Check out the May Issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research. In this edition:
Features:
A Bang to the Brain: What We Know About Concussions – Concussions are a type of mild brain injury, but they need to be taken seriously. Learn to recognize the causes and symptoms of concussion, and take steps to prevent head injuries.
On Sound Footing: The Health of Your Feet – Your feet are pretty small, considering they have to support the entire height and weight of your body. But they can cause big problems. So take steps to keep your feet healthy!
The Spring 2013 issue of NIH MedlinePlus, the magazine, is now available online. Feature articles include:
Researching and Reducing the Health Burden of Stroke
Stroke Rehabilitation
Managing Allergies
Spotlight on NIH Research: What Do Fats Do in the Body?
Featuring reliable up-to-date health information and the latest news from NIH-supported research, NIH MedlinePlus magazine is available free of charge. Get an email alert or free print subscription.
Check out the April 2013 issue of NIH News in Health, http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/apr2013, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest National Institutes of Health research.
National Nutrition Month is a nutrition information and education campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. This year’s theme, “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day,” encourages personalized healthy eating styles and recognizes that food preferences, lifestyle, cultural and ethnic traditions and health concerns all impact individual food choices. This year is the 40th Anniversary of National Nutrition Month.
The National Nutrition Month 2013 website (http://www.eatright.org/nnm) has a variety of materials for education and promotion, including a reading list, health tips, games and quizzes, and links to additional resources.
Other authoritative and up-to-date sources for nutrition information include:
USA.gov page on Food, Nutrition, and Fitness: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Health/Food.shtml. This resource features information about good nutrition, food safety, healthy meals on a budget, and more.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Nutrition page: http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/ which covers a wide range of topics related to nutrition.
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Region (NN/LM SCR) is pleased to introduce online applications for many of our most popular funding opportunities. Nine different award types now have online application options. Applicants for these awards may review all guidelines on the NN/LM SCR Funding Opportunities page and then click on the “apply online” link where they will find the online application for the award.
The NN/LM SCR Online Applications Portal is powered by Submittable. Users will be asked to create an account or link Submittable to their Facebook account to log on. Creating an account with Submittable will provide online applicants with the ability to save and return to a draft of the application before making the final submission. Users can also upload attachments or supporting materials (Word, PDF, Excel, and images) to their application. The online system also allows users and the NN/LM SCR to promote the award opportunities through social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.
Traditional downloadable applications are still available for all awards. Either form of application will be accepted for review.
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has released a new version of the MedlinePlus search cloud widget code in English and Spanish. The NLM has enhanced the code by replacing the Flash code with Javascript. Please make sure your site uses the latest code for this widget. The NLM will support older versions of this widget for a limited time through March. For details, go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/widgets.html.
Widgets are small applications that allow you to access MedlinePlus content directly from your own websites. You can embed the following widgets in blogs, personalized homepages, and other websites. Once you embed the widget on your site, MedlinePlus takes care of the technical maintenance and updates the content automatically.
The NN/LM SCR is pleased to announce the latest round of funding opportunities:
Disaster Preparedness Award ($10,000):
The purpose of the Disaster Preparedness Award is to help libraries prepare for disasters so that they can assist their communities with health information and other recovery needs after an emergency. Approaches can include, but are not limited to, activities that will integrate the library into their community’s emergency preparedness, response and recovery plan; equipment that will allow the library to have more flexibility in responding to the Internet needs of the community; and partnerships with city emergency planning groups, hospitals, public health organizations to enhance health information access in library settings.
Electronic Consumer Health Outreach Award($25,000):
The goal of this award is to connect health professionals, their patients and the general public to the health information resources from the National Library of Medicine. This solicitation will focus on projects designed to improve access to electronic health information for such groups and organizations as consumers, the underserved and minority health care professionals, public health workers, public libraries, and community-based and faith-based organizations.
Express Outreach Award ($5,000 per project):
The purpose of the Express Outreach Award is to support a wide range of outreach projects aimed at improving access to and use of the National Library of Medicine’s databases to improve access to health information.
Health Disparities Information Award ($5,000):
The purpose of the Health Disparities Information Outreach Award is to support a wide range of outreach projects aimed at improving access to and use of the National Library of Medicine’s databases by populations which experience significant health disparities, including, but not limited to minority, rural and other medically underserved populations.
Health Information Literacy Award ($5,000):
The purpose of the Health Information Literacy Award is to support Network member projects, particularly those from community-based organizations (CBOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs) and other organizations that serve minority populations, to develop innovative and creative ways to promote health literacy to these target populations.
Health Information Needs Assessment Award ($5,000):
The purpose of the Health Information Needs Assessment Award is to improve health information outreach through increased knowledge of community needs. Thorough needs assessments serve to analyze community needs in depth, with respect to the community’s cultural, social, economic and physical situations. This award is designed to give organizations an opportunity to study a community in detail and to subsequently design strategies that promote the National Library of Medicine’s databases.
Hospital Library Promotion Award ($5,000):
The purpose of this award is to support projects that promote the value of the hospital library to the hospital administrators and staff. As hospitals expand their services and programs, hospital librarians can play a significant role in areas such as: education and training to address knowledge management, clinical information systems, patient safety programs, electronic health records, health literacy, or patient education.
Library Student Outreach Award (funding will cover all costs related to meeting attendance):
The award provides funding for students to attend the South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association (SCC/MLA) Annual Meeting in Fort Worth TX and participate in meetings, conference sessions and other activities designed for them to learn about the importance of health information outreach and services conducted by librarians in the South Central Region.
Mobile Applications Project Award ($8,000):
The purpose of the Mobile Applications Project (MAP) Award is to provide an opportunity for Network members to provide outreach services and increase access to health information by utilizing mobile technologies. Projects may target health professionals, public librarians, public health workers, consumers, or the general public.
Professional Development Award($1,500 per event):
The purpose of this award is to enable individuals at NN/LM SCR Network member institutions to expand professional knowledge and experience to provide improved health information access to healthcare providers and consumers.
Technology Improvement Award ($5,000 per project):
The Technology Improvement Project (TIP) Award is intended to improve access to and increase use of free high quality health information including National Library of Medicine’s databases. It is designed to meet the health information needs of “underconnected” communities and increase access to health information services within the community.
See the NN/LM SCR Funding page for more information and for deadlines.
News about the 2012-2013 influenza (or “flu”) season has been everywhere recently. The cities of Boston and New York have declared public health emergencies, and Dr. Anthony Facui, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, has indicated that we are in what is classically described as a flu epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 22,048 flu cases from September 30 – December 31, 2012, compared with 849 cases reported during the same time frame in 2011 (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/).
One of the ways librarians and information specialists can share important messages about topics such as the flu is by using social media tools to promote reliable and trustworthy health information to our clients and audiences. The Health and Human Services Media News Media Team has created suggested messages relevant to the flu. Consider how you might use them:
Twitter
It takes 2 weeks after vaccination for you to be protected. Use our finder to find a #flu vaccine center near you. http://bit.ly/Soutac
Teachers-help keep your classrooms free of germs. Teach healthy habits at school to prevent flu in your classroom. http://go.usa.gov/gmfJ
There are three different types of #flu shot and a nasal spray. Which is the right one for you? http://go.usa.gov/YpKQ
Flu activity is high across most states in the US now. Learn more about preventing #flu. Visit http://www.flu.gov.
Vaccination is the best protection against #flu but vaccine may be limited in some areas. Use http://flushot.healthmap.org to locate vaccine.
Got the #flu? Don’t share it. Stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever goes away. Visit http://www.flu.gov
It’s #flu season. http://www.flu.gov provides advice on caring for yourself and loved ones who are sick.
If you still need #flu vaccine, now’s the time to get vaccinated. #Flu is widespread in many states.
#FluView, a weekly report of #flu activity in the U.S., is available on the @CDCgov website at http://1.usa.gov/e30wKG
If you haven’t already been vaccinated for the flu, now’s the time. Vaccine may be limited in some areas. You may need to contact more than one provider (pharmacy, health department, or doctor) to find available vaccine. Visit http://flushot.healthmap.org for more information.
Learn more about how to care for loved ones with the flu, including people at high risk (children, seniors, and people with chronic conditions). Start by getting vaccinated, practicing healthy habits like covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and washing hands regularly. Visit http://www.flu.gov for more information.
For general information about the flu, start with the “flu” Health Topics page in MedlinePlus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/flu.html) which has good current information in many languages, including a number of new videos.
Be well!
[Note: Special thanks to Siobhan Champ-Blackwell, Health Sciences Librarian, Aquilent, Inc., SIS Division of DIMRC, NLM for some of the content in this post via Disaster Information Outreach by Librarians listserv.]
This week the Pew Internet and American Life Project released the Health Online 2013 report. Results were collected August 7 through September 6, 2012 with data coming from a nationwide survey of 3,014 adults living in the United States. The report provides current data related to online health information. 35% of US adults report that they have gone online to try to find information about their own health condition or a condition someone else might have.
According to the report 77% started their search for health information online using a search engine such as Google while only 13% began their search at a site that specializes in health information such as MedlinePlus or WebMD.
Online health information seekers are also using the internet as a diagnostic tool. 59% of those who have looked for health information online report trying to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have. According to the report this “translates to 35% of US adults.” 53% of these “online diagnoses” report speaking with a medical professional about what they found online.
1) 59% of US adults have looked online for health information in the past year. 2) 35% of US adults say they have used the inernet to try to figure out what medical condition they or another may have. We call them “online diagnosers.” 3) 53% of online diagnosers talked with a clinician about what they found online. 4) 41% of online diagnosers had their condition confirmed by a clinician. (Image from Health Online 2013 Report)
The report found that while 85% of US adults own a cell phone, younger adults and minorities are more likely to use a mobile device to search for health information.
Also included in the report are statistics about peer-to-peer health advice and health care reviews. The report found that despite the popularity of Consumer Reports type reviews for products and services, health care reviews have not yet caught on among general consumers. Also of interest, the report found that when looking for health information online, about 26% of those polled were asked to pay for access to content.
The full Health Online 2013 report can be found online and provides access to more data and statistics related to health information and online health search behaviors.
By Steve Beleu, Director, U.S. Government Information Division, Oklahoma Department of Libraries
The immense growth in our nation of enhanced natural gas and oil recovery via the process popularly known as “fracking,” and more precisely known as “Hydraulic Fracturing,” has created an economic boom. “Shale oil” and “shale gas” is trapped within shale formations; injecting combinations of water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure causes the shale to crack which then releases the gas or oil. But mismanaged fracking can also release hazardous chemicals into drinking water and air, and also cause small earthquakes. Here are some links to information about fracking in general and its potential adverse health effects.
Basic information about shale gas. It includes a chart that shows the current and projected future growth of shale gas production from about 2005 through 2040. EIA estimates that there will be a 44% increase in fracking.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Agency. Website updated on December 5, 2012. http://www.eia.gov/energy_in_brief/article/about_shale_gas.cfm?src=email
Map of “Lower 48” State Shale “plays” (a “play” is the name for a formation that contains trapped natural gas).
Source: U.S. Energy Information Agency. May 9, 2011. http://www.eia.gov/oil_gas/rpd/shale_gas.pdf
Report about fracking and the risks to public health of fracking. Recommended for its technical explanations of fracking. September 5, 2012.
Source: U.S. General Accountability Office. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-732
Report about the regulations of federal government and six states about the potentially hazardous effects of fracking.
Source: U.S. General Accountability Office. September 5, 2012. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-874
The EPA project to study the effects on fracking on drinking water; widely reported by national and state media. Their report is due to Congress in 2014, but this is a website about it. Website updated on December 7, 2012/ http://www.epa.gov/hfstudy/
Selected free, full-text articles about fracking from the National Institute of Health’s PubMed Central (PMC) database. Using the search term “hydraulic fracturing” currently retrieves 89 articles; these are three of them. Basic web address of PubMed Central: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
Check out the May Issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research. In this edition:
The 
Check out the April 2013 issue of NIH News in Health, 
