health – Page 12 – Risk Management 365

Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for Kids

The following New Year tips are from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Preschoolers

I will clean up my toys and put them where they belong.
I will brush my teeth twice a day, and wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before eating.
I won’t tease dogs or other pets – even friendly ones. I will avoid being bitten by keeping my fingers and face away from their mouths.
I will talk with my parent or a trusted adult when I need help or am scared.

Kids, 5 to 12 years old

I will drink reduced-fat milk and water every day, and drink soda and fruit drinks only at special times.
I will put on sunscreen before I go outdoors on bright, sunny days. I will try to stay in the shade whenever possible and wear a hat and sunglasses, especially when I’m playing sports.
I will try to find a sport (like basketball or soccer) or an activity (like playing tag, jumping rope, dancing or riding my bike) that I like and do it at least three times a week!
I will always wear a helmet when riding a bike .
I will wear my seat belt every time I get in a car. I’ll sit in the back seat and use a booster seat until I am tall enough to use a lap/shoulder seat belt.
I’ll be nice to other kids. I’ll be friendly to kids who need friends or who may have a hard time making friends – like someone who is shy, or is new to my school.
I’ll never give out private information such as my name, home address, school name or telephone number on the Internet. Also, I’ll never send a picture of myself to someone I chat with on the computer without asking my parent if it is okay .
I will try to talk with my parent or a trusted adult when I have a problem or feel stressed.

Kids, 13 years old and older

I will try to eat two servings of fruit and two servings of vegetables every day, and I will drink sodas only at special times .
I will take care of my body through physical activity and eating the right types and amounts of foods .
I will choose non-violent television shows and video games, and I will spend only one to two hours each day – at the most – on these activities.
I will help out in my community – through giving some of my time to help others , working with community groups or by joining a group that helps people in need.
When I feel angry or stressed out, I will take a break and find helpful ways to deal with the stress, such as exercising, reading, writing in a journal or talking about my problem with a parent or friend.
When faced with a difficult decision, I will talk about my choices with an adult whom I can trust.
When I notice my friends are struggling or making risky choices , I will talk with a trusted adult and attempt to find a way that I can help them.
I will be careful about whom I choose to date, and always treat the other person with respect and without forcing them to do something or using violence. I will expect to be treated the same way in return.
I will resist peer pressure to try tobaccoe-cigarettes, drugs or alcohol.
I agree not to use a cellphone or text message while driving and to always use a seat belt.

via Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for Kids.

Benefits of Health & Safety Programs at Work

Here is an overview of potential benefits of workplace health programs for employers and employees.

For Employers:

Lower health care and disability costs
Enhanced employee productivity
Reduced employee absenteeism
Decreased rates of illness and injuries
Enhanced corporate image
Improved employee morale
Improved employee recruitment and retention
Increased organizational commitment and creation of a culture of health

For Employees:

Increased well-being, self-image, and self-esteem
Improved coping skills with stress or other factors affecting health
Improved health status
Lower costs for acute health issues
Lower out of pocket costs for health care services (e.g., reduced premiums; deductibles; co-payments)
Increased access to health promotion resources and social support
Improved job satisfaction
Safer and more supportive work environment

via CDC – Workplace Health – Business Case – Benefits of Health Program.

Wash Your Hands

Keeping hands clean is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of infection and illness.

Handwashing is easy to do and it’s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness in all settings—from your home and workplace to child care facilities and hospitals. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community.

When should you wash your hands?

Before, during, and after preparing food
Before eating food
Before and after caring for someone who is sick
Before and after treating a cut or wound
After using the toilet
After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
After touching garbage

What is the right way to wash your hands?

Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

via CDC Features – Wash Your Hands.

Prevent Diabetes and Prediabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood.

A person with prediabetes has a blood sugar level higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. He or she is at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, including heart disease and stroke.

How can type 2 diabetes be prevented?

Research shows that modest weight loss and regular physical activity can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in up to 58% in people with prediabetes.

via Resolve to Prevent or Delay Type 2 Diabetes.

Doctors Group Urges Tighter Controls on Prescription Painkillers

Abuse of narcotic painkillers and other prescription drugs is a growing problem in the United States, and a leading doctors group is urging members to exercise tighter control on the medications.

The American College of Physicians says its recommended changes will make it tougher for prescription drugs — painkillers such as Oxycontin and Vicodin, as well as drugs used for sleep problems and weight loss — to be abused or diverted for sale on the street.

Prescription drug abuse may now be a prime cause of accidental death in the United States, according to a recent tally of preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One 2010 survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, found that 16 million Americans aged 12 and older had used a prescription painkiller, sedative, tranquilizer or stimulant for purposes other than their medical care at least once in the prior year.

via Doctors Group Urges Tighter Controls on Prescription Painkillers.

Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

Ten Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

Be realistic. Don’t try to lose pounds during the holidays, instead try to maintain your current weight.
Plan time for exercise. Exercise helps relieve holiday stress and prevent weight gain. A moderate and daily increase in exercise can help partially offset increased holiday eating. Try 10- or 15-minute brisk walks twice a day.
Don’t skip meals. Before leaving for a party, eat a light snack like raw vegetables or a piece of fruit to curb your appetite. You will be less tempted to over-indulge.
Survey party buffets before filling your plate. Choose your favorite foods and skip your least favorite. Include vegetables and fruits to keep your plate balanced.
Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. Savor your favorite holiday treats while eating small portions. Sit down, get comfortable, and enjoy.
Be careful with beverages. Alcohol can lessen inhibitions and induce overeating; non-alcoholic beverages can be full of calories and sugar.
If you overeat at one meal go light on the next. It takes 500 calories per day (or 3,500 calories per week) above your normal/maintenance consumption to gain one pound. It is impossible to gain weight from one piece of pie!
Take the focus off food. Turn candy and cookie making time into non-edible projects like making wreaths, dough art decorations or a gingerbread house. Plan group activities with family and friends that aren’t all about food. Try serving a holiday meal to the community, playing games or going on a walking tour of decorated homes.
Bring your own healthy dish to a holiday gathering.
Practice Healthy Holiday Cooking. Preparing favorite dishes lower in fat and calories will help promote healthy holiday eating. Incorporate some of these simple-cooking tips in traditional holiday recipes to make them healthier.

via Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating.

Self-care for the flu

What can I do at home to recover from the flu?

Flu symptoms typically begin one or two days after your exposure to the virus and may seem to hit you suddenly. Among healthy people, flu symptoms vary in severity. Signs and symptoms range from a sore throat and runny nose to fever, chills and muscle aches.
Flu symptoms can make you feel awful, but if you’re otherwise healthy and you’re not pregnant, take care of yourself at home rather than going to your doctor. Try these remedies:
Take acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) to reduce fever and muscle aches. Don’t give products containing aspirin to children or young adults recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms, as these drugs have been linked to Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, in such children.
Drink clear fluids, such as water, broth or sports drinks.
Rest as long as you continue to feel tired, and sleep as much as you can.

From James M. Steckelberg, M.D., Mayo Clinic

via Self-care for the flu – MayoClinic.com.

Antibiotics Can’t Keep Up With ‘Nightmare’ Superbugs

We’re used to relying on antibiotics to cure bacterial infections. But there are now strains of bacteria that are resistant to even the strongest antibiotics, and are causing deadly infections. According to the CDC, “more than 2 million people in the United States every year get infected with a resistant bacteria, and about 23,000 people die from it.”

via Antibiotics Can’t Keep Up With ‘Nightmare’ Superbugs : NPR.

How is kidney disease linked to overweight?

What is kidney disease?

Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that filter blood, removing extra water and waste products, which become urine. Your kidneys also help control blood pressure so that your body can stay healthy.

Kidney disease means that the kidneys are damaged and can’t filter blood like they should. This damage can cause wastes to build up in the body. It can also cause other problems that can harm your health.

How is kidney disease linked to overweight?

Obesity increases the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, the most common causes of chronic kidney disease. Recent studies suggest that even in the absence of these risks, obesity itself may promote chronic kidney disease and quicken its progress.

How can weight loss help?

If you are in the early stages of chronic kidney disease, losing weight may slow the disease and keep your kidneys healthier longer. You should also choose foods with less salt (sodium), keep your blood pressure under control, and keep your blood glucose in the target range.

via WIN – Do You Know Some of the Health Risks of Being Overweight?.

Integrating Employee Health at NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) employs a highly skilled workforce accustomed to working under high pressure, short deadlines, and limited budgets. A healthy, productive workforce is integral to the success of NASA’s technically challenging high-risk missions.

In 2003, the Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer requested that the Institute of Medicine form a committee to review NASA’s occupational health programs, employees awareness of and attitudes toward those programs, and recommend specific options for future worksite preventive health programs focusing on, but not limited to:

nutrition, fitness, and psychological well-being,
incentives or methods to encourage employees to voluntarily enlist and sustain participation in worksite preventive health programs,
ways to create healthier workplace environments that are conducive to more active lifestyles,
supportive nutrition options to reduce risk factors for chronic disease,and
ways to evaluate the effectiveness of such programs.

via Integrating Employee Health: A Model Program for NASA – Institute of Medicine.