CDC Vital Signs offers recent data and calls to action for important public health issues.
February 2012 Vital Signs Issue: Where's the Sodium?
About 90% of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet. Too much sodium increases a person's risk for high blood pressure. High blood pressure often leads to heart disease and stroke. More than 800,000 people die each year from heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases, costing the nation $273 billion health care dollars in 2010. Most of the sodium we eat comes from processed foods and foods prepared in restaurants.
More Issues
Binge Drinking
Binge Drinking is common and a dangerous behavior for all ages.
New Hope for Stopping HIV
About 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the US but about 240,000 don't know they are infected.
Prescription Painkiller Overdoses in the US
Deaths from prescription painkillers have reached epidemic levels in the past decade.
Drinking and Driving: A Threat to Everyone
US adults drank too much and got behind the wheel about 112 million times in 2010
Adult Smoking in the US
Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the US.
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About Vital Signs
CDC launched a new program called CDC Vital Signs, which includes an MMWR Early Release, a fact sheet and website, a media release, and a series of announcements via social media tools.
Vital Signs will be released the first Tuesday of every month. Issues include colorectal and breast cancer screening, obesity, alcohol and tobacco use, access to health care, HIV testing, seat belt use, cardiovascular disease, teen pregnancy and healthcare-associated infections, asthma, and foodborne disease.
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