By Ryan Moran, MD, Preventive Medicine Resident, University of California, San Diego

Although health care workers promote vaccinations to their patients, their own immunization rates lag behind the Healthy People 2020 target of 90%. This is a great concern, given that health care workers care for some of the most vulnerable populations in our society.…

One in 3 children in the United States is overweight or obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that were once seen only in adults, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. The good news? Childhood obesity can be prevented. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month is a great time to promote strategies for preventing childhood obesity.…

By, Diana Allen, Health Promotion and Healthy Parks Healthy People Chief and Anne O’Neill, Park Rx Coordinator, National Park Service

Preventable chronic disease afflicts many Americans and there is evidence that parks, nature, and open space can provide health benefits for those suffering from obesity, diabetes, and depression.

The National Park Service turns 100 on August 25, 2016, and all Americans are encouraged to use the full spectrum of national parks as solutions to current public health problems. …

Did you know many older adults may lose their sense of feeling thirsty? By the time they do feel thirst, they may be severely dehydrated. Did you know dehydration can be linked to confusion and falls in an older person? Making sure that older adults drink enough fluids is critical to keeping them safe, especially during the summer when older adults have trouble responding to changes in temperature.