PCD News Summary for December 14, 2017
Notice to News Media – PCD Release Time and Embargo Policy:
CDC’s News Media Branch releases to reporters the PCD media packet every Tuesday afternoon between 12 and 2 pm.
Embargoed until Thursday, December 14, at 12:00 PM ET
Prevalence of and Trends in Diabetes Among Veterans in the United States, 2005-2014
The overall prevalence of diabetes among U.S. military veterans increased between 2005 and 2014. Researchers examined data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2014 to determine the prevalence and trends of diabetes in U.S. military veterans. They found that the overall prevalence of diabetes among veterans significantly increased from nearly 16 percent in 2005-2006 to nearly 21 percent in 2013-2014.
Melissa Newton
mnewton@cdc.gov
404-718-6281
Effects of a 100% Tobacco-Free Worksite Policy on Employee Tobacco Attitudes and Behaviors at a Local Authority for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities in Austin, Travis County, Texas, 2010-2012
Adoption of 100 percent tobacco-free campus policies in behavioral health settings can result in significant reductions in staff tobacco use. Integral Care (IC), a local authority for behavioral health and developmental disabilities in Austin, Texas, and Austin Public Health (APH) embarked on a comprehensive planning process before implementing a 100 percent tobacco-free campus policy. Integral Care and APH conducted a web-based employee survey six months before and six and 12 months after implementation of the policy to measure employee tobacco use prevalence and attitudes. Employees had significant improvements in tobacco use prevalence and attitudes towards the tobacco-free policy pre- and post-implementation. Tobacco use prevalence among staff decreased from 27.6 percent to 13.8 percent, and support for the policy increased from 60.6 percent to 80.3 percent at one year post-baseline.
Melissa Newton
mnewton@cdc.gov
404-718-6281
Families’ and Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Barriers and Opportunities for Promoting Children’s Physical Activity in Low-Income Communities, Colorado, 2016
Although they believe physical activity is important, some low-income Colorado families say they have difficulty overcoming barriers that keep their children from getting enough exercise. Researchers conducted focus groups, surveys, and interviews with parents, youth, and stakeholders to understand barriers to physical activity among children in low-income households in Colorado and to identify opportunities to increase physical activity. Twelve themes emerged that reflected barriers to children’s physical activity. Within the family context, barriers included parents’ work schedules, lack of interest, and competing commitments. At the community level, barriers included affordability, traffic safety, illicit activity in public spaces, access to high-quality facilities, transportation, neighborhood inequities, program availability, lack of information, and low community engagement. Survey respondents most commonly cited lack of affordable options and traffic safety. Participants also proposed a set of solutions for addressing barriers and endorsed community input as an essential first step for planning community-level health initiatives.
Melissa Newton
mnewton@cdc.gov
404-718-6281
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Note: Not all articles published in PCD represent work done at CDC. In your stories, please clarify whether a study was conducted by CDC (“a CDC study”) or by another institution (“a study published by CDC”). The opinions expressed by authors contributing to PCD do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CDC or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated. PCD requests that, when possible, you include a live link to the article in your stories.
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