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October 29, 2008
Health Policy and the Presidential Election
October 28, 2008
Health Department: It's safe to eat more fish in Minnesota
 The Minnesota Health Department's newest fish consumption guidelines say it's safe to eat more fish than previously recommended.
The department recently revised its entire fish consumption advisory guide.
Betsy Wattenberg, a toxicologist and professor at the University of Minnesota, told Minnesota Public Radio that regularly re-evaluating those guidelines is a good public health practice.
"In this case, the benefits of eating fish are very direct because of their nutritional benefit," Wattenberg said. "So I think it was a good idea for them to go back, do the reassessment, realize that people could benefit very directly from eating more fish without increasing their risk of toxicity from exposure to the chemicals that are present in the fish."
More from MPR
October 23, 2008
Inflammation, Coagulation Tied to Non-AIDS Deaths in HIV Cases
 An increased risk of death from diseases other than AIDS has possibly been tied to a therapy designed to help HIV-positive people, according to a new study led by Jim Neaton, a University of Minnesota biostatistician in the School of Public Health.
The results, stemming from an international study published inPLoS Medicine, found that patients receiving either of two methods of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV had increased risk of death from conditions such as cardiovascular complications linked to three biomarkers: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and D-dimer.
“There is a growing body of evidence that indicates that HIV impacts a number of diseases besides AIDS-defining conditions,� Neaton said. “The data from this biomarker study support that line of thinking.�
More from the Washington Post
Read the news release
Talk About Prescriptions Month
 According to the Institute of Medicine there are about 1.5 million adverse prescription drug events each year that are preventable. That’s one reason that the National Council on Patient Information and Education is promoting October as Talk About Prescriptions Month.
Judy Garrard, a University of Minnesota professor who is an expert in the use of medications by the elderly, explains why that simple message is so important.
The bottom line, she says: Talk to your doctor and your pharmacist.
• Listen to Garrard on Public Health Moment
October 16, 2008
National School Lunch Week
 About 31 million children participate daily in the National School Lunch Program, which this week celebrates National School Lunch Week.
Mary Story, a nutrition expert at the University of Minnesota, says that schools have made good progress in the last decade in providing kids with more nutritious meals.
Story adds that a larger issue is the availability of unhealthy snacks at schools — outside of the lunch room.
View Story on Fox 9 News
Listen to Story on our Public Health Moment podcast
October 10, 2008
$8.2 million grant allows U of M to establish emergency preparedness research center
 The University of Minnesota School of Public Health was one of seven schools nationwide to be awarded a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant, which will provide $8.2 million to the school over five years for a new preparedness and emergency response research center.
“The University of Minnesota has always been recognized for its technology-enhanced simulation. This is an opportunity to bring these resources and the expertise of our public health preparedness systems, educational effectiveness, and exercises in simulation to a national level,� said Debra Olson, associate dean for public health practice education and principal investigator of the project.
The University of Minnesota project will focus its research on how to enhance the usefulness and facilitation of emergency response training. The project, “University of Minnesota: Simulations and Exercises for Educational Effectiveness� (U-SEEE), will identify best practices for the design and delivery of preparedness training and facilitate the translation of research results into improvements in public health preparedness systems.
“The CDC’s funding of these types of research centers is really a move in a very unique and important direction,� Olson told the Minnesota Daily. “We’ll know what makes education more effective to improve performance in response conditions.�
More about the $8.2 million grant from the Minnesota Daily
Read the news release
October 8, 2008
Breast Cancer Awareness
 Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. This year, nearly 180,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. And about 40,000 women will die from the disease.
Who is at risk and what are the risk factors?
According to Kristin Anderson, a cancer epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, family history, obesity, lack of physical activity, and alcohol are all risk factors.
She said that women 40 and older without a family history should have annual or biannual screenings. Women with a family history should consult their physician. Mammograms, Anderson adds, have been shown to reduce mortality.
• Listen to Anderson on our Public Health Moment podcast
October 2, 2008
Out-of-pocket costs slow medical demand
 A state health department report states that Minnesotans are paying significantly more out-of-pocket for their health care, which has resulted in a lower demand for medical care.
The report also said that such efforts as disease prevention and management may also have contributed to a decreased demand.
Roger Feldman (pictured), a health economist at the University of Minnesota, told the Star Tribune that previous research has shown that high deductibles cause people to spend significantly less.
"Employees are paying more out-of-pocket, and that is cost-shifting but it is also cost-reducing," said Feldman, who was not involved in preparing the Health Department report.
More from the Star Tribune
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Health care is a prominent issue in the presidential election and both candidates have plans for how they would fix health care and provide health coverage to the more than 47 million Americans who are now uninsured. 
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