How Healthy Is Your County?

The 2011 County Health Rankings from UW Population Health Institute are out!
The Institute has used a specific model since 2003 to evaluate the health of each county in each state nationwide. This model weighs the county's programs and policies, health factors and health outcomes to come up with a final ranking. These categories include:

• Physical environment - Environmental quality and built environment
• Social and economic factors - Education, employment, income, family & social support, community safety
• Clinical care - Access to care, quality of care
• Health behaviors - Tobacco use, diet & exercise, alcohol use and unsafe sex
• Morbidity (quality of life)
• Mortality (length of life)

The top ranked county of 2011 is... drum roll please.... Ozaukee County!! Way to go! Ozaukee County was #1 in health outcomes and health factors!
Click here to see other top finishers

Click here for the interactive map of Wisconsin to compare counties around the state!

FTC Needs Your Input! - Does Self-Regulation of Alcohol Beverage Manufacturers Work?

The Federal Trade Commission announced plans to begin a study of the self-regulation of the Alcohol Beverage Industry. The Commission began major reports on the effectiveness of self-regulation among this industry in 1999 and the upcoming study will serve as the part of the basis for their fourth report. Out of past reports have come recommendations such as the Industry should have third-party review boards and the Industry should raise their ad standards. The new report will examine if voluntary guidelines are working today to reduce advertising and marketing of alcohol to underage audiences.

So here's where you come in. The FTC is looking for public comment on the proposed collection of data from alcohol manufacturers, the first step they must take in order to conduct their study. The topics they are looking to include are:

• "the companies' compliance with voluntary advertising placement provisions, sales and marketing expenditures;
• the status of third-party review of complaints regarding compliance with voluntary advertising codes; and 
• alcohol industry data-collection practices."

To share your comment on this issue click here.

The Marin Institute has also released a report on this topic titled, "Why Big Alcohol Can't Police Itself A Review of Advertising Self-Regulation in the Distilled Spirits Industry." It's definitely worth checking out. The report examines the code previsions the Industry is supposed to "voluntarily" follow, the number of complaints against ads violating these codes and follow-up action taken.

Let FTC know how you feel about the Alcohol Industry's self-regulation. Does it work? It doesn't take much looking into before coming to the easy conclusion of... no.

New Study Links Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy to Congenital Heart Defects in Infants

The journal Pediatrics published a new study titled, "Maternal Smoking and Congenital Heart Defects in the Baltimore-Washington Infant Study," which found maternal smoking during the first trimester of pregnancy increased the risk the baby would be born with congenital heart defects by 20 - 70 percent. A congenital heart defect is a condition some babies are born with which decreases the heart's ability to work well. These birth defects are the most common types of birth defects and make up for 30 percent of infant deaths as a result of birth defects every year. This new study shows how critical it is that a woman trying to get pregnant quit smoking. Quitting smoking before or very early into the pregnancy, the CDC says in a press release, "could prevent as many as 100 cases of right ventricular outflow tract obstructions and 700 cases of atrial septal defects each year in the US."

"Quitting [smoking] is the most important thing a woman can do to improve her health as well as the health of her baby," said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D. M.P.H. in the CDC press release.

Today, nearly 40,000 infants are born with congenital heart defects in the US every year and in 2004, hospital costs for these defects were $1.4 billion, according to the CDC.

If you are pregnant or are thinking of becoming pregnant and need help to quit smoking, click here for the Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation's  First Breath program.

You can also call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit the Wisconsin's Quitline site by clicking here.

For more information on the study:

Click here for The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's press release

To read the report, click here

Click here for more info on birth defects and smoking or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

For more info on congenital heart disease, click here.

It's That Time Again! The Alcohol License Review Committee Meeting!

It's already mid-March! Can you believe it?! I know I can't! With the middle of the month comes... the Alcohol License Review Committee (ALRC)! The meeting, tomorrow night (Wednesday March 16th) will be at its usual place, the City County Building rm 201. At Wednesday's meeting, the ALRC will likely be VOTING on the proposed changes to the Alcohol License Density Ordinance.


For those of you that are new to this issue... here's a little background info.


ALDO was adopted in 2007 in an attempt to address the increasing rates of violence and crime in downtown Madison. Studies have been done worldwide, and have come to the same conclusion that if you reduce the number of alcohol outlets in an alcohol-outlet dense area, like downtown Madison, violence and crime in that area will reduce. I could bore you with a bunch of facts and figures related to those studies and the exact findings they had, but I won't do that here. If you're interested in learning more about these studies start by clicking here. So ALDO was adopted to limit and slowly reduce the number of bars and taverns downtown to help manage crime and help downtown thrive again. Since the adoption of ALDO, crime downtown has indeed declined. At this time research is being conducted in order to be able to officially draw the conclusion that ALDO played a significant role in this decline.


So have I lost you yet? Hopefully you're still following me... this is where it gets interesting. ALDO was originally set to sunset October 5th 2010 but that extension was extended, and then extended again and now sits at July 5, 2011. Before that time, the ALRC must vote whether or not to continue ALDO and if they decide to continue ALDO, which it seems is very likely, they must decide whether or not to approve some changes proposed by the ALRC sub-committee. The ALRC vote then goes to the Common Council for approval. These changes could significantly weaken this ordinance, so pay attention. Here are the changes on the table:

Entertainment Venue Exception -proposed change would add new exception for establishments that provide entertainment, discussion continues over allowed percentage of alcohol revenue for this type of establishment. As the draft language is written now, this entertainment could be as little as having a shuffleboard in the establishment or a volleyball court... So.. does this make it an entertainment venue? or bar with entertainment? Some are arguing this is all it takes to consider a bar an entertainment venue and allow it to open. 

    DCCRAA's Position: The Coalition does not support the entertainment venue exemption as drafted and the Dane County Coalition to Reduce Alcohol Abuse (DCCRAA) believes any entity with more than 50% of its revenue coming from alcohol sales will, in fact, make a significant contribution to the alcohol problems in the ALDO area.

 

Exceptional circumstances -proposed change would increase allowed percentage of alcohol revenue from 25 percent to 50 percent of total revenue for businesses in this category. This category includes places like Fromagination and Savior Faire.

    DCCRAA's Position: If an outlet gets more than 50 percent of it's revenue from alcohol, it should be viewed as a bar not a restaurant or entertainment venue. More than half of a business’ revenue does not need to come from alcohol in order for it to be successful, look at Fromagination and Savior Faire as great thriving examples. Therefore, the Coalition feels the exceptional circumstance clause should remain as it is in the existing ordinance with no more than a 25 percent liquor sales allowed for non-bar establishments. The downtown Madison community will thrive when we address the very real issue of alcohol abuse in Madison by keeping ALDO strong.

365 day clause -proposed change would increase window from 365 days to 730 in which time a bar can open in a vacant site where a bar or tavern used to exist.

    DCCRAA's Position: Doubling the window of time for allowing a new tavern to open does not limit and slowly reduce through attrition the number of alcohol outlets. Therefore, it does not do what ALDO was set out to accomplish. If an establishment closes and new tenants are not found within 365 days, our leaders should seize that opportunity to reduce liquor outlets in our neighborhood.

If you care about the health and safety of our downtown, please stand up for ALDO with the Dane County Coalition to Reduce Alcohol Abuse. If you are able to attend the ALRC meeting Wednesday, March 16th at 5:30, please join them as they support ALDO. If you can't make it, consider submitting a written testimony, or taking a few minutes to register in support of ALDO, in-person, before the meeting.

For more information on the drafted changes to ALDO click here.

Join the Dane County Coalition's Facebook page to stay informed on what efforts are underway to prevent alcohol abuse in your community by clicking here.

If you haven't already... join Health First Wisconsin's Facebook page too! We're almost to 100 fans in just under two weeks!

Smoke-free Law Improves Bartender Health in Wisconsin

New study shows bartenders exposed to less secondhand smoke are feeling the difference

Madison, Wis. – March 14, 2011 – A new study released by the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee on Monday found that bartenders all around the state are feeling an improvement in their health since the smoke-free law was implemented on July 5^th 2010 and began protecting them from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke in their workplace.

Researchers surveyed 531 bartenders around the state two months before the smoke-free law went into effect and then, again, three to six months after implementation. Bartenders’ first and second responses were 

compared and researchers found upper-respiratory symptoms, including wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing first thing in the morning and sore throats, decreased by 36 percent after the statewide smoke-free law went into effect.

“The smoke-free law improves health and saves lives,” said Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of SmokeFree Wisconsin. “This data is further evidence that Wisconsin workers are healthier now that the air is cleared of the 70 known cancer-causing agents found in secondhand smoke. Wisconsin truly is better smoke-free.”

Researchers also found that bartender support for smoke-free establishments increased to an overall 72 percent during the course of this study. Support went up the most among bartenders who smoke and bartenders in rural areas.

 “Support for the law continues to grow as more and more people see the very real, immediate and positive health effects associated with this life-saving legislation,” said Busalacchi.

This study is one of many that have been released recently which show strong support for the smoke-free law and the incredible health benefits already occurring as a result of Wisconsin becoming smoke-free.

For more information on the study visit: www.cuir.uwm.edu

To view and share a video of taverns and restaurants in support of the law visit: http://bit.ly/smokefreebars

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Study Associates Drop in Ear Infections with Decrease in Smoking Among Parents

For the last 15 years, pediatricians have been witnessing a continued drop in ear infections in their patients, now close to a 30 percent decrease. Today, a new study from Harvard University may have an explanation; a decline in smoking among parents.

JSOnline Reports: '"When people are smoking less around their kids, when homes are smoke-free, the rate of ear infections can and has decreased,' said Hillel Alpert, lead author of a study published recently by the journal Tobacco Control."

Researchers explain that secondhand smoke exposure in kids can trigger irritation and swelling in a child's nose and throat, causing ear infections.

The Harvard study points out the decline in ear infections in the last 13 years coincides with the what the Associated Press found to be a 40 percent decrease in the number of people exposed to secondhand smoke since 1990 (CDC).

Not everyone agrees the two are linked, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel points out, and the study's researchers say further research is necessary. But this study highlights the serious health impacts secondhand smoke can have on a child and why efforts must continue in order to protect a child's right to live and breathe tobacco-free.

Read more about the Harvard Study by clicking here.

Read the full article on the study by clicking here.

Study Finds Smoking is Holding Back US Life Expectancy

Desire long life and quality in your years?  A recent report released by the National Research Council shows that smoking and obesity are shortening Americans potential life spans. Though life expectancy in the US is indeed increasing, it is increasing at much slower rates than other areas in the world. The study showed that within the last five years the average life expectancy of women is 80.4 years and 75.3 years for men in the United States, contrasting with the Japanese, whose women live for an average of 86 years and men live around 79.2 years.

These statistics are directly related to smoking, according to the report, as people who smoke, or used to smoke, have a decreased life expectancy.  While smoking isn't as prevalent now as it used to be, the damage of the past still leaves an impression on the present and future.  Each person’s smoking history makes a difference as every inhale leaves a lasting mark on their health.  This is why every day of choosing whether or not to quit smoking counts. 

Smoking can shorten your days, but obesity also plays a factor in future health, not just temporarily, but in the long term.  Generally speaking, the United States does not adequately prevent obesity, and many people who become obese gain chronic illnesses (such as hypertension and diabetes).  It is, too often, only after getting a disease that our health care system steps in to treat chronic illness. This is why the prevention work that Health First Wisconsin and other organizations around the state and country do, pursuing health before the onset of disease, is so important. Let's step in and promote health before we have to treat it. 

The results of this study also show how critical it is that we keep funding programs like the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. Despite the great steps forward Wisconsin and the United States have made to curb tobacco use, there is much more work to be done.

The study goes on to remind us we need to remember that there are many different social contexts in which smoking and obesity are more likely, but if we try to promote prevention of smoking among youth as well as cessation, we can hope for longer lives which mirror our global counterparts.  If we look to prevent obesity through healthier eating and frequent exercise we can curb our likelihood of gaining chronic illnesses that hold us back and look to live longer and better quality lives.

To read more about this study on The Nation's Health click here.

SmokeFree Wisconsin Announces New Org - Health First Wisconsin!

Welcome to Health First Wisconsin's blog! SmokeFree Wisconsin, the organization that helped lead Wisconsin in its drive to eliminate smoking in workplaces, greatly reduce teen smoking in Wisconsin, and dramatically reduce the impact of tobacco on Wisconsin's health, announced today they will expand as the organization Health First Wisconsin and work on additional health issues.


At Health First Wisconsin, we believe health does not start at the doctor's office, but instead at home, work, school and play. Health is in the air we breathe and the water we drink. Defining health in this way provides us with the unique opportunity to pursue health before the onset of disease.


Health First Wisconsin will continue to work on tobacco control efforts and the name SmokeFree Wisconsin will continue to exist in that area. In addition to those efforts, Health First Wisconsin will also work to promote nutrition and physical activity and prevent alcohol abuse in our state. Health should not be determined by a zip code and our organization will work tirelessly to ensure everyone has the opportunity to make decisions that allow them to live a long, healthy life regardless of their level of income, education or ethnicity. We're about helping people make healthy choices!


In this blog, we will share health-related news stories, reports and studies, and discuss other health topics of interest. Feel free to comment on the blog, as long as it's on topic, contains no profanity and is not a direct attack on anyone. We'll use this blog to promote dialog among all groups so together we will realize a healthier future for our state! 


We are very excited and honored to be making this step forward in our pursuit of health for all Wisconsinites and we thank you for your support! :)