MMWR News Synopsis for June 16, 2016

 

Seat Belt Use among Adult Workers — 21 States, 2013

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Seat belt use reduces injuries and saves lives. There is substantial variability among workers in always using seat belts. The leading cause of fatal injuries among workers is motor vehicle crashes. Seat belt use is a proven method to reduce injuries among motor vehicle occupants. In the first report on seat belt use among a broad range of occupations, CDC found there was substantial variability among occupations in self-reported seat belt use. Occupations with the highest prevalence of not always using seat belts included construction and extraction; farming, fishing, and forestry; and installation, maintenance, and repair. For all occupations, the prevalence of not always using seat belts was higher in states with secondary seat belt laws (drivers can be ticketed for not using a seat belt only if stopped for another offense) than in states with primary seat belt laws (drivers can be ticketed solely for not using a seat belt). To increase seat belt use, states can enact and vigorously enforce primary seat belt laws, employers can enforce safety policies requiring seat belt use by all vehicle occupants, and seat belt safety advocates can target interventions to workers in occupations with lower reported seat belt use.

Disparities in Adolescent Residence in Neighborhoods Supportive of Physical Activity — United States, 2011–2012

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Approximately two thirds of adolescents aged 10–17 years lived in neighborhoods that support physical activity. This proportion was lower among adolescents who were non-Hispanic black or Hispanic, overweight or obese, from households with lower socioeconomic status, or from rural areas.Physical activity has health benefits for everyone. Approximately 27 percent of youths are active enough to meet the aerobic guideline of at least one hour of physical activity every day, and sex and racial/ethnic disparities in meeting the guideline exist. Strategies to improve the environment such as ensuring neighborhood safety, having sidewalks, and locating recreation facilities nearby are recommended to promote physical activity. Two-thirds of U.S. adolescents aged 10-17 years live in neighborhoods that support physical activity; however disparities exist. Communities can help support physical activity through programs and improving community design. All young people should have opportunities to be active. These efforts, particularly in areas with a greater concentration of low-income and minority residents, might increase physical activity among youth and reduce health disparities.

Male Attendance at Title X Family Planning Clinics — United States, 2003–2014

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

More men are visiting National Title X Family Planning Program sites, which provide confidential family planning and related preventive health services with priority for low-income women and men. Although both men and women have reproductive health care needs, family planning providers traditionally focus services toward women. During 2003-2014, 3.8 million men visited Title X service sites in the United States and the percentage of family planning users who were male nearly doubled from 4.5 percent in 2003 to 8.8 percent in 2014. This report shows that an increasing number of men are seeking family planning and related preventive health services at Title X service sites. Since 1970, the Title X program has provided cost-effective and confidential family planning and related preventive health services to low-income women and men.

Notes from the Field:

• Typhoid Fever Outbreak Associated with an Asymptomatic Carrier at a Restaurant ― Weld County, Colorado, 2015
• Strongyloidiasis at a Long-Term–Care Facility for the Developmentally Disabled — Arizona, 2015

QuickStats:

• Age-Adjusted Percentages of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Have Epilepsy, by Epilepsy Status and Race/Ethnicity — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2010 and 2013

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES