Healthy People 2030

(Washington, D.C. – September 30, 2020)

On August 18, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released Healthy People 2030 – the 5th iteration of the nation’s 10-year plan that sets data-driven objectives and targets to improve health and well-being in the United States. Updated every decennial since 1980, Healthy People 2030 builds on the knowledge gained and lessons learned to address the nation’s most critical public health priorities and challenges.

Healthy People 2030 includes 355 objectives in alignment with five overreaching goals. These goals include:

  • Attain healthy, thriving lives and well-being free of preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death.
  • Eliminate health disparities, achieve health equity, and attain health literacy to improve the health and well-being of all.
  • Create social, physical, and economic environments that promote attaining the full potential for health and well-being for all.
  • Promote healthy development, healthy behaviors, and well-being across all life stages.
  • Engage leadership, key constituents, and the public across multiple sectors to take action and design policies that improve the health and well-being of all.

Healthy People 2030 also includes prioritizing 10-year measurable targets for objectives related to the social determinants of health – which include economic stability, education, health care access, neighborhoods and the built environment, and social and community environments. For example, related to economic stability and food insecurity, HHS wants to reduce household food insecurity by 5 percent over the next 10 years (11.1 percent of households were food insecure in 2018).

“Healthy People 2030 aligns with many of Trust for America’s Health’s priorities around health conditions such as diabetes and obesity; health behaviors such as vaccination and drug and alcohol use; population-level health for groups such as older adults; systems such as public health infrastructure and preparedness for emerging public health threats like COVID-19; and the social determinants of health,” said John Auerbach, President, and CEO at Trust for America’s Health.

“It provides a framework of measurable objectives to evaluate the change that needs to occur to achieve optimal health and well-being for every person and community. COVID-19 is the most current example that demonstrates the longstanding disproportionate health and economic impacts faced by Black, Indigenous, and people of color along with other marginalized communities. Together, public health must work with multiple sectors to advance equitable policies that address these social and economic disparities, and work towards achieving the goals of Healthy People 2030.”

For more information, visit Healthy People 2030.

La tasa de obesidad en adultos de EE. UU. Supera el 42 por ciento; el más alto jamás registrado

Tener obesidad es un factor de riesgo de consecuencias graves durante el COVID; La pandemia podría aumentar los niveles de obesidad en el futuro debido al aumento de la inseguridad alimentaria.

(Washington, DC – September 17, 2020) – La tasa de obesidad en adultos de los Estados Unidos superó la marca del 40 por ciento por primera vez, situándose en 42,4 por ciento, según el reporte  State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, publicado hoy por Trust for America’s Health (TFAH). La tasa nacional de obesidad en adultos ha aumentado en un 26 por ciento desde el 2008.

El informe, basado en parte en los datos recientemente publicados en el 2019 del Sistema de Vigilancia de Factores de Riesgo del Comportamiento (BFRSS) de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (BFRSS) y el análisis de TFAH, proporciona anualmente las tasas de sobrepeso y obesidad en todo el país, incluso por edad, raza y estados de residencia.

Las tendencias demográficas y las condiciones de vida de las personas tienen un gran impacto en su capacidad para mantener un peso saludable. Generalmente, los datos muestran que cuanto más gana una persona, es menos probable que tenga obesidad. Las personas con menos educación también tienen más probabilidades de tener obesidad. Las comunidades rurales tienen tasas más altas de obesidad y obesidad severa que las áreas suburbanas y metropolitanas.

Factores socioeconómicos como la pobreza y la discriminación han contribuido a tasas más altas de obesidad entre ciertas poblaciones raciales y étnicas. Los adultos afroamericanos tienen el nivel más alto de obesidad adulta a nivel nacional con un 49,6 por ciento; esa tasa es impulsada en gran parte por una tasa de obesidad adulta entre las mujeres negras del 56,9 por ciento. Los adultos latinos tienen una tasa de obesidad del 44,8 por ciento. La tasa de obesidad para los adultos blancos es del 42,2 por ciento. Los adultos asiáticos tienen una tasa de obesidad general del 17,4 por ciento.

La obesidad y su impacto en la salud, incluidos los riesgos de COVID-19

La obesidad tiene serias consecuencias para la salud, incluyendo un mayor riesgo de diabetes tipo 2, presión arterial alta, aturdimiento y muchos tipos de cánceres. Se estima que la obesidad aumenta el gasto en atención médica en $ 149 mil millones al año (aproximadamente la mitad de los cuales son pagados por Medicare y Medicaid) y el sobrepeso y la obesidad es la razón más común por la que los adultos jóvenes no son elegibles para el servicio militar. Las preocupaciones sobre el impacto de la obesidad han adquirido nuevas dimensiones este año, ya que tener obesidad es una de las condiciones de salud subyacentes asociadas con las consecuencias más graves de la infección por el COVID, incluidas la hospitalización y la muerte. Estos nuevos datos significan que el 42 por ciento de todos los estadounidenses tienen un mayor riesgo de sufrir impactos graves, posiblemente fatales, en la salud por el COVID-19 debido a su peso y las condiciones de salud relacionadas con la obesidad.

“Para resolver la crisis de obesidad del país será necesario abordar las condiciones de la vida de las personas que conducen a la inseguridad alimentaria y crean obstáculos para tener mejores opciones de alimentos saludables y la actividad física segura. Esas condiciones incluyen pobreza, desempleo, viviendas segregadas y discriminación racial ”, dijo John Auerbach, presidente y director ejecutivo de Trust for America’s Health. “La pandemia de este año ha demostrado que estas afecciones no solo aumentan el riesgo de obesidad y enfermedades crónicas, sino que también aumentan el riesgo de los resultados más graves del COVID”.

La obesidad infantil también va en aumento

Las tasas de obesidad infantil también están aumentando según los últimos datos que muestran que el 19,3 por ciento de los jóvenes estadounidenses, de 2 a 19 años, tienen obesidad. A mediados de la década de 1970, el 5,5 por ciento de los jóvenes tenía obesidad. Tener sobrepeso u obesidad en la juventud los pone en mayor riesgo de tener obesidad y los riesgos para la salud relacionados en la edad adulta. Además, los niños presentan un inicio más temprano de lo que solían considerarse afecciones adultas, como la hipertensión y el colesterol alto.

Doce estados tienen tasas de obesidad en adultos superiores al 35 por ciento

Las tasas de obesidad varían considerablemente entre los estados y regiones del país. Mississippi tiene la tasa de obesidad adulta más alta del país con un 40,8 por ciento y Colorado tiene la más baja con un 23,8 por ciento. Doce estados tienen tasas de adultos superiores al 35 por ciento, son: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Luisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Carolina del Sur, Tennessee y Virginia Occidental. Recientemente en el 2012, ningún estado tenía una tasa de obesidad en adultos superior al 35 por ciento; en el 2000 ningún estado tenía una tasa de obesidad en adultos superior al 25 por ciento.

Inseguridad alimentaria y su relación con la obesidad

El informe incluye una sección especial sobre la inseguridad alimentaria y su relación con la obesidad. La inseguridad alimentaria está relacionada con dietas de menor calidad y con niveles más altos de obesidad en muchos grupos de población. La inseguridad alimentaria está estrechamente vinculada a las condiciones económicas. Hubo niveles más altos de inseguridad alimentaria durante la crisis financiera del 2008-2009 y los primeros datos indican un gran aumento en el número de familias estadounidenses que están experimentando inseguridad alimentaria debido a la crisis del COVID-19. Según los datos de la encuesta de la Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos, el 25 por ciento de todos los encuestados y el 30 por ciento de los encuestados con niños informaron haber experimentado inseguridad alimentaria entre abril y junio de este año.

Resolver la crisis de la obesidad requerirá iniciativas multisectoriales y cambios de política

El informe incluye recomendaciones sobre la mejor manera de abordar la crisis de la obesidad basada en dos principios: 1) la necesidad de un enfoque multisectorial y multidisciplinario y 2) un enfoque en los grupos de población que se ven afectados de manera desproporcionada por la crisis de la obesidad.

Las recomendaciones incluyen:

  • Debido a que la emergencia de salud pública del COVID-19 continúa vigente, continuar con las exenciones de políticas de nutrición del Departamento de Agricultura (USDA) y expandir las comidas escolares sin costo para todos los estudiantes inscritos durante todo el año escolar 2020-2021.
  • Aumentar los fondos para permitir la expansión de los programas críticos de prevención de la obesidad de los CDC, incluido el Programa Estatal de Actividad Física y Nutrición y el programa Enfoques Raciales y Étnicos para la Salud Comunitaria.
  • Ampliar los beneficios en el Programa de Asistencia de Nutrición Suplementaria (SNAP, anteriormente conocido como “cupones de alimentos”) al aumentar los niveles máximos de beneficios, extender Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) para estudiantes y niños, duplicar las inversiones en SNAP-Ed y encontrar formas voluntarias de mejorar la calidad de la dieta sin perjudicar el acceso o los niveles de beneficios.
  • Incentivar las empresas y el uso de la tierra pública para aumentar las opciones de alimentos saludables y lugares seguros para hacer actividad física.
  • Desincentivar las opciones de alimentos poco saludables cerrando los vacios fiscales y eliminando las deducciones de costos comerciales relacionadas con la publicidad de alimentos y bebidas poco saludables para los niños y promulgando impuestos a las bebidas azucaradas donde los ingresos fiscales se asignan a los esfuerzos locales para reducir las disparidades socioeconómicas y de salud.
  • Alentar a Medicaid a cubrir los programas pediátricos de control de peso para todos los beneficiarios elegibles.

 

El texto completo del informe está disponible

La Fundación Robert Wood Johnson proporcionó apoyo para la serie de Informes sobre el estado de la obesidad. Las opiniones expresadas en este informe no reflejan necesariamente la opinión de la Fundación.

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Trust for America’s Health es una organización no partidista sin fines de lucro que promueve una salud óptima para cada persona y comunidad y hace de la prevención de enfermedades y lesiones una prioridad nacional.

U.S. Adult Obesity Rate Tops 42 Percent; Highest Ever Recorded

Having obesity is a risk factor for serious COVID consequences; pandemic could increase future levels of obesity due to increased food insecurity

(Washington, DC – September 17, 2020) – The U.S. adult obesity rate passed the 40 percent mark for the first time, standing at 42.4 percent, according to State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America released today by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH).  The national adult obesity rate has increased by 26 percent since 2008.

The report, based in part on newly released 2019 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BFRSS) and analysis by TFAH, provides an annual snapshot of rates of overweight and obesity nationwide including by age, race and state of residence.

Demographic trends and the conditions in people’s lives have a large impact on their ability to maintain a healthy weight.  Generally, the data show that the more a person earns the less likely they are to have obesity.  Individuals with less education were also more likely to have obesity. Rural communities have higher rates of obesity and severe obesity than do suburban and metro areas.

Socioeconomic factors such as poverty and discrimination have contributed to higher rates of obesity among certain racial and ethnic populations.  Black adults have the highest level of adult obesity nationally at 49.6 percent; that rate is driven in large part by an adult obesity rate among Black women of 56.9 percent.  Latinx adults have an obesity rate of 44.8 percent.  The obesity rates for white adults is 42.2 percent.  Asian adults have an overall 17.4 percent obesity rate.

Obesity and its impact on health including COVID-19 risks

Obesity has serious health consequences including increased risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and many types of cancers. Obesity is estimated to increase healthcare spending by $149 billion annually (about half of which is paid for by Medicare and Medicaid) and being overweight or having obesity is the most common reason young adults are ineligible for military service. Concerns about the impact of obesity have taken on new dimensions this year as having obesity is one of the underlying health conditions associated with the most serious consequences of COVID infection, including hospitalization and death. These new data mean that 42 percent of all Americans are at increased risk of serious, possibly fatal, health impacts from COVID-19 due to their weight and health conditions related to obesity.

“Solving the country’s obesity crisis will require addressing the conditions in people’s lives that lead to food insecurity and create obstacles to healthy food options and safe physical activity.  Those conditions include poverty, unemployment, segregated housing and racial discrimination,” said John Auerbach, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health. “This year’s pandemic has shown that these conditions don’t only increase the risk of obesity and chronic illnesses, they also increase the risk of the most serious COVID outcomes.”

Childhood obesity also on the rise

Rates of childhood obesity are also increasing with the latest data showing that 19.3 percent of U.S. young people, ages 2 to 19, have obesity. In the mid-1970s, 5.5 percent of young people had obesity.  Being overweight or having obesity as a young person puts them at higher risk for having obesity and its related health risks as an adult. Furthermore, children are exhibiting earlier onset of what used to be considered adult conditions, including hypertension and high cholesterol.

Twelve states have adult obesity rates above 35 percent

Obesity rates vary considerably between states and regions of the country.  Mississippi has the highest adult obesity rate in the country at 40.8 percent and Colorado has the lowest at 23.8 percent.  Twelve states have adult rates above 35 percent, they are: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.  As recently as 2012, no state had an adult obesity rate above 35 percent; in 2000 no state had an adult obesity rate above 25 percent.

Food insecurity and its relationship to obesity

The report includes a special section on food insecurity and its relationship to obesity. Food insecurity is linked to lower quality diets and tracks with higher levels of obesity in many population groups. Food insecurity is closely linked to economic conditions. There were higher levels of food insecurity during the 2008-2009 financial crisis and early data indicate a large increase in the number of American families experiencing food insecurity due to the COVID-19 crisis. According to U.S. Census Bureau survey data, 25 percent of all respondents and 30 percent of respondents with children, reported experiencing food insecurity between April and June of this year.

Solving the obesity crisis will require multi-sector initiatives and policy change

The report includes recommendations on how best to address the obesity crisis grounded in two principles: 1) the need for a multi-sector, multi-disciplinary approach, and 2) a focus on those population groups that are disproportionately impacted by the obesity crisis.

Recommendations include:

  • While the COVID-19 public health emergency continues to be in place, continue USDA nutrition policy waivers and expand no-cost school meals to all enrolled students for the entire 2020-2021 school year.
  • Increase funding to allow for the expansion of critical CDC obesity-prevention programs including the State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program and the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program.
  • Expand benefits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as “food stamps”) by raising maximum benefit levels, extending Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) for students and children, doubling investments in SNAP-Ed, and finding innovative, voluntary ways to improve diet quality without harming access or benefit levels.
  • Incentivize businesses and public land use to increase access to healthy food options and safe places to be physically active.
  • Disincentivize unhealthy food choices by closing tax loopholes and eliminating business-cost deductions related to the advertising of unhealthy food and beverages to children and by enacting sugary drink taxes where tax revenue is allocated to local efforts to reduce health and socioeconomic disparities.
  • Encourage Medicaid to cover pediatric weight-management programs for all eligible beneficiaries.

 

 

Report Full Text

 

Support for the State of Obesity report series was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the view of the Foundation.

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Trust for America’s Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority.

 

TFAH Applauds the Introduction of the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 by Senator Smith (MN) and Senator Murphy (CT)

(Washington, DC – August 5, 2020) – Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a non-partisan, independent public health policy, research and advocacy organization, applauds Senators Tina Smith (MN) and Chris Murphy (CT) for introducing the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020. This critical bill would address the social, economic and environmental conditions that affect the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans.

If enacted, the bill would create a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Program at the   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through grants, this program would improve the capacity of public health departments and community organizations to address social determinants of health and reduce health care costs by building multi-sector collaborations and addressing policies that currently inhibit good health. Grants would also be issued to nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education to conduct research on SDOH best practices, provide technical, training and evaluation assistance and/or disseminate those best practices. Lastly, the program would coordinate, support and align SDOH activities at CDC.

The President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, John Auerbach, congratulates Sen. Smith and Sen. Murphy on the introduction of the bill:

The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the continued conversations our country is having about racism and racial justice, continue to put a spotlight on the social and economic conditions that contribute to an individual’s health outcomes during their life.

We know that a community’s resources directly impact the health outcomes of its residents. Now is the time to work to address these disparities, including those in housing, employment, food security and education.

This legislation would empower public health departments and community organizations to act as chief health strategists in their communities and lead efforts to convene partners across sectors to build integrated systems and programs that improve health and health equity.

The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 is an important next step in improving health outcomes, would reduce overall healthcare spending and help address health inequities; TFAH is proud to support this bill and urges Congressional support.”

This bill is the Senate companion bill to Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 (H.R. 6561), which was introduced by Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) in April 2020.

TFAH’s summary of the bill can be found here.  For more information on The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020, please contact Daphne Delgado at [email protected].

In addition to TFAH, original endorsing organizations include:

1,000 Days

A Vision of Change Inc.

Addiction Professionals of North Carolina

Addiction Connections Resource

All Youth Access, LLC

Aligning for Health

America’s Essential Hospitals

American Art Therapy Association

American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work

American Association of Birth Centers

American Association on Health and Disability

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

American College of Nurse-Midwives

American College of Preventative Medicine

American Federation of Teachers

American Heart Association

American Lung Association

American Institute for Cancer Research

American Kidney Fund

American Medical Student Association

American Public Health Association

Anders & Associates

Anxiety and Depression Association of America

APLA Health

Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs

Association of Minority Health Professions Schools

Association of Public Health Laboratories

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Association of State Public Health Nutritionists

Autism Family Services of New Jersey

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Behavioral Health Association of Providers

Berean Wellness & Community Support Center

Better Health Partnership

Bike Cleveland

Blue Shield of California

Bridges Into the Future

Brighter Beginnings

Brooklyn Perinatal Network Inc

Build Healthy Places Network

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals

California Pan-Ethnic Health Network

CARE ADVISORS

Caregivers of New Jersey

Center for Civil Justice

Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

Ceres Community Project

ChangeLab Solutions

Chicago Youth Programs, Inc.

Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition

Cleveland Public Library

Coalition for Disability Health Equity

Commission on the Public’s Health System

Common Threads

Community Based Organization Partners (CBOP)- Brooklyn Chapter

Community Catalyst

Community Cup Classic Foundation

Community Engagement Studio of Flint

Community Health Councils

Community Resilience Initiative

Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces

Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC)

Cook County Department of Public Health

Counter Tools

Cuyahoga County Board of Health

Deborah’s Place

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)

Epilepsy Alliance America

Epilepsy Information Service of Wake Forest

Epilepsy Services of NJ

Epilepsy Services of New Jersey

Equality California

Equality North Carolina

Families USA

Farmworker Justice

Flint Association of Black Social Workers

flint rising

Flint Women’s Study Community Action Network

Florida Institute for Health Innovation

George Washington University Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement

Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice

Greater Chicago Food Depository

Greater Flint Health Coalition

GSK Consumer Healthcare

Health by Design

Health Leadership Legacy Project

Health Outreach Partners

Health Resources in Action

Health Care Improvement Foundation

Healthy Chesapeake

Healthy Kinder International

Hispanic Federation

Human Impact Partners

Human Rights Campaign

Illinois Association of Behavioral Health

Indiana Public Health Association

Impetus –  Let’s Get Started LLC

Japanese American Citizens League

Jump IN for Healthy Kids

Justice in Aging

Lakeshore Foundation

Lanai Community Health Center

Latino Coalition for a Health CA

Lutheran Services in America

Maine Public Health Association

March of Dimes

MaryCatherine Jones Consulting, LLC

Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Mid-City CAN (Community Advocacy Network)

Midwest Asian Health Association

MomsRising

MountainCare

Move United

NAACP

NASTAD

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

National Association for Rural Mental Health

National Association of Certified Professional Midwives

National Association of Chronic Disease Directors

National Association of Community Health Workers

National Association of Counties

National Association of County Behavioral Health & Development Disability Directors

National Association of County and City Health Officials

National Association of Social Workers

National Association of School Nurses

National Center for Transgender Equality

National Collaborative for Education to Address the Social Determinants of Health

National Council of Jewish Women

National Health Care for the Homeless Council

National Hispanic Medical Association

National Medical Association (NMA)

National Network of Public Health Institutes

National Nurse-Led Care Consortium

National Partnership for Women & Families

National Recreation and Park Association

National Register of Health Service Psychologists

National WIC Association

National Working Positive Coalition

Nemours Children’s Health System

NERDS RULE INC

Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

New Jersey Association of County and City Health Officials (NJACCHO)

New Jersey Public Health Association

NOELA Community Health Center

North Carolina Alliance for Health

North Central Public Health District

North Dakota Rural Health Association

Northern Michigan Community Health Innovation Region

NOVA ScriptsCentral

One Joplin

Oregon Vision Coalition

PacificSource

PFLAG National

Physicians for Social Responsibility, AZ Chapter

Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles

Piedmont Access To Health Services, Inc.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services

Prevent Blindness

Prevent Cancer Foundation

Prevention Institute

Project for Whole Health Learning in K-12

Population Health Alliance

Public Health Alliance of Southern California

Public Health Foundation

Public Health Institute

Redstone Center for Prevention and Wellness

Respiratory Health Association

RESULTS

RESULTS DC

Silver State Equality-Nevada

SLM Consulting, LLC

Society for Community Research & Action (SCRA)

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Society for Public Health Education

Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)

tahoe forest Hospital Care coordination

Tennessee Justice Center

The AIDS Institute

The Center for Community Resilience

The Gerontological Society of America

The Health Trust

The Fairfield Group

The Family Resource Network

The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health

The National REACH Coalition

The Participatory Budgeting Project

The Praxis Project

The Pride Center at Equality Park

The Wall Las Memorias Project

Training Resources Network, Inc.

Treatment Action Group

Trust for America’s Health

United Way of Treasure Valley

Valley AIDS Council

Vita Health and Wellness Partnership

Washington State Department of Health

Wayne State University Center for Health and Community Impact

WE in the World

Well Being Trust

West Valley Neighborhoods Coalition

Western Idaho Community Health Collaborative

Wholesome Wave

Wisconsin Division of Public Health

Wright County Public Health

New Data: Overdose Deaths Up Nearly 5 Percent; COVID-19 Creates Additional Stressors for Both Patient and Provider Community

(Washington, DC and Oakland, CA – July 20, 2020) – Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released preliminary data showing an increase in drug overdose deaths in 2019. These provisional data showed an estimated 71,999 Americans died from overdoses last year, a nearly five percent increase in numbers of deaths as compared to 2018 and a reversal of the prior year’s small decrease in such deaths.

The 2019 increase was largely driven by a rise in deaths from synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine, and cocaine.

“These new data are a stark reminder that we must fight the dual public health threats of COVID-19 and substance misuse at the same time,” said John Auerbach, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health. “While understandably focusing attention on the pandemic response, we can’t neglect the devastation caused by substance misuse and overdoses.”

An area of concern is that the COVID-19 pandemic could contribute to more substance misuse and overdose deaths. Preliminary data from the Office of National Drug Control Policy has found a substantial increase in suspected overdoses since the start of stay-at-home orders on March 19th, 2020.  And a new study, out this week by RTI International, found that alcohol sales have surged nationally during the pandemic.

In response to the pandemic, policymakers have eased certain regulations on the delivery of mental health and substance use services.  Telehealth requirements have been altered to allow for increased access through audio-only services and federal authorities have allowed for prescribing of buprenorphine and methadone, drugs t treat opioid use disorder, without an initial in-person examination.

Despite these changes, challenges remain.  COVID-19 has made access to substance misuse treatment more difficult for many.  Millions have lost or will soon lose health insurance coverage as unemployment rises.   Some are fearful of seeking care because of the threat of infection.  And relatively little is being done to address the upstream factors that elevate the risk of substance misuse, such as lack of educational and economic opportunities and racial injustice.

“How many more lives must we lose before we take seriously the need for a comprehensive call to action? We are going in the wrong direction and need to prioritize this larger epidemic within the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Benjamin F. Miller, Chief Strategy Officer for Well Being Trust. “We must begin by investing in solutions that work – those solutions that more seamlessly integrate mental health and substance use disorder treatment into all the places people show up for help.”

Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust co-produce the Pain in the Nation series which has tracked alcohol, drug, and suicide deaths nationally since 2017.  For more information visit: http://www.pitn.org/

 

 

COVID-19 School Closures Put 30 Million Children at Risk of Hunger

Many States with High COVID-19 Infection Rates Also Have Highest School-Meal Programs Participation Rates

(Washington, DC – July 16, 2020) – As COVID-19 infection rates continue to increase in states across the country, many of those jurisdictions are facing the complex dilemma of high infections rates complicating school re-openings and thereby limiting students’ access to school-based meal programs. Among the states with spiking infection rates and a high percentage of students participating in school-based meal programs are Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.

In March schools across the country began closing to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. In response, and recognizing the important source of nutrition school-based meals were to millions of American children, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service began approving nationwide waivers to provide school systems flexibility in how meals were provided to students.  For example, these waivers enable schools to serve meals in non-congregate settings and outside of standard mealtimes, serve afterschool snacks and meals outside of structured environments, and waive requirements that students be present when meals are picked up.

Over half of all students in elementary and secondary schools across the country depend on the National School Lunch Program, and 12.5 million of those students also participate in the School Breakfast Program. As the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools this spring, these students were placed at risk of not having enough to eat.

A new policy brief, Beyond School Walls: How Federal, State and Local Entities are Adapting Policies to Ensure Student Access to Healthy Meals During the COVID-19 Pandemic, released today by Trust for America’s Health, reviews steps the federal and state governments have taken to ensure students’ access to healthy meals when schools are closed and what needs to be done to ensure continued meal access as all school systems face uncertainties about how to safely reopen for the 2020-2021 school year.

“School meal programs are the most important source of nutritious food for millions of American children. To the degree possible, school systems, with financial and regulatory relief from the federal government,  should continue to be innovative about how to deliver meals to students and should strive to meet or exceed federal nutrition standards for these meals despite product shortages created by the pandemic,” said Adam Lustig, Project Manager at Trust for America’s Health and the brief’s author.

Due to the economic impact the pandemic has had on millions of American families and the numerous uncertainties about how to safely re-open schools, the currently in place program waivers should be extended through the summer and may need to be kept in place during the 2020–2021 school year, the brief says.

Many of the states hardest hit by COVID also have highest school meal programs participation rates

States with some of the highest rates of COVID-19 infections also have high percentages of students who depend on school meals for much of their nutrition. States in which both COVID-19 infection rates are above national medians and school meals program enrollment is high include Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.

States in which more than half of students are enrolled in school-meals programs are:

Percentage of students enrolled in school meal programs

D.C.                                        76.4%

Mississippi                           75.0%

New Mexico                         71.4%

South Carolina                    67.0%

Arkansas                              63.6%

Louisiana                             63.0%

Oklahoma                            62.5%

Georgia                                62.0%

Nevada                                60.8%

Kentucky                             58.7%

California                            58.1%

Florida                                 58.1%

Arizona                                57.0%

Missouri                              52.7%

New York                            52.6%

Illinois                                 50.2%

Alabama                              51.6%

Oregon                                 50.5%

Hunger, poor nutrition and food insecurity can increase a child’s risk of developing a range of physical, mental, behavioral, emotional, and learning problems. Hungry children also get sick more often and are more likely to be hospitalized. Maintaining children’s access to nutritious meals despite school closures not only ensure they do not go hungry, but also promotes children’s health.

“State and federal guidelines waivers have allowed school systems to provide meals to students during the pandemic response, keeping them in place this summer and into the 2020-2021 school year will be the difference between kids who have enough to eat and kids who go hungry,” Lustig said.

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 Trust for America’s Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. Twitter:@HealthyAmerica1