State Category: Rhode Island

TFAH Celebrates National Public Health Week

April 1-7, 2024 is National Public Health Week. This year’s theme is Protecting, Connecting and Thriving: We Are All Public Health and TFAH is proud to celebrate and recognize all of the individuals, organizations, and agencies that work to protect health, advance equity, and promote well-being in communities nationwide.

Public health workers are on the front lines helping communities prevent chronic diseases and substance misuse, defending against disease outbreaks, protecting our water supply, and preparing for and responding to natural and human-caused disasters. Their work is constant and critically important to improving and protecting the health and safety of all communities.

Examples of the contributions of the public health system to advancing Americans’ health are many, including:

  • Increasing life expectancy – Americans’ life expectancy steadily increased during the 20th century and through 2009 the first decade of the 21st century, was flat between 2010 and 2018 the next decade, and declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest available data, for 2022, showed a slight rebound in the life expectancy trendline.
  • Delivering vaccines – the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries saw substantial decreases in vaccine preventable diseases such as measles and polio thanks in part to public health programs to ensure vaccine access, particularly in underserved communities.
  • Promoting maternal and infant health – programs to support pregnant people have created improved access to prenatal, post-partum, and infant healthcare, but more work needs to be done to address racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and postpartum health outcomes.
  • Helping people who smoke quit – the initial phase of the Centers for Disease Control’s Tips from Former Smokers campaign (2012 – 2018) helped more than one million people successfully stop smoking, which has prevented an estimated 129,000 early deaths and saved approximately $7.3 billion in smoking-related healthcare costs.
  • Protecting health during extreme heat – extreme heat threatens the public’s health. Several U.S. jurisdictions have heat response plans, and others are working on creating such plans. Heat response plans outline actions to mitigate the impact of the increasing number and intensity of heatwaves.

“Public health practitioners work tirelessly to prevent disease, prepare for and respond to disasters, address health disparities, and create healthy communities. This vital work deserves support and requires investment to fully fund the public health infrastructure and its workforce,” said Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, M.D. MSCE, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health.

Most of the money spent on healthcare in the U.S. goes toward preventable illnesses and injuries. Increased and sustained funding for public health would be an investment in prevention and would help to reduce healthcare spending over time. TFAH has called for $4.5 billion annually to adequately fund public health infrastructure across the country.  As the White House and Congress work on FY 2025 appropriations, lawmakers should support the full range of work the CDC and health departments do every day to keep communities safe and healthy.

A different public health theme is highlighted each day during National Public Health Week. Visit the American Public Health Association and to access information and resources on each topic.

Reciente informe mide la preparación de los estados ante emergencias y recomienda la implementación de ciertas políticas para reforzar la preparación a nivel nacional

Una sección especial examina los efectos que genera el calor extremo sobre la salud y los riesgos desproporcionados para determinados grupos de la población

(Washington, DC – 14 de marzo de 2024) – El informe de “Ready or Not 2024: Protección de la Salud Pública Ante Enfermedades, Catástrofes y Bioterrorismo,” publicado hoy por Trust for America’s Health, identifica las principales fallas en la preparación nacional y estatal respecto a la protección sanitaria de los residentes durante situaciones de emergencias y hace recomendaciones para mejorar la preparación de la nación ante emergencias.

A medida que el país experimenta un número creciente de brotes de enfermedades infecciosas y fenómenos meteorológicos extremos, el informe concluye que, si bien la preparación para emergencias ha mejorado en algunas áreas, las autoridades responsables en este tipo de políticas no tienen en cuenta las lecciones de emergencias pasadas, los recortes de financiación y la desinformación sanitaria están poniendo en peligro décadas de progreso en la preparación de la salud pública.

Basándose en nueve indicadores, el informe clasifica a los estados y al Distrito de Columbia en tres niveles de preparación: alto, medio y bajo. El informe de este año sitúa a 21 estados y al Distrito de Columbia en el nivel de rendimiento alto, a 13 estados en el nivel de rendimiento medio y a 16 estados en el nivel de rendimiento bajo.

A medida que el país experimenta un número creciente de brotes de enfermedades infecciosas y fenómenos meteorológicos extremos, el informe revela que, si bien la preparación para emergencias ha mejorado en algunas áreas, los responsables políticos que no tienen en cuenta las lecciones aprendidas de emergencias pasadas, los recortes de financiación y la desinformación sanitaria están poniendo en peligro décadas de progreso en la preparación de la salud pública.

Nivel alto – 21 estados y DC

AL, AZ, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, KS, MA, ME, MS, NC, NE, NJ, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WA

Nivel medio – 13 estados

AR, DE, IA, ID, IL, MD, MO, MT, NH, NM, OK, UT, WI

Nivel bajo – 16 estados 

AK, CA, HI, IN, KY, LA, MI, MN, ND, NV, NY, OR, SD, TX, WV, WY

El informe está diseñado para proporcionar a los responsables políticos datos y puntos de referencia para mejorar la preparación de sus jurisdicciones mediante una inversión nueva y sostenida en infraestructuras de salud pública, sistemas de datos modernos, un personal de salud pública más numeroso y diverso, la colaboración entre los sistemas de salud pública y de atención sanitaria, así como la capacidad de ambos sistemas para generar una pronta respuesta ante emergencias. Otras áreas de responsabilidad del sistema de salud pública son la mejora del acceso a las vacunas y el control de la seguridad de los sistemas municipales de abastecimiento de agua.

La Dra. J. Nadine Gracia, presidenta y CEO de Trust for America’s Health comenta, “Este informe subraya la necesidad de una inversión integral a nivel de infraestructura y preparación de salud pública, destacando la importancia de los efectos desproporcionados tras la falta de inversión en el sector de la salud pública en comunidades de color y otros grupos que han sido igualmente desatendidos y marginados.” Las recientes emergencias de salud pública, desde los incendios forestales hasta los brotes de enfermedades infecciosas, no sólo revelan la necesidad imperiosa de un sistema de salud pública modernizado, sino que también expone el vínculo intrínseco entre la salud general de una comunidad y su capacidad de resistencia durante una emergencia. Es primordial enfocarse en eliminar las disparidades sanitarias y avanzar en el tema de la equidad sanitaria, para lograr frenar el aumento de las enfermedades crónicas y mejorar la preparación de la nación ante las emergencias.”

La sección especial del informe analiza los crecientes riesgos para la salud derivados del calor extremo, incluso para grupos de población concretos: personas que viven en comunidades con pocos recursos, personas que viven en islas de calor urbanas o sin aire acondicionado, personas que trabajan al aire libre, personas con enfermedades crónicas, embarazadas, bebés, niños y adultos mayores. En el 2022, murieron más personas en Estados Unidos a causa del calor extremo que por cualquier otro tipo de fenómeno meteorológico.

El reporte presenta tanto los hallazgos en el área en las áreas fuertes del sistema de preparación de emergencia en el tema sanitario nivel nacional y aquellas áreas que requieren atención:

Entre los ámbitos en los que se han obtenido buenos resultados figuran los siguientes:

  • La mayoría de los estados han hecho preparativos para ampliar la capacidad de los laboratorios sanitarios y de salud pública en caso de emergencia. A finales de 2023, 39 estados participarán en el Pacto de Licencias de Enfermería, que ayuda a facilitar los esfuerzos de respuesta ante emergencias al permitir que los enfermeros trabajen en varios estados miembros, tanto en persona como a través de la telesalud, sin necesidad de licencias estatales adicionales. Además, 46 estados y el Distrito de Columbia cuentan con planes escritos para la ampliación de los servicios de laboratorio de salud pública durante las emergencias sanitarias.
  • La mayoría de los estados (43) y el Distrito de Columbia están acreditados en las áreas de salud pública o gestión de emergencias, y muchos están acreditados en ambas.
  • La mayoría de los estados (al menos 37) y el Distrito de Columbia mantuvieron o aumentaron su financiación de la salud pública durante el año fiscal 2023. La inversión estatal en salud pública es particularmente importante porque la mayor parte de la financiación federal en respuesta a la pandemia de COVID-19 fue temporal, financiación de una sola vez.

Las áreas que necesitan atención incluyen:

  • Muy pocas personas se vacunan contra la gripe de temporada. Durante la temporada de gripe del 2022-2023, sólo el 49% de la población (a partir de los 6 meses de edad) se vacunó contra la gripe, muy por debajo del objetivo del 70% establecido por Healthy People 2030. Esta situación resulta ser preocupante para los expertos en salud pública, ya que la desinformación sobre la vacuna COVID-19 pueda estar afectando a la aceptación de otras vacunas.
  • Aproximadamente sólo el 25% de los hospitales en condiciones severas en los estados, obtuvieron una calificación de máxima calidad en seguridad del paciente en otoño de 2023. Las puntuaciones de seguridad de los hospitales miden el rendimiento en cuestiones como las tasas de infecciones relacionadas con la atención sanitaria, la capacidad de cuidados intensivos y una cultura general de prevención de errores, todas ellas fundamentales para rendir al máximo durante las emergencias sanitarias.
  • En promedio, solo el 55% de los trabajadores estadounidenses utilizaron tiempo libre remunerado durante el período comprendido entre marzo de 2018 y marzo de 2023. El acceso a tiempo libre remunerado es una medida importante de preparación porque los trabajadores que van a trabajar enfermos corren el riesgo de propagar infecciones en la fuerza de trabajo y en toda la comunidad.

Se necesita el implemento de ciertas políticas:

El informe contiene recomendaciones para acciones políticas en los sectores público y privado que crearían una preparación de salud pública más fuerte, incluyendo:

  • El Congreso debería mejorar y modernizar la infraestructura de salud pública invirtiendo 4.500 millones de dólares al año para apoyar las capacidades básicas de salud pública a nivel federal, estatal, tribal, local y territorial, incluyendo inversiones en sistemas de datos y en el personal de salud pública.
  • El Congreso debe concederle autonomía a los CDC y al Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos (HHS) de EE. UU. para recopilar datos de salud pública de manera oportuna y coordinada, en todas las jurisdicciones para garantizar la recopilación y notificación de datos oportuna, completa y desglosada. Todo esto ejecutado de manera conjunta, permitirá una detección y respuesta más rápida y eficaz a las emergencias sanitarias.
  • Los responsables políticos deben dar prioridad a recuperar la confianza en los organismos y líderes de salud pública. Las decisiones políticas en materia de salud pública deben basarse siempre en los mejores datos científicos disponibles y no basarse en consideraciones políticas. Los organismos federales deben estar equipados para proporcionar orientaciones de salud pública oportunas y claras.
  • El Congreso debería proporcionar al menos 1.100 millones de dólares al año para apoyar la infraestructura de vacunación y la distribución equitativa de vacunas. Los estados deberían reducir al mínimo las exenciones de vacunas para los escolares, y los centros sanitarios deberían aumentar las tasas de vacunación entre los trabajadores sanitarios.
  • El Congreso debería aumentar significativamente las inversiones en iniciativas de salud pública para prevenir, detectar y contener la resistencia a los antimicrobianos.
  • El Congreso y los estados deberían proporcionar permisos retribuidos con protección laboral para contener la propagación de brotes y proteger la salud.
  • El Congreso debe proporcionar una ayuda financiera significativa, para impulsar medidas médicas de protección de la vida en caso de incidente nuclear, biológico o químico, trabajando en conjunto con el sector privado para planificar su distribución y dispensación cuando sea necesario.
  • El Congreso, el HHS y los líderes sanitarios deberían reforzar la preparación y recuperación de la asistencia sanitaria, y los planificadores de emergencias estatales y locales deberían trabajar con el sector sanitario para integrar la prestación de asistencia sanitaria en la preparación y respuesta ante emergencias.
  • El Congreso debería aumentar las inversiones en programas que identifiquen y mitiguen los efectos sobre la salud del cambio climático, los riesgos medioambientales y las condiciones meteorológicas extremas.

Lea el informe completo en: Ready or Not 2024: Protección de la Salud Pública Ante Enfermedades, Catástrofes y Bioterrorismo

Trust for America’s Health es una organización sin ánimo de lucro y no partidista que promueve una salud óptima para todas las personas y comunidades y hace de la prevención de enfermedades y lesiones una prioridad nacional.

New Report Measures States’ Emergency Preparedness and Recommends Policy Actions to Strengthen the Nation’s Public Health System and Emergency Preparedness

Special Section Examines Health Impacts of Extreme Heat and the Disproportionate Risks for Certain Population Groups

(Washington, DC – March 14, 2024) – Ready or Not 2024: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, released today by Trust for America’s Health, identifies key gaps in national and state preparedness to protect residents’ health during emergencies and makes recommendations to strengthen the nation’s public health system and improve emergency readiness.

As the nation experiences an increasing number of infectious disease outbreaks and extreme weather events, the report found that while emergency preparedness has improved in some areas, policymakers not heeding the lessons of past emergencies, funding cuts, and health misinformation are putting decades of progress in public health preparedness at risk.

Based on nine indicators, the report tiers states, and the District of Columbia, into three readiness levels: high, middle, and low. This year’s report placed 21 states and DC in the high-performance tier, 13 states in the middle-performance tier, and 16 states in the low-performance tier.

High Tier – 21 states & DC

AL, AZ, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, KS, MA, ME, MS, NC, NE, NJ, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WA

Middle Tier – 13 states

AR, DE, IA, ID, IL, MD, MO, MT, NH, NM, OK, UT, WI

Low Tier – 16 states

AK, CA, HI, IN, KY, LA, MI, MN, ND, NV, NY, OR, SD, TX, WV, WY

The report is designed to give policymakers actionable data and benchmarks to improve their jurisdiction’s readiness through new and sustained investment in public health infrastructure, modern data systems, a larger and more diverse public health workforce, and collaboration between public health and healthcare systems, and both systems’ ability to surge capacity in response to emergencies. Additional areas of responsibility for the public health system are enhancing vaccine access and monitoring municipal water systems safety.

“This report underscores the need for comprehensive investment in public health infrastructure and preparedness and highlights the importance of addressing the disproportionate effects of underinvestment in public health on communities of color and other groups that have been underserved or marginalized,” said Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health. “Recent public health emergencies, from wildfires to infectious disease outbreaks, not only reveal the imperative for a modernized public health system they also highlight the intrinsic link between the overall health of a community and its ability to be resilient during an emergency. Focusing on eliminating health disparities, advancing health equity, and stemming the rise in chronic diseases is essential for enhancing the nation’s emergency preparedness.”

The report’s special section discusses the increasing health risks from extreme heat, including for particular population groups: people who live in under-resourced communities, people living in urban heat islands or without air conditioning, people who work outdoors, people with chronic diseases, pregnant individuals, infants, children, and older adults. In 2022, more people died in the U.S. due to extreme heat than from any other single type of weather event.

The report’s findings showed both areas of strength in the nation’s health emergency preparedness and areas that need attention.

Areas of strong performance include:

  • A majority of states have made preparations to expand healthcare and public health laboratory capacity in an emergency. As of the end of 2023, 39 states participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact, which helps facilitate emergency response efforts by allowing nurses to work in multiple member states, both in person and via telehealth, without the need for additional state licenses. Additionally, 46 states and the District of Columbia have written plans for the expansion of public health laboratory services during health emergencies.
  • Most states (43) and the District of Columbia are accredited in the areas of public health or emergency management, with many accredited in both.
  • A majority of states (at least 37) and the District of Columbia either maintained or increased their public health funding during fiscal year 2023. State investment in public health is particularly important because most federal funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was temporary, one-time funding.

Areas that need attention include:

  • Too few people are vaccinated against seasonal flu. During the 2022-2023 flu season, only 49 percent of the population (ages 6 months and older) was vaccinated against the flu, well short of the 70 percent goal established by Healthy People 2030. There is concern among public health experts that misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine could be impacting the uptake of other vaccines.
  • On average, only 25 percent of acute care hospitals in states earned a top-quality patient safety grade in fall 2023. Hospital safety scores measure performance on issues such as healthcare-associated infection rates, intensive-care capacity, and an overall culture of error prevention – all critical for performing at their best during health emergencies.
  • On average, only 55 percent of U.S. workers used paid time off during the period from March 2018 to March 2023. Access to paid time off is an important readiness measure because workers who go to work sick risk spreading infections in the workforce and throughout the community.

Policy action is needed:

The report contains recommendations for policy actions across both public and private sectors that would create stronger public health preparedness, including:

  • Congress should enhance and modernize public health infrastructure by investing $4.5 billion per year to support foundational public health capabilities at the federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial levels, including investments in data systems and the public health workforce.
  • Congress should empower CDC to collect public health data in a timely and coordinated manner, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and all jurisdictions should ensure timely, complete, and disaggregated data collection and reporting. Together, these will enable faster and more effective detection and response to health emergencies.
  • Policymakers should prioritize rebuilding trust in public health agencies and leaders. Public health policy decisions should always be based on the best available science and free from political considerations, and federal agencies should be equipped to provide timely and clear public health guidance.
  • Congress should provide at least $1.1 billion per year to support vaccine infrastructure and equitable delivery of vaccines. States should minimize vaccine exemptions for schoolchildren, and healthcare facilities should increase vaccination rates among healthcare workers.
  • Congress should significantly increase investments in public health initiatives to prevent, detect, and contain antimicrobial resistance.
  • Congress and states should provide job-protected paid leave to contain the spread of outbreaks and protect health.
  • Congress should provide significant funding for medical countermeasures and should work with the private sector to plan for their distribution and dispensing when needed.
  • Congress, HHS, and healthcare leaders should strengthen healthcare readiness and recovery, and state and local emergency planners should work with the healthcare sector to integrate healthcare delivery into emergency preparedness and response.
  • Congress should increase investments in programs that identify and mitigate the health impacts of climate change, environmental hazards, and extreme weather.

Read the report

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

 

Nutrition Support Programs are Vital to Preventing Food and Nutrition Insecurity and Reducing Chronic Disease – Congress Must Act to Support Them

As of early November 2023, draft appropriation bills by both the House of Representatives and the Senate do not adequately fund the WIC nutrition support program, threatening to break a nearly 30-year, bipartisan commitment to ensure all participants can access the program without waitlists.

(Washington, DC – 11/20/23) – Access to nutritious food is critical to preventing many chronic diseases and is particularly important to keep young children on track with their growth and developmental needs. In 2022, an estimated 12.8 percent of U.S. households experienced food and or nutrition insecurity sometime during the year.
As Trust for America’s Health’s (TFAH) State of Obesity report series has demonstrated, food insecurity is a risk factor for obesity and other nutrition-related chronic diseases. Progress on addressing these critical public health issues is in jeopardy if Congress does not provide funding for federal nutrition support programs during the current fiscal year.
One of the key federal nutrition programs supporting the specific nutritional needs of young children, infants, and birthing people is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC. Created in 1972, the WIC program is a short-term, public health intervention program designed to strengthen lifetime nutrition and health behaviors within households with low-incomes. The WIC program provides nutrition benefits tailored to support a young child’s development. Over time, the program, including its food packages, has aligned with new science about the key nutrients infants and children need. These changes have had a significant impact. Studies show that the 2007 benefit update helped improve beneficiaries’ diets and decreased rates of obesity among enrolled toddlers ages 2-4.

The WIC program also adapted to challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing new flexibilities, such as allowing WIC agencies to remotely load benefits cards. In 2021, Congress also increased the monthly benefit available to families to purchase more fruits and vegetables from $9 to $26 for children, and from $11 to $47 for pregnant and postpartum participants. These changes modernized the program and in turn increased participation; important because WIC has long had lower participation rates in comparison to the number of eligible families.

Today, nearly seven million parents and children under five years old depend on the WIC program, and participation is expected to grow due to increased program flexibilities. To keep up with increased demand, additional program funding is needed. As of early November 2023, draft appropriation bills by both the House of Representatives and the Senate do not adequately fund the WIC program, which threatens to break a nearly 30-year, bipartisan commitment to ensure all participants can access WIC without waitlists. Increasing food costs, make action to grow the WIC program critically important as families are struggling to afford healthy meals and may be forced to turn to cheaper but less nutritious alternatives.

Critical public health programs like WIC not only provide nutritious foods to families in the short term, but also help prevent diet-related diseases. Trust for America’s Health urges Congress to increase funding in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget for the WIC program to ensure pregnant and postpartum birthing people and their young children have the nutrition they need to enjoy good

The State of Obesity: Creating Pathways to a Healthier America Livestream Event

(Washington, DC – October 18, 2023) – On October 11, 2023, Trust for America’s Health hosted an in-person and livestream event recognizing the 20th anniversary of its State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America report at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.  The two-hour event featured White House and federal officials discussing the Biden Administration’s priorities for improving nutrition and health including its National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. In addition, senior federal agency officials discussed a whole-of-government approach to advance transformative policies and programs designed to address increasing rates of diet-related diseases and improve the health of the nation.

Another highlight of the event was a panel featuring community leaders and medical experts discussing effective community level obesity prevention programs and innovative approaches to create sustainable change to promote health.

Four-time track and field Olympian and American record holder Chaunte Lowe closed the program discussing the role that sports can play in promoting health and well-being. Ms. Lowe is a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.

Event speakers were:

  • Will McIntee, Senior Advisor for Public Engagement, The White House
  • James “Jim” Jones, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Caree Cotwright, PhD, RDN, Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
  • Ruth Petersen, M.D., MPH, Director, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Jamila Freightman, CDC High Obesity Program Manager, Louisiana State University AgCenter Healthy Communities Program School of Nutrition and Food Sciences
  • Randy Williams, Co-Founder/Vice President of the Robinson/Williams Restoration of Hope Community Center, Bastrop, Louisiana
  • Kofi Essel, M.D., MPH, FAAP, Food as Medicine Program Director, Elevance Health
  • Chaunte Lowe, 4-time Olympian, American Record Holder, and Council Member, President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition

TFAH President and CEO Dr. J. Nadine Gracia and TFAH Executive Vice President Dr. Tekisha Dwan Everette moderated the event. TFAH Chief Operating Officer Stacy Molander served as the event emcee.

 

TFAH Celebrates Public Health Contributions of Hispanic & Latino People During Hispanic Heritage Month

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month 2023, TFAH is highlighting the careers of a select number of people of Hispanic and Latino/Latina descent who have made important contributions to the field of public health.

Carlos Juan Finlay, M.D. (1833 – 1915)
Dr. Carlos Juan Finlay was an epidemiologist and a physician and a pioneer in yellow fever research. He discovered that yellow fever was a vector-borne disease from mosquitoes. As one of the most revered Cuban doctors and scientists, Finlay was nominated seven times for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In 1928, in his honor, Cuba created the National Order of Merit Carlos Finlay as the highest recognition for contributions in healthcare and medicine.

José Celso Barbosa, M.D. (1857 – 1921)
Dr. José Celso Barbosa was the first Puerto Rican and person of African descent to earn an M.D. in the U.S. As a physician and politician, he was supportive of healthcare and fought against racism. After being denied admittance to Columbia University because of his race and ethnicity, he attended and graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School as valedictorian in 1880. He also worked closely with the Red Cross during the Spanish-American War.

César Milstein (1927 – 2002)
César Milstein was a biochemist who was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1975 and awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1984. He advanced technology related to monoclonal antibodies that is still relevant to protect against viruses and pathogens. Learn more about César Milstein here.

Helen Rodríguez-Trías (1929 – 2001)
Dr. Helen Rodríguez-Trías was a pediatrician and women’s rights advocate and in 1993 became the first Latina president of the American Public Health Association. In 2001, Dr. Rodriguez-Trias was a Presidential Citizens Medal recipient and helped create federal guidelines for consent to medical procedures in response to involuntary sterilization. She also established the first newborn care center in Puerto Rico. Learn more about Dr. Rodríguez-Trías here.

Antonia Novello, M.D. (1944 – present)
Dr. Antonia Novello was appointed the 14th United States Surgeon General in 1990. She was the first Hispanic and first woman to serve in that position. She began her career as a pediatric nephrologist then shifted towards the field of public health. Dr. Novello made many contributions at the National Institutes of Health, including in the areas of pediatrics and AIDS research. Dr. Novello was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2000. Learn more about Dr. Novello here.

Jane Delgado, Ph.D. (1953 – present)
Dr. Jane Delgado is a psychologist and graduate of NYU and SUNY Stony Brook. She is the current and first woman president and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and contributed to the 1985 Landmark Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black & Minority Health aka The Heckler Report. Dr. Delgado has also authored many books on health, including the groundbreaking Salud: The Latina Guide to Total Health. Learn more about Dr. Delgado here.

Omar Estrada
Omar Estrada is a University of Colorado graduate who works with the Colorado Department of Education to improve access to mental and physical health services for Colorado’s youth. Estrada was recognized by the de Beaumont Foundation’s 40 Under 40 in Public Health for 2023.

Bamby Salcedo
Bamby Salcedo is the President and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition. She is a prominent LGBTQ+ and human rights activist and helped develop the blueprint on providing competent healthcare services for transgender people and LGBT people in the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean. Salcedo also helped create the Center for Violence Prevention and Transgender Wellness in Los Angeles. Learn more about Bamby Salcedo here.

 

 

New Report: Rates of Adult Obesity Continue to Climb, Particularly in Communities Experiencing Barriers to Healthy Eating and Few Opportunities for Physical Activity

20th Annual Report Finds 22 States Have Adult Obesity Levels Above 35 Percent

(Washington, DC – September 21, 2023) – The number of adults in the United States with obesity continues to climb according to a new report, State of Obesity 2023: Better Policies for a Healthier America, released today. The report, the 20th annual edition produced by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), examines the root causes of the nation’s rising obesity rates, and makes policy recommendations to address them.

According to TFAH’s analysis of the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in 2022, 22 states had an adult obesity rate at or above 35 percent, up from 19 states the prior year. A decade ago, no state had an adult obesity rate at or above the 35 percent level.

West Virginia (41%), Louisiana (40.1%), Oklahoma (40.0%), and Mississippi (39.5%) have the highest rates of adult obesity. The District of Columbia (24.3%), Colorado (25.0%), and Hawaii (25.9%) have the lowest adult obesity rates.

Over the past two decades obesity rates have climbed for all population groups with certain populations of color experiencing the highest rates, often due to structural barriers to healthy eating and a lack of opportunities and places to be physically active.

Data summarized in the report from the 2017 – 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) tracks obesity trends nationally and within populations groups. Nationally, 41.9 percent of adults have obesity. Black and Latino adults and people living in rural communities tend to have the highest rates of obesity.

  • Black adults have the highest level of adult obesity at 49.9 percent.
  • Hispanic adults have an obesity rate of 45.6 percent.
  • White adults have an obesity rate of 41.4 percent.
  • Rural areas of the country have higher rates of obesity than urban and suburban areas.

Obesity rates are also increasing among children and adolescents with nearly 20 percent of U.S. children ages 2 to 19 having obesity according to 2017–2020 NHANES data. These rates have more than tripled since the mid-1970s, and Black and Latino youth have substantially higher rates of obesity than do their white peers.

An Evolving Understanding of Obesity

Since TFAH’s initial report, published in 2004, the national adult obesity rate has increased by 37 percent and the national youth obesity rate increased by 42 percent. The widespread increases show that obesity is a society-wide, population-level issue, i.e., one rooted in societal and environmental factors that are often beyond individual choice. TFAH concludes that solving the nation’s obesity crisis will require addressing the economic and structural factors that impact where people live and their access to employment, transportation, healthcare, affordable and healthy food, and places to be physically active.

Over the past 20 years, important strides have been made in understanding that obesity is a disease and how to prevent it, including the role that social determinants of health and health inequities play in driving obesity rates. Furthermore, many obesity-related policies and programs that have been implemented, such as increased access to and benefits within nutrition support programs, have a proven record of success but need increased investment to reach more people and communities.

“It’s critical to recognize that obesity is a multifactored disease involving much more than individual behavior,” says J. Nadine Gracia, M.D., MSCE, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health.  “In order to stem the decades long trend of increasing obesity rates we have to acknowledge that the obesity crisis is rooted in economic, health, and environmental inequities.  Ensuring all people and communities have equitable opportunity and access to healthy food and physical activity is fundamental to addressing this crisis.”

Addressing obesity is critical because it is associated with a range of diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, sleep apnea, and some cancers. Obesity is estimated to increase U.S. healthcare spending by $170 billion annually (including billions by Medicare and Medicaid).

Recommended Policy Steps to Address the Obesity Crisis

The report includes recommendations for policy actions that should be taken by federal, state, and local officials and other stakeholders within five issue areas:

  • Advance health equity by strategically dedicating federal resources to efforts that reduce obesity-related disparities and related conditions, including by increasing funding for CDC’s chronic disease and obesity prevention programs.
  • Decrease nutrition insecurity while improving nutritional quality of available food. Actions steps include guaranteeing healthy school meals for every student, increasing access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other nutrition support programs, and implementing a mandatory front-of-package labeling system on food packaging to help consumers make informed choices.
  • Change the marketing and pricing strategies that lead to health disparities, including closing tax loopholes and eliminating business-cost deductions for advertising unhealthy food to children.
  • Make physical activity and the built environment safer and more accessible for everyone. Action steps include increasing federal education funding to support health and physical education in schools and investing in active transportation projects like pedestrian and bike paths.
  • Work within the healthcare system to reduce disparities and close gaps in clinical-to-social service referrals by increasing access to health insurance through expanding Medicaid, making marketplace insurance more affordable, and expanding healthcare screenings for social needs.

 

Read the full report