Maternal and Child Health Library
This and past issues of the MCH Alert are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/archives.html.
October 17, 2008
1. DHHS Launches Physical Activity Guidelines for
Americans
2. Report Provides State and National Data on Child Health
3. Research Brief Explores Findings on Reproductive
Behaviors and Motivation Among Adolescent and Young Adult Males
4. Report Addresses the Scientific Basis for Maternity
Practice
5. Fact Sheets Present Data and Trends on Economic
Disadvantage Among Children and Their Families
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1. DHHS LAUNCHES PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS
Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans provides science-based
guidance to help Americans ages 6 and older improve their health
through participation in appropriate physical activity. The Web site,
produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, contains
resources for health professionals and policymakers, for adults ages
18-64, and for organizations and communities, as follows:
* The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans are designed to
help health professionals and policymakers (1) learn about the health
benefits of physical activity, (2) understand how to participate in
physical activity in a manner that meets the guidelines, (3) understand
how to reduce the risks of activity-related injury, and (4) assist
others in participating regularly in physical activity. An accompanying
fact sheet presents the guidelines for all population groups and the
health benefits of physical activity as supported by the scientific
evidence. The guidelines and fact sheet for professionals are available
at http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/default.aspx.
* Be Active Your Way: A Guide for Adults is designed to help adults
ages 18-64 decide how to fit physical activity into their lives,
including how to decide the number of days, types of activities, and
times that fit their schedule. An accompanying fact sheet summarizes
the basic information in the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for
Americans and provides examples of physical activity. The guide and
fact sheet for adults are available at http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/adultguide/default.aspx.
* The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Toolkit offers
resources to complement and support what an organization is doing to
encourage people in their community to get the amount of physical
activity they need, based on the Guidelines and their own goals. The
toolkit is available at http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/toolkit.aspx.
* The Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report documents
the scientific background and rationale for the 2008 Physical Activity
Guidelines for Americans. The report is available at http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/Report/Default.aspx.
Additional Web site content includes frequently asked questions,
federal resources, how organizations can become supporters of the
guidelines and help get word about them out, and a newsroom. More
information is available at http://www.health.gov/paguidelines.
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2. REPORT PROVIDES STATE AND NATIONAL DATA ON CHILD HEALTH
America's Health Starts with Healthy Children: How Do States Compare?
provides state and national data on two widely used measures of child
health: infant mortality and children's general health status. The
report, produced by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to
Build a Healthier America, also compares the current state of child
health to national benchmarks. Content includes a national overview,
state-by-state comparisons, a state snapshot of North Carolina, and
profiles of all states. Findings are presented in two forms: a print
overview and a Web version that contains detailed state-by-state data.
Individual files for each state are available for download at
http://www.commissiononhealth.org/StateByStateData.aspx. The report is
available at http://www.commissiononhealth.org/Report.aspx?Publication=57823.
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3. RESEARCH BRIEF EXPLORES FINDINGS ON REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORS AND
MOTIVATION AMONG ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT MALES
Sexual and Reproductive Health Behavior Among Teen and Young Adult Men:
A Descriptive Portrait draws on the male data file from the 2002
National Survey of Family Growth to present a descriptive portrait of
reproductive health behaviors among U.S. adolescent and young adult
males (ages 15-24). The research brief, published by Child Trends,
examines survey results on several dimensions of reproductive health by
age and by race and ethnicity. Topics include sexual experience and
activity, use of reproductive health services, condom use and
contraceptive use, and fertility. The brief is intended to help health
professionals, policymakers, and parents learn more about the
circumstances of males in the adolescent and young adult years. The
brief is available at http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2008_10_07_RB_MaleRepro.pdf.
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4. REPORT ADDRESSES THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR MATERNITY PRACTICE
Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is and What It Can Achieve
presents a discussion of maternity care in the U.S. health care system
and identifies key indicators that show the need for improvement. The
report, developed by Childbirth Connection in collaboration with the
Reforming States Group and the Milbank Memorial Fund, summarizes
results of systematic reviews that could be used to improve maternity
care quality, identifies barriers to the use of evidence-based
maternity care, and offers policy recommendations and other strategies
that could lead to wider implementation of evidence-based maternity
care in the United States. Resources and tools are included. The report
is available at http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10575.
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5. FACT SHEETS PRESENT DATA AND TRENDS ON ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE AMONG
CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES
The National Center for Children in Poverty has released several new
resources on children who are considered poor and those who are growing
up in families with low incomes. The resources include the following:
* Basic Facts About Low-Income Children is a series of fact sheets that
provide data and trends on U.S. children who live in families with low
incomes. Facts and figures are provided for three ages groups: birth to
age 3, birth to age 6, and birth to age 18. Data are presented on the
number and percentage of children from families with low incomes by
parents' employment and education, family structure, age, race and
ethnicity, parents' country of birth, and where the children live. The
fact sheets are available at http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_849.pdf (birth to age 3), http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/download_258.pdf (birth to age 6), and http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/download_256.pdf (birth to age 18).
* Who are America's Poor Children? The Official Story details some of
the characteristics of children who are considered poor according to
the U.S. standard. The fact sheet provides information on the way
poverty is measured in the United States and presents child poverty
rates across the states. Additional topics include economic hardships
faced by children in America such as food insecurity, lack of
affordable housing, and lack of health insurance, and recommended
policy strategies to improve the well-being of children and families
living in poverty. The fact sheet is available at http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_843.pdf.
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