Historical Did You Know? Collection

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Did You Know? is a feature from the National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce (Public Health Infrastructure Center) to inform your prevention activities. We invite you to read, share, and take action. Browse through these past features to find even more data and findings from CDC. Be sure to subscribe to Did You Know?

View the Current Did You Know?

January 29, 2021
January 15, 2021
December 18, 2020
  • The Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) is a two-year CDC training program that places early-career public health professionals in state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments to gain hands-on experience in public health program operations.
  • Hosting a public health associate offers many benefits [PDF-714KB], including filling critical staffing gaps and forming a unique partnership with CDC.
  • Public health agencies can learn more about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
December 11, 2020
  • The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) lifestyle change program can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 71% in Americans aged 60 years or older who have prediabetes.
  • Approximately 23 million Americans enrolled in Medicare Part B could directly benefit from the MDPP but may not know they are at risk for type 2 diabetes.
  • Healthcare professionals should screen and test their Medicare patients for prediabetes and refer those who qualify to an MDPP lifestyle change program in their community.
December 4, 2020
  • Excessive alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States and is associated with various health problems, including cancer, heart disease, and poor mental health.
  • It is responsible for more than 95,000 deaths in the US each year, resulting in 2.8 million years of potential life lost and shortening the lifespan by an average of 29 years.
  • States and communities can prevent deaths from excessive drinking by using population-level strategies that include reducing the affordability, availability, and accessibility of alcohol.
November 13, 2020
October 30, 2020
  • CDC’s newly released Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2009–2019[PDF – 30.5MB], provides an in-depth look at 10 years of trends in health behaviors and experiences among US high school students, including sexual behavior, high-risk substance use, mental health, experience of violence, and suicide.
  • This report revealed concerning trends about the mental health of high school students—for example, more than 1 in 3 students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019, a 40% increase since 2009.
  • To promote good adolescent mental health, public health agencies, schools, and communities can provide youth-friendly mental health services and build supportive environments that provide a sense of safety and connection for all students.
October 16, 2020
October 9, 2020
September 18, 2020
  • Every year, 700 women die in the United States from problems related to pregnancy or delivery complications, but two-thirds of these deaths are preventable. Recognizing urgent warning signs during and after pregnancy and getting immediate care can save lives.
  • CDC’s Hear Her campaign encourages partners, friends, and family to really listen and take action when a pregnant or postpartum woman says something doesn’t feel right.
  • Public health professionals can help prevent pregnancy-related deaths by using and sharing these personal stories and Hear Her campaign resources, including graphics, videos, social media posts, and PSAs.
September 4, 2020
  • CDC’s 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) provides a pre-COVID-19 snapshot of the health of nearly 14,000 American students; these results can serve as a baseline to understand the pandemic’s potential impact on student health behaviors and experiences.
  • The 2019 YRBS results show that many student health behaviors were moving in the right direction before the pandemic, including not having sex, using illicit drugs, and consuming soda. However, behaviors related to experiences of violence, poor mental health, and unhealthy diet show more action is needed to help students achieve good physical and mental health.
  • Health agencies, schools, and communities can use CDC’s YRBS data, programs, and resources to help adolescents avoid health risks and begin to recover from the effects of the pandemic.
August 21, 2020
  • Excessive alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States and is associated with various health problems, including cancer, heart disease, and poor mental health.
  • It is responsible for more than 93,000 deaths in the US each year, resulting in 2.7 million years of potential life lost and shortening the lifespan by an average of 29 years.
  • States and communities can prevent deaths from excessive drinking by using population-level strategies that include reducing the affordability, availability, and accessibility of alcohol.
August 7, 2020
  • Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is an uncommon but life-threatening neurologic condition that affects mostly children and can lead to permanent paralysis. The most common symptom of AFM is limb weakness.
  • AFM is a medical emergency. In 2018, most patients with AFM were hospitalized, and 1 in 4 hospitalized patients required a ventilator—according to CDC’s latest Vital Signs report.
  • Pediatricians and medical providers in emergency departments and urgent care centers should be prepared to quickly recognize the symptoms of AFM and immediately hospitalize affected patients.
July 24, 2020
  • Contact tracing—or reaching out to people who have an infectious disease, and those they came in contact with, to help them take care of themselves and protect others—is critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19.
  • Successful contract tracing requires staff with training and access to social and medical support systems that can help patients and contacts.
  • Health departments can use CDC’s COVID-19 Contact Tracing Communication Toolkit to spread the word about the importance of contact tracing and how we can work together to stop COVID-19.
July 10, 2020
  • HIV can affect anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender, or age, but certain groups are at higher risk.
  • To help people estimate their individual risk of getting or transmitting HIV, CDC has released the HIV Risk Reduction Tool, a customizable online tool that shows users how to lower their risk of HIV and find nearby testing and preventive services.
  • Health professionals can promote the tool and encourage people to learn about the HIV risk of different sexual behaviors and how various risk and protective factors can change that risk.
June 26, 2020
  • More than 93 million American adults are at high risk for vision loss, and 40% of them did not receive an eye exam in the past year, according to a recent CDC study.
  • Vision problems can be worsened by chronic conditions, such as diabetes, but vision health is rarely incorporated into chronic disease prevention and management programs.
  • Public health agencies and their partners can guide their vision loss prevention programs with CDC’s Vision Health Initiative resources that include a new vision and eye health toolkit.
June 12, 2020
  • According to a recent CDC study, people with one or more chronic health conditions were more likely to report more frequent or worsening memory problems, also called subjective cognitive decline.
  • One in 9 women aged 45 years or older report subjective cognitive decline; 83% of women with subjective cognitive decline have at least one chronic condition.
  • Healthcare providers should work with their patients, especially those 45 years or older with chronic conditions, to implement 8 steps for a healthy body and healthier brain.
May 29, 2020
  • Progress has stalled in controlling foodborne pathogens in the United States, according to a new report from CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network.
  • New lab technologies have enhanced our capabilities for diagnostics and surveillance of foodborne diseases, but targeted interventions are needed to reduce foodborne illnesses.
  • Health departments can culture specimens with positive culture-independent diagnostic test results to help better identify antibiotic resistance, find outbreaks, monitor disease trends, and inform policy and prevention efforts.
May 15, 2020
May 1, 2020
April 17, 2020
  • One in 54 children were identified with autism in 2016, based on data collected on 8-year-old children across 11 US communities.
  • Early detection of autism is improving: the percentage of 4-year-old children with autism who received their first developmental evaluation by age 36 months increased from 74% in 2014 to 84% in 2016.
  • Healthcare providers can implement CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. program to increase developmental screening and surveillance and help identify children with developmental disabilities earlier to allow for early intervention.
April 3, 2020
March 20, 2020
  • Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
  • According to a newly released CDC study, fall-related TBI deaths in the United States increased by 17% from 2008 to 2017—with older adults age 75 and up most at risk for a fall.
  • Healthcare providers can help prevent falls among older adults by implementing CDC’s STEADI initiative with their patients.
March 6, 2020
  • People with diabetes are more than twice as likely to develop chronic kidney disease (CKD) than those who don’t have diabetes—about 1 in 3 adults with diabetes may have CKD.
  • Many people don’t know they have CKD until the disease is advanced and they need dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.
  • Healthcare professionals can ensure their patients with diabetes are tested for CKD and help them understand how to prevent or delay the disease.
February 21, 2020
  • The 500 Cities Project provides small-area data estimates on risk behaviors, health outcomes, and use of preventive services for the most common, costly, and preventable chronic diseases.
  • CDC released updated city and census tract-level estimates for 20 of the 27 measures for the 500 Cities Project.
  • Health professionals can view data by city or census tract, explore the interactive map, compare cities, and download data to identify emerging health problems and plan effective interventions.
February 7, 2020
  • About 108 million American adults have high blood pressure, but only about 1 in 4 of them have their condition under control.
  • High blood pressure costs $55.9 billion each year, which includes the cost of healthcare services, medications, and missed days of work.
  • Health departments and healthcare providers can use and share information about controlling high blood pressure with CDC’s new Partner Toolkit, which includes fact sheets, graphics, patient checklists, social media messages, and more.
January 17, 2020
  • A One Health approach recognizes that health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. It can be used to address public health threats like zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance, and much more.
  • Successful One Health efforts require collaboration and teamwork among professionals from human health, animal health, environment, and other relevant sectors.
  • State and local agencies can build trusted One Health networks now to prepare for future health threats affecting people, animals, and the environment in their jurisdictions.

Did You Know?  information and web links are current as of their publication date. They may become outdated over time.

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