Quick Health Data Online - Past Spotlights

Presented below is the current monthly spotlight. Additionally, in case you missed them, following the current spotlight are prior monthly spotlights, highlighting topics of interest and relevant data available on Quick Health Data Online.

Spotlight: May 12-18 is National Women's Health Week

The 14th annual National Women's Health Week (NWHW) kicks off on Mother's Day, May 12, 2013, and is celebrated until May 18, 2013. NWHW is a time to promote women's health and empower women to make their health a priority. During the week, and throughout the month, NWHW focuses on the preventive measures women can take to improve their physical and mental health and to prevent disease. The website for NWHW can be found at: http://www.womenshealth.gov/nwhw/.

Quick Health Data Online offers many types of data related to the objectives of National Women's Health Week. Items related to this year's theme include:

Data can be used to generate maps and tables at the state and county levels, such as this one which presents state-level data on routine check-ups for women.

Spotlight: April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

Designated as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, April provides an opportunity to focus attention on sexual violence and its prevention. Sexual violence can be defined as "any sexual act that is perpetrated against someone's will." ¹ The following are different forms of sexual violence: "a completed nonconsensual sex act (i.e., rape), an attempted nonconsensual sex act, abusive sexual contact (i.e., unwanted touching), and non-contact sexual abuse (e.g., threatened sexual violence, exhibitionism, verbal sexual harassment)." ² According to data from the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 18.3% of women and 1.4% of men have been raped at some point in their lifetime. ³ The Office on Women's Health webpage about Sexual Assault and Abuse provides additional information and resources regarding sexual assault. ⁴

Quick Health Data Online provides several types of data related to sexual assault, including information on:

¹Sexual Violence Definitions, introductory paragraph, available online at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injury Center: Violence Prevention Sexual Violence Definitions website: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/sexualviolence/definitions.html.

²Sexual Violence Definitions, introductory paragraph, available online at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injury Center: Violence Prevention Sexual Violence Definitions website: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/sexualviolence/definitions.html

³Black, M.C., Basile, K.C., Breiding, M.J., Smith, S.G., Walters, M.L., Merrick, M.T., Chen, J., & Stevens, M.R. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary Report. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data can be found in Table 2.1 on Page 18 and Table 2.2 on Page 19. Available online at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV/AIDS Statistics and Surveillance website: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf

⁴Violence Against Women, Sexual Assault and Abuse, available online at the Office on Women's Health website: http://www.womenshealth.gov/violence-against-women/types-of-violence/sexual-assault-and-abuse.html

Spotlight: March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2013, an effort coordinated by the Office on Women's Health to promote greater awareness of HIV/AIDS, including risk factors, HIV testing and living with HIV, among the female population.¹ Diagnoses of AIDS among females has been rising over time, with females accounting for 7% of AIDS diagnoses among adults and adolescents in 1985 and 25% of AIDS diagnoses among adults and adolescents in 2010.² In 2010, the rate of newly diagnosed cases of AIDS among adult and adolescent females was over 4 times higher for Hispanic females and over 22 times higher for Black females as compared to White females.³ Females accounted for 10% of deaths due to HIV in 1987 and 28% of deaths due to HIV in 2009,⁴ and nearly 300,000 women in the United States were estimated to be living with HIV in 2008.⁵

Quick Health Data Online provides several types of data related to HIV/AIDS risk factors, morbidity and mortality. The site includes information on topics such as:

Quick Health Data Online provides data for men and women as well as details on race and ethnicity to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate tables such as these, which present the percent of females ages 18 to 64 who reported ever having had an HIV test.

¹National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, About National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, available online at the Office on Women's Health website: http://www.womenshealth.gov/NWGHAAD/about/.

²HIV Surveillance in Women Slide Set, Slide Number 10, available online at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV/AIDS Statistics and Surveillance website: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides/women/ - Slide 10.

³HIV Surveillance in Women Slide Set, Slide Number 13, available online at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV/AIDS Statistics and Surveillance website: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides/women/ - Slide 13.

⁴HIV Mortality (through 2009) Slide Set, Slide Number 7, available online at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV/AIDS Statistics and Surveillance website: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides/mortality/ - Slide 7.

⁵Page 692 of: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV Surveillance --- United States, 1981-2008. MMWR 2011; 60(21): 689-693. Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm6021.pdf - Page 692.

Spotlight: February is American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month. The Office on Women’s Health has developed the Make the Call. Don't Miss a Beat. Campaign, accessible at http://womenshealth.gov/heartattack/. The campaign is intended to increase awareness of seven symptoms of heart attack and calling 9-1-1 in response to having one or more of the symptoms.¹

According to the Office on Women’s Health Heart Disease Fact Sheet, the following are risk factors for heart disease in women: “obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and lack of physical activity.” ² The fact sheet also notes potential ways of reducing the risk of developing heart disease: managing stress; abstaining from smoking; limiting alcohol consumption; testing for diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and triglyceride levels; and staying at a healthy weight by healthful eating and exercise.³

Quick Health Data Online provides several types of data related to heart disease risk factors, morbidity and mortality. The site includes information on topics such as:

Adults ever experiencing a heart attack.
Awareness of calling 911 for heart attack or stroke symptoms
Coronary heart disease death rates for females and for males.

Quick Health Data Online provides data for men and women as well as race and ethnicity and can be used to assess differences in behaviors, risk factors, and mortality among various population groups over time. Data can be used to generate tables and maps such as these, which present age-adjusted coronary heart disease death rates for females and age-adjusted coronary heart disease death rates for males . Additional Chart features in the system can present data in horizontal or vertical bar charts, with trend lines, or in pie charts.

¹Make the Call, Don’t Miss a Beat Campaign, available online at the Office on Women's Health website: http://www.womenshealth.gov/heartattack/
²Heart Disease Fact Sheet, Do Women of Color Need to Worry About Heart Disease?, available online at the Office on Women's Health website: http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/heart-disease.html#c
³Heart Disease Fact Sheet, What Can I Do to Prevent Heart Disease?, available online at the Office on Women's Health website: http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/heart-disease.html#d

Spotlight: January Spotlight on Immunizations and Vaccinations

There are a number of diseases, including influenza and pneumococcal disease¹, for which vaccines are administered to prevent the spread of these illnesses². Influenza viruses infect the respiratory system³, can cause a variety of symptoms that may include fever, aches, fatigue, sore throat, and nasal congestion⁴, and can be spread by those who are infected.⁵ The effectiveness of the influenza vaccine for any given individual may depend on the health and age of the individual as well as how well the composition of the vaccine matches the viruses in the population.⁶ Proper hand-washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizers⁷ and covering one's mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing are ways to avoid spreading germs.⁸

Quick Health Data Online offers different types of data related to vaccines and immunizations, including information on:

Age-adjusted percent of women who have had a flu shot within the past 12 months

Age-adjusted percent of women ages 65 and older who have ever had a pneumonia shot

Quick Health Data Online provides data for men and women as well as details on race and ethnicity to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate tables such as these, which present age-adjusted percentages of women who have had a flu shot within the past year and age-adjusted percentages of women ages 65 and older who report having ever had a pneumonia shot .

¹CDC, Vaccines & Preventable Diseases: List of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/vpd-list.htm
²CDC, Basics and Common Questions: How Vaccines Prevent Disease, Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/howvpd.htm
³CDC, Seasonal Influenza (Flu),Key Facts about Influenza (Flu) & Flu Vaccine, What is influenza (also called flu)?, Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm#whatis
⁴CDC, Seasonal Influenza (Flu),Key Facts about Influenza (Flu) & Flu Vaccine, Signs and symptoms of flu, Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm#symptomsof
⁵CDC, Seasonal Influenza (Flu),Key Facts about Influenza (Flu) & Flu Vaccine, How flu spreads, Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm#howflu
⁶CDC, Seasonal Influenza (Flu), Vaccine Effectiveness - How Well Does the Flu Vaccine Work?, How effective is the flu vaccine?, Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccineeffect.htm
⁷CDC, Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives, Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/
⁸CDC, Seasonal Influenza (Flu), Stopping the Spread of Germs at Home, Work & School, Good Health Habits, Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/stopgerms.htm

Spotlight: December Spotlight on Mental Health and Depression

More than 25% of adults in the U.S. have a diagnosable mental health disorder in any given year. ¹ Nearly 10% of adults are estimated to have a mood disorder, a category which includes major depressive disorders. ² In addition to mood disorders, mental health related disorders include anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism and eating disorders, among others. ³

Quick Health Data Online offers different types of data related to mental health, including information on:

Age-adjusted suicide death rates per 100,000 population

Women ages 18 and older who report their mental health was not good on 8 or more of the past 30 days

Quick Health Data Online provides data for men and women as well as race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate tables such as these, which present age-adjusted rates of suicide deaths per 100,000 population and the age-adjusted percent of women ages 18 and older who report their mental health was not good on 8 or more of the past 30 days .

¹Citation 1: The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America, a National Institute of Mental Health publication, available online at the National Institute of Mental Health website: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml#Intro.

The text references the following as a source of information:

Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27.

²Citation 2: The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America, a National Institute of Mental Health publication, available online at the National Institute of Mental Health website: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml#Mood.

The text references the following as sources of information:

U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates by Demographic Characteristics. Table 2: Annual Estimates of the Population by Selected Age Groups and Sex for the United States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004 (NC-EST2004-02) Source: Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau Release Date: June 9, 2005. http://www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/

³Citation 3: The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America, a National Institute of Mental Health publication, available online at the National Institute of Mental Health website: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml.

The various categories of mental disorders are listed at the top of the page.

Spotlight: November and Diabetes Awareness

Diabetes affects an estimated 24 million people in the U.S. with as much as 25% of those affected unaware that they have the disease.¹ Of the three main types of diabetes (type 1, type 2 and gestational), type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent type and represents approximately 90% of diabetes cases.² Some risk factors for type 2 diabetes include age, ethnicity, overweight, obesity, family history of diabetes, and lack of exercise or physical activity.³

Quick Health Data Online offers many types of data related to diabetes, including information on:

Percent of adult females with diabetes,

Rate of female diabetes deaths per 100,000 female population,

Percent of adult females who exercise, and

Percent of adult females who are obese

Quick Health Data Online provides data for males and females with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons among different population groups. Data can be used to generate charts such as these, which present rates of age-adjusted average percent of the female population who have diabetes and the percentage of adult females who are obese.

¹Diabetes Fact Sheet, Section "Who gets diabetes?", available online at the Office of Women's Health website: http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/diabetes.cfm#d

²Diabetes Fact Sheet, Section "What are the different types of diabetes?", available online at the Office of Women's Health website: http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/diabetes.cfm#c

³Diabetes Fact Sheet, Section "Am I at risk for diabetes?", available online at the Office of Women's Health website: http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/diabetes.cfm#f

Spotlight: October and Violence Against Women

Violence against women can be in the form of physical, emotional or sexual violence and may be caused by strangers or familiar persons.^1,² Domestic violence is also called intimate partner violence because it often is caused by a husband, ex-husband, boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend. People of all races, education levels, and ages experience domestic violence. Effects of violence against women can be both physical and mental. In the United States, more than 5 million women are abused by an intimate partner each year.³ For more information call the National Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to violence against women, including information on:

Rate of rapes per 100,000 females by geographic location, and

Percent of adolescent females reporting being physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend on purpose in past 12 months.

Data on the system are provided for males and females with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate charts such as these, which present rates of rape per 100,000 females by location and the percentage of female adolescents who report having been physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend on purpose in the past 12 months.

Spotlight: September and Healthy Aging

As the population over 65 is projected to continue to increase in coming years,¹ healthy aging may become of increasing importance to many. Healthy aging will be influenced in part by participation in a variety of health-promoting behaviors, including having regular recommended screenings.²

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to healthy aging, including information on:

Data on the system are provided for males and females with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate charts such as these, which present percentages of population over 65 by location, the percent of adults ages 45-64 and 65 and older who report falls , and the percentage of adults 50 to 75 years who report having colorectal cancer screening.

Spotlight: August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week

Breastfeeding provides a number of benefits to both infants and mothers. Breast milk is easy to digest and contains antibodies that can protect infants from infections as well as nutrients to promote infants' healthy growth. Women who breastfeed are at a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as breast and ovarian cancers.¹

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to Breastfeeding, Maternal Health and Reproductive Health including information on:

Data on the system are provided for men and women with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups.

Data can be used to generate tables and maps such as these, which present the percentages of children breastfed ever, at 6 months and at 12 months; the percentages of children breastfed by race and ethnicity; and the percentages of children exclusively breastfed at 3 months and exclusively breastfed at 6 months.

Spotlight: July Spotlight on Adolescent Physical Activity and Nutrition

The Office on Women's Health has information for adolescents about nutrition and physical activity available at the girlshealth.gov website.¹

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to adolescent health, nutrition and physical activity, including information on:

Students in grades 9-12 eating vegetables and drinking milk daily,
Students in grades 9-12 who are overweight or obese, and
Students in grades 9-12 who are physically active for at least 60 minutes a day for five or more days per week.

Data on the system are provided for males and females with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate charts such as these, which present percentages of students in grades 9-12 who are overweight or obese , the percent of students in grades 9-12 who are physically active for at least 60 minutes a day for five or more days per week , and the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who report eating vegetables three or more times per day and those who report drinking three or more glasses of milk per day .