Awareness Month is dedicated to raising awareness about important health topics and its impact on the lives of individuals and families of Polk County Florida. Heart to Heart Community Enrichment, Inc. organizes events to create change and build knowledge in the community.
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
February is National Heart Health Awareness Month
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Everyone Has a Role in Preventing Sexual Assault
This month is Sexual Assault Awareness Month – a time to help communities understand sexual violence and prevent it using best-available evidence.
What You Need To Know
- Nearly 1 in 5 women (19%) and 1 in 59 men (nearly 2%) in the U.S. have been raped in their lives. 1 in 15 men have been made to penetrate someone in their lives.
- Most first-time sexual assaults occur before age 18, making early intervention and prevention efforts critical—for women and men.
- Sexual Violence Surveillance: Uniform Definitions and Recommended Data Elements can help standardize sexual violence definitions and data to guide prevention.
April is Autism Awareness Month
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
- Underweight or Obese Women Who Drink and Smoke May Have Higher Asthma Risk
- Doctors Report on Success of Throat Reconstruction
- Driving Curfews May Curb Teen Crime
- Smoking Rates Stall Among Young Blacks
- Common Infection Caused First U.S. Uterus Transplant to Fail, Hospital Says
- First Wire-Free Pacemaker Approved
- Tracking Kids’ Eye Movements Might Shed New Light on Autism
- Freezing Technique May Ease ‘Phantom Limb’ Pain for Amputees
- Exercise May Counter Harms from Too Much Sitting, Study Says
- Schools in Most States Skimp on Phys Ed, Study Finds
- Some 9/11 First Responders Suffer Severe Sinus Problems
- Chemo May Prolong Lives of Some Brain Cancer Patients
- Fruit Every Day Might Help Your Heart
- High-Dose Radiation May Be No Better for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer
- Study Sees No Link Between Common Epilepsy Drug, Certain Birth Defects
- Women Twice as Likely to Die from Severe Heart Attack
- Diabetes Cases Quadruple Worldwide Since 1980: Report
- Opioid Painkiller May Be New Treatment for Heroin Addicts
- Death of Loved One May Trigger Heart Rhythm Trouble
- Intensive Exercise a Fountain of Youth for Aging Muscles
May Is Healthy Vision Month
Healthy Vision: Make It Last a Lifetime
Taking care of your vision should be a priority just like eating healthy and being physically active. Healthy vision can help keep you safe when you are driving, while at work, home, or school, participating in sports, or taking part in recreational activities.
The following are some tips to help you protect your vision:
- Get regular comprehensive dilated eye exams as recommended by your eye care provider.
- Know your family’s eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with an eye disease or condition, because many are hereditary.
- Eat right to protect your sight, particularly dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens, and fish high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, albacore tuna, trout, and halibut.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Wear protective eyewear when playing sports or doing activities around the home such as painting, yard work, and home repairs.
- Quit smoking or never start.
- Wear sunglasses that block 99%–100% of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation.
- Clean your hands prior to taking out contacts and be sure to cleanse your contact lenses properly to avoid the risk of infection.
- Practice workplace eye safety.
Taking care of your eyes also may benefit your overall health. People with vision problems are more likely than those with good vision to have diabetes, poor hearing, heart problems, high blood pressure, lower back pain and stroke, as well as have increased risk for falls, injury and depression. Among people aged 65 and older, 54.2 percent of those who are blind and 41.7 percent of those with impaired vision say their overall health is fair or poor. Just 21.5 percent of older Americans without vision problems reported fair to poor health.
In addition to your comprehensive dilated eye exams, visit an eye care professional if you have decreased vision; eye pain; drainage or redness of the eye; double vision; or diabetes; or if you see flashes of light, floaters (tiny specks that appear to float before your eyes), or circles (halos) around light sources.
For this Healthy Vision Month, resolve to take care of your eyes to make them last a lifetime.
Source Link: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HealthyVision
Poisoning Update
U.S. Agency Puts Poison Prevention in Spotlight
Household Products Update
Cholesterol Update
Pain Relievers Update
Stroke Update
Green Tea, Coffee May Help Lower Stroke Risk
Diets Update
Woman’s Tea Addiction Led to Loss of Teeth, Bone Problems
HIV/AIDS Update
Rapid HIV Treatment Points to “Functional Cure” for AIDS
Breast Cancer Update
For Older Women, Missed Mammograms Tied to Worse Breast Cancer Outcomes
Breast Cancer Death Rates Higher for Black Women
Breast Cancer Gene Tests Won’t Help Most Women
When Breast Cancer Spreads to Lungs, Surgery May Increase Survival
Weight Control Update
Want to Lose Weight? Then Run, Don’t Walk
Heart Diseases–Prevention Update
Heart Diseases–Prevention
Obesity Update
Obesity Does Slow People Down, Study Confirms
May is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Awareness Month
August is Recognizing National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM)
September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. While most people are aware of breast cancer, many forget to take the steps to have a plan to detect the disease in its early stages and encourage others to do the same. We have made a lot of progress but still have a long way to go and need your help!
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