With encouragement from the feds, Kentucky schools focused more on healthy foods, less junk
Sugary drinks, fatty snacks and chocolate candy are becoming harder to buy in Kentucky schools, which are paying more attention…
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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SmartHealthToday: Sesame Street introduces a new character, Julia, who has autism
By Shelly Reese SmartHealthToday Sesame Street, famous for inclusion, acceptance and “sunny days,” is introducing a new character in an…
KY Department for Public Health hosts health professionals to develop Health Improvement Plan
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH), part of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), recently hosted more…
Kentucky Health Issues Poll shows 40 percent of adults 18-45 have tried e-cigs, despite health risks
Despite federal government and health professional’s warnings that e-cigarettes, or “e-smoking,” can be harmful, nearly 40 percent of adults ages…
The Rural Blog: Majority of children consume one sugary drink a day; links to obesity, poor health
Nearly two-thirds of children ages 2-19 consume at least one sugary drink per day, says a study by the Centers…
The Rural Blog: Painkillers make the pain go away, and that’s why the opioid epidemic persists
One of the biggest barriers to beating the nation’s opioid epidemic, which is disproportionately rural, could be that the painkillers…
Staying safe from carbon monoxide poisoning as temperatures drop, and you use alternative heat
By Barbara J. Fox Ky.gov As temperatures drop and the risk for carbon monoxide poisoning increases, Kentuckians are urged to…
Teen birth rates are declining faster in urban counties than rural ones, nationally and in Kentucky
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky’s teen birth rates are dropping faster in its urban counties than in its…
Medicaid expansion results in more Kentuckians obtaining preventative breast cancer screenings
The cost of more than 8,500 breast cancer screenings was covered by the state’s Medicaid expansion during the second quarter…
SmartHealthToday: You may want to — but you shouldn’t — ignore the red flags of youth suicide
SmartHealthToday Team Each year, 4,600 young people in the United States between the ages of 10 and 24 lose their…
Health Department encourages Northern Kentuckians to get a flu vaccine, available at county health centers
This fall, the Northern Kentucky Health Department is asking residents to protect themselves and those they care about from seasonal…
Kentucky continues to be near the top nationwide in childhood obesity; but what about NKY?
Colleen Weinkam SmartHealth Today Nationally, childhood obesity rates have more than tripled since 1980, and one in three children is…
Commentary: On your back-to-school checklist — immunizations, and for college students too
By Tracy Kielman Kentucky Immunization Coalition Summer vacation is winding down, and soon students across Kentucky will be heading back…
Hepatitis C cases among Kentucky women of childbearing age more than tripled from 2011-14
Hepatitis C among Kentucky women of childbearing age more than tripled from 2011 to 2014, while the national rate among…
Western Ky man contracts Zika virus after traveling to Caribbean; second reported case in Commonwealth
A second Kentucky resident has tested positive for Zika virus disease after traveling in a Caribbean country where the virus…
Kentucky Department for Public Health urges women to make the PACT to help prevent birth defects
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is working to raise awareness to help prevent birth defects this January, encouraging…
Study: Talking to teens (especially girls) about sex can lead to safer behavior; here are some tips
As uncomfortable as it may be to talk about safe sex with a teenager, it can have a positive impact,…
Big culprit in obesity for kids — potato chips; others are French fries, fried chicken and fish . . .
From the Institute for Rural Journalism Potato chips are the main culprit in the obesity epidemic facing the world’s youth,…