fitness program, Keep it Fit Chicago (KIFC), was launched to great enthusiasm by TSA and Rush University Medical School in the Englewood community on January 10, 2009. KIFC is designed to help entire families from toddlers to adults develop healthy lifestyles and fight obesity.

Exactly what does “public health” mean?

If you’re not actually in the field, ”public health” may seem like one of those terms you’ve never actually thought about. Well, to save you the Wikipedia search, here’s a quick introduction by Building a Healthier Chicago’s Amanda Woodfield for Healthiest Nation in One Generation, offering her own definition of “public health.”

Healthiest Nation in One Generation, an initiative of the American Public Health Association, produced this video to give an immediate and effective introduction to public health. And this video has sparked a lot of interest from viewers, including some who–as one commented–”never understood how many different ways Public Health impacts us daily.”