In case you missed them, presented below are past Monthly Spotlights, highlighting topics of interest and relevant data available on Quick Health Data Online.

Spotlight: May 9-15 is National Women's Health Week

The theme for National Women's Health Week is "It's Your Time." During the week, and throughout the month, we are focusing on the preventive measures women can take to improve their physical and
mental health and prevent disease.

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to Women's Health Week. Items related to this year’s theme include:

Data can be used to generate maps and tables at the state and county levels, such as this one . which presents state-level data on routine check-ups for women.

Spotlight: April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, April provides an opportunity to focus attention on sexual violence and its prevention. Sexual Violence can be defined as “any sexual act that is forced against someone's will.”¹ While anyone can be a victim of sexual assault, the vast majority of violence of this type is experienced by females. An estimated 236,980 sexual assaults and rapes, including threats, occurred to females over age 12 in 2007, according to data from the 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey.² Sexual assault is most often committed by someone known to the victim such as a spouse, family member, co-worker, friend or acquaintance, although it can also be committed by a stranger. Among the estimated total 248,280 sexual assaults and rapes, including threats, for persons over age 12 in 2007, approximately 57% were committed by “nonstrangers," according to data from the 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey.³

Quick Health Data Online provides several types of data related to sexual assault. The site includes information on topics such as:

Data are available by race, gender and across time and can be used to assess differences in behaviors, risk factors, and mortality among various population groups over time. The system can generate maps as well as charts and tables to present data such as the rate of rapes per 100,000 females. Additional chart features in the system can present data in horizontal or vertical bar charts, showing trend lines, or in pie charts.

Spotlight: March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2010, an effort coordinated by the Office on Women's Health to promote greater awareness of HIV/AIDS, including risk factors, increasing incidence, HIV testing and living with HIV, among the female population. ¹ The incidence of AIDS among females has been rising over time, with females age 13 and older accounting for 7% of new AIDS cases among adults and adolescents in 1985 and 27% of new AIDS cases among adults and adolescents in 2007. ² In 2007, the rate of AIDS cases among adult and adolescent females was nearly 5 times higher for Hispanic females as compared to White females and more than 22 times higher for Black females as compared to White females. ³ Females accounted for 10% of deaths due to HIV in 1986 and 28% of deaths due to HIV in 2006, ⁴ and more than 25% of people living with HIV in the United States are women. ⁵

Quick Health Data Online provides several types of data related to HIV/AIDS risk factors, morbidity and mortality. The site includes information on topics such as:

Data are available by race, gender and across time and can be used to assess differences in behaviors, risk factors, and mortality among various population groups over time. The system can generate maps as well as charts and tables to present data such as the age-adjusted average percent of the female population 18-64 who have ever been tested for HIV . Additional chart features in the system can present data in horizontal or vertical bar charts, showing trend lines, or in pie charts.

Spotlight: February is American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month, and February 5 is National Wear Red Day which calls attention to the topic of women and heart disease¹. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States and accounted for over 26% of deaths in 2006². Within one year of having their first recognized myocardial infarction (heart attack), 38% of women will die as compared to 25% of men³. A person’s risk for developing heart disease can be influenced by factors such as family history of heart disease, levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, diet and exercise. Individuals can monitor blood levels related to predisposing conditions and can make changes to physical activity, dietary intake and tobacco use as ways of preventing or slowing the progression of heart disease.

Quick Health Data Online provides several types of data related to heart disease risk factors, morbidity and mortality. The site includes information on topics such as:

Data are available by race, gender and across time and can be used to assess differences in behaviors, risk factors, and mortality among various population groups over time. The system can generate maps as well as charts and tables to present data such as the three-year age-adjusted female coronary heart disease death rate by race . Additional Chart features in the system can present data in horizontal or vertical bar charts, showing trend lines, or in pie charts.

January Spotlight on Health Insurance

In 2008, approximately 15.4 percent of the U.S. population (an estimated 46.3 million people) lacked health insurance.¹ An estimated 29 percent of people had government health insurance coverage.² Nearly 10 percent of all children under 18 lacked health insurance, while 15.7 percent of children in poverty lacked health insurance.³ Estimated health insurance coverage may vary by race and ethnicity, with 10.8 percent of the White, non-Hispanic population uninsured as compared to 19.1 percent of the Black population and 30.7 percent of the Hispanic population.⁴

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to health insurance and access to care, including information on:

Data on the system are provided for males and females with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate charts such as these, which present adults 18-64 who report having no health insurance, by race and gender, percent of population 18-64 who are uninsured, by county, , and the percentage of females ages 18-64 reporting having no health insurance.

Spotlight: December 1 is World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day¹ was established by the World Health Organization and has been observed each year on December 1.² World AIDS Day serves to focus global attention on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. An estimated 30 to 36 million people worldwide were living with HIV during 2007, and an estimated 1.8 to 2.3 million deaths in 2007 occurred due to AIDS.³ In the US, 1.1 million individuals were estimated to be living with HIV as of the end of 2006, and approximately 56,300 new HIV infections were estimated to have occurred in 2006.⁴

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to HIV and AIDS, including information on:

Data on the system are provided for males and females with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate charts such as these, which present adults 18-64 who have ever been tested for HIV, by region, AIDS rates, over time, and female HIV mortality rates.

Spotlight: November 17 is Prematurity Awareness Day

November 17 is Prematurity Awareness Day^®.¹ Premature births are those that occur before 37 weeks of pregnancy, and approximately 12% of U.S. births, or over 500,000 births per year, are premature births. ^{2, 3} Babies born prematurely are at risk for certain health problems including, but not limited to, respiratory difficulties, cognitive/developmental disabilities, issues arising from “underdeveloped organs or organ systems,” and cerebral palsy.^{4, 5} In 2005, it was estimated that “the annual societal economic cost (medical, educational, and lost productivity) of preterm birth in the United States” was approximately $26 billion. ⁶ Some risk factors for premature births may include: previous premature birth; multiple pregnancy; maternal uterine/cervical issues or chronic health conditions; tobacco/alcohol use during pregnancy. ⁷

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to premature births and maternal health, including information on:

Data on the system are provided for males and females with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate charts such as these, which present percentages of births that are preterm, by region, and the percent of births that are preterm, over time.

Spotlight: October is Healthy Lung Month

October is Healthy Lung Month.¹ More than 10% of Americans, or an estimated 35 million people, currently live with chronic lung illnesses, and lung disease is the third leading cause of death in the nation. ² Asthma and COPD are "the most common obstructive lung diseases," according to the American Lung Association, ³ and asthma appears to be "the leading chronic illness of children in the United States," with a substantially higher prevalence among boys as compared to girls. ⁴ However, among adults, the prevalence of asthma is substantially higher for women as compared to men.⁵ Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the name given to the often co-occurring conditions of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD prevalence rates were higher for men as compared to women, but recently, the prevalence rate for women appears to be rising; more than twice as many women as men were diagnosed with chronic bronchitis in 2006.⁶ Lung diseases may result from a combination of genetic, environmental and behavioral factors, some of which may be changed or prevented, including tobacco use, exposure to occupational and indoor/outdoor air pollutants and particles, and birth factors such as length of gestation and weight at birth. ⁷

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to lung health and lung diseases, including information on:

Data on the system are provided for males and females with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate charts such as these, which present percentages of adults with asthma, the percent of adults who report smoking, and preterm and low birthweight births.

Spotlight: September is Healthy Aging® Month

Healthy Aging® Month is a time to "focus national attention on the positive aspects of growing older."¹ As the population over 65 is projected to continue to increase in coming years,² healthy aging may become of increasing importance to many. Healthy aging may be influenced in part by participation in a variety of health-promoting behaviors, including having regular recommended screenings, maintaining or engaging in nutritious eating and physical activity, and increasing awareness of other preventive measures.³

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to healthy aging, including information on:

Data on the system are provided for males and females with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate charts such as these, which present percentages of population over 65, the percent of adults who report falls , and the percentage of adults 50 and over who report blood stool testing within the past 2 years.

August Spotlight on Alcohol and Substance Abuse

Alcohol and substance abuse are serious issues that impact the lives of many people and can have personal, societal and economic consequences. Over 50% of people aged 12 and older, approximately 126 million, were estimated to have consumed alcohol in 2007, with over 20% reporting an episode of binge drinking.¹ Nearly 20 million or 8% of people aged 12 and older were estimated to have used illegal drugs during 2007, with marijuana being the most commonly used illegal drug.² More than 15 million people aged 12 and older were estimated to have abused or been dependent on alcohol, almost 4 million were estimated to have abused or been dependent on illegal drugs, and over 3 million were estimated to have abused or been dependent on both alcohol and illegal drugs.³ Estimates of the annual national cost of alcohol abuse and of drug abuse in the United States stand at approximately $184 billion and $160 billion, respectively. ⁴, 5

Quick Health Data Online offers many different types of data related to alcohol consumption, tobacco use, and substance use, including information on:

Data on the system are provided for males and females with race and ethnicity details to enable comparisons between different population groups. Data can be used to generate charts such as these, which present percentages of youth who have ever used illegal drugs, the percent of adults who report binge drinking , and the percentage of adults who report drinking on more than 10 of the past 30 days.