|
Focus Areas
|
|
|
|
Current News
May Health Observances
MAKE STRIDES! Newsletter
May Calendar
Health Programs in Six Languages
May Health Observances
National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. This national event is sponsored by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The President's Challenge is a program that encourages all Americans to make being active part of their everyday lives. No matter what your activity and fitness level, the President's Challenge can help motivate people of all ages, from kids to seniors, to improve their health. For more information or ways to start a physical activity group in your area, visit http://www.fitness.gov/.
Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
Each year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) declares May as National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. May is peak season for asthma and allergy sufferers, and a perfect time to educate patients, family, friends, co-workers and others about these diseases. For more information on Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, visit the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
National Bike Month
May is National Bike Month. The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 12-16 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 16. Cities across the country are sponsoring events to encourage people to begin cycling regularly and promote bike safety. National Bike Month also aims to educate the community that bicycles are a beneficial mode of transportation, make basic information on bicycle commuting available to potential riders, encourage people to try bicycle commuting and increase the general public's awareness and respect for bicyclists. For more ways on how to celebrate Bike Month, visit http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/
Women’s Health Week
National Women's Health Week encourages women to take simple steps for a longer, healthier, and happier life. The theme for National Women's Health Week 2008 is "It's Your Time: Get Inspired. Get Healthy." During the Week, families, communities, businesses, government, health organizations and other groups work together to:
- celebrate the progress in women's health
- bring attention to and create understanding of women's health issues
- encourage women to get regular check-ups
- provide free or reduced screenings for women nationwide
- educate women about steps they can take to improve their physical and mental health and prevent disease
The 9th annual Week will kicks off on Mother's Day, May 11 and is celebrated through May 17. National Women’s Health Week is sponsored by the Office on Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information, visit http://www.womenshealth.gov
National Employee Health and Fitness Day
National Employee Health & Fitness Day (NEHF) is on the third Wednesday in May, this year falling on May 21. Administered annually by the National Association for Health & Fitness, NEHF is a national health observance created to promote the benefits of physical activity for individuals through worksite health promotion activities. Enhancing employee health and fitness benefits not only employees, but employers and the surrounding community. The day aims to improve productivity and health; lower stress levels, injuries, and illness; and well as enhance all-around well-being. To find out more on participating in the National Employee Health and Fitness Day in your workplace, visit http://www.physicalfitness.org.
World No Tobacco Day
May 31 is World No Tobacco Day. Created by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1987, this day is a global initiative to draw attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. This year’s theme is “Tobacco-Free Youth.” Annual celebrations are held to inform the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations. For more information on how to participate in World No Tobacco Day in your neighborhood, visit the World Health Organization’s website.
MAKE STRIDES! - Steps to a HealthierMN Newsletter
View or download the March/April issue of MAKE STRIDES! - The Steps to a HealthierMN Newsletter. Visit the Minnesota page under Communications and Marketing for archived issues of the newsletter.
Would you like to receive an e-mail when a new issue of the newsletter is available? Subscribe to the Steps to a HealthierMN Newsletter.
May Calendar
Download the month of May from the 2008 Steps to a HealthierMN calendar.
Health Programs in Six Languages
The Emergency and Community Health Outreach (ECHO) collaborative, Steps to a Healthier Minneapolis and Steps to a Healthier St. Paul have created three health programs for individuals with limited English proficiency:
-
Understand Asthma (Asthma & Respiratory Diseases)
-
Get Fit, Eat Smart and Be Well! (Nutrition and Exercise)
-
Put an End to Hidden Diabetes (Diabetes Prevention and Control)
These three programs are available on language-specific DVDs in Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. Each program is subtitled in English. The Diabetes Prevention and Control program, which was developed in cooperation with the Minnesota Diabetes Program at the Minnesota Department of Health, is also included in English on each of the DVDs.
To order free copies of the DVDs and a discussion guide for use in your community, school, health clinic or church, visit http://www.health.state.mn.us/diabetes/echodvd.
|
| |
Steps to a Healthier US
The Steps to a HealthierUS Initiative is an overall effort of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), designed to identify and promote programs that encourage small behavior changes to reduce the burden of chronic disease.
A centerpiece of the Steps Initiative is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Steps to a HealthierUS Cooperative Agreement Program. It is a five-year program that funds states, cities and tribal entities to implement chronic disease prevention efforts. These efforts focus on reducing the burden of obesity, diabetes and asthma, and on the related risk factors of physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use.
Click here for more information about Steps to a HealthierUS.
|
| |
|
|
Minnesota
