World Health: the past 200 years explained brilliantly

http://www.ncfr.org/about/news_read.asp?id=1942

Wasn't long ago that the entire world was poor and sick, but a rising tide has lifted most if not all the boats. Bad news is, as wealth and health have improved, so have disparities--not just between countries, but within them. This is just about the most entertaining and easy to follow explanation of world health trends I have ever seen. Enjoy.

State of the Discipline

Things are changing, and from the looks of it, not for the better.
Membership is down, participation in annual meeting is down, programs are being closed and dismantled. Even worse, no one seems to know what or who we are, or even that we exist. Some even think that cable television is a suitable replacement for our long dead profession.
The state of the discipline is weak and uncertain, but not without hope.
Annual meeting must not simply be a social club, but also a place where serious work gets accomplished, and like-minded individuals can connect. We must leave feeling that we learned something of value that we couldn't have learned someplace else.
Research must be more than a word that is carelessly tossed about, it must be a passion that is rigorously pursued. Research, especially interdisciplinary research, must become a central part of our mission.
Policy, especially family policy, must be something that we take seriously and develop our own positions on (and, dare I dream, advocate for those positions?). Restating other organizations' position statements or recommendations does nothing but prove our own redundancy.
Controversy is not to be feared. It is to be tackled head on. We are adults. And if we're not, we don't deserve to call ourselves professionals.
Looking backward only serves us if we intend to use the past to inform the present and future.
To survive, we must first answer one simple question. What does AAFCS provide that is unique? The answer, in my opinion, has to do with the interdisciplinary and applied nature of the field. Let's focus on doing that well.

Who am I to give the state of the profession? I am the profession. So are all of you out there. Let's not wait for others to define us or write our obituary.

Record High Number of Discrimination Claims Alarming

Economic recession seems to encourage an "every man for himself mentality" combined with "blaming the victim." Ohio's new mayor has hired NO MINORITIES in his cabinet, and very few women. Why? According to a spokesmen, "to the victor goes the spoils." We need to remember what Affirmative Action is and why it was created. It didn't necessarily mean quotas, and it definitely never meant preferential treatment for any group. Quite the opposite: affirmative action simply calls for every person to have the same chance at opportunity regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status or characteristic that might cause the person to be discriminated against. Affirmative action is as American as apple pie. We don't believe in classism. Although racism and sexism are deeply engrained in our national psyche, it is completely antithetical to the principles upon which this nation was built. What we all know, or at least really ought to know by now, is that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. That doesn't mean that we have to build fences around our borders. What it means is that we must constantly take necessary measures to safeguard freedom, liberty, and access to the American dream.

Record High Number of Discrimination Claims Alarming

Medical care for pregnant women is getting more difficult

Medical care for pregnant women is getting more difficult

Families Need Protection Against Discrimination

Economic recession seems to encourage an "every man for himself mentality" with a dash of "blaming the victim." Ohio's new governor has hired NO MINORITIES in his cabinet, and very few women. Why? According to a spokesmen, "to the victor goes the spoils." We need to remember what Affirmative Action is and why it was created. It didn't necessarily mean quotas, and it definitely never meant preferential treatment for any group. Quite the opposite: affirmative action simply calls for every person to have the same chance at opportunity regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status or characteristic that might cause the person to be discriminated against. Affirmative action is as American as apple pie. We don't believe in classism. Although racism and sexism are deeply engrained in our national psyche, it is completely antithetical to the principles upon which this nation was built. What we all know, or at least really ought to know by now, is that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. That doesn't mean that we have to build fences around our borders. What it means is that we must constantly take necessary measures to safeguard freedom, liberty, and access to the American dream.

Record High Number of Discrimination Claims Alarming

Healthcare Reform Debate Redux

Healthcare Affordability and Accessibility (aka Obamacare) is being debated yet again. Maybe it would be helpful if citizens actually informed themselves about what's in it. It's amazing how free politicians and pundits feel free to tell outright lies these days. Check politifact.com or factcheck.org.  To get the simplest primer I've seen on what's in the healthcare reform law from a reliable source, go to: 

http://www.kff.org/healthreform/upload/8061.pdf

http://healthreform.kff.org/The-Animation.aspx

We all need to remember to write op-ed pieces for our local papers, to write our legislators, and to generally make it our business to correct the misinformation flying around. 

Messing with the Six Months Exclusive Breastfeeding Recommendation: Hidden Boobytrap

Irresponsible reporting of findings--shouldn't AAFCS have something to say about this?  Research findings funded by baby food companies seem to imply that infants shouldn't be breastfed exclusively for 6 months, as every health organization one can think of (WHO, APA, Health People, ADA, etc.) recommends. This information is going to be misunderstood by mothers and mothers-to-be, and certainly there's enough confusion and misinformation out there already about breastfeeding. We need to give good and accurate health and consumer information to consumers. The 6 month exclusive breastfeeding recommendation still stands. It has not changed. I certainly hope that mothers do not discontinue breastfeeding earlier because of the hype around this study, since the study itself does not suggest that would be wise. Family advocates, health educators...you know what you need to do. Get the word out!

Messing with the Six Months Exclusive Breastfeeding Recommendation: Hidden Boobytrap

Measuring Poverty in the U.S.--Time to Get it Right

How we measure poverty matters. It's about time we adjusted our measure to get a more accurate count.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/04/AR2011010404431.html

Of course, step two after measurement would be actually doing something about it? Maybe a more accurate count that shows more elders in poverty than we thought will motivate some to act. It's overdue.

More Small Businesses Offering Healthcare Thanks to the New Healthcare Legislation

Bringing healthcare to more Americans is not just the moral thing to do, but it makes economic sense. Seems to me that a home economist would really appreciate the beauty of that. In fact, if there's any group of professionals who should  make it their goal to inform consumers about what's in this law and how it will affect consumers (that is, FAMILIES), then it would be the dear old Family and Consumer Scientists. But where are we on this? Go to our website: this issue is non-existent. We seem to exist in a political and historical vacuum.
http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/01/06/more-small-businesses-offering-health-care-to-employees-thanks-to-obamacare/

End of Life Options

Who should be advocating for end of life options for elder Americans (or anyone with a terminal illness)? Family and Consumer Scientists, that's who. Where are we on this issue? So far, seems like we're silent. But the voices shouting about "death panels" and euthanasia are heard loud and clear. Lies, Damn Lies...and we all lose.

http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2011/01/the-new-year-in-health-care-reform-good-news-and-bad-for-older-americans

Happy 2011!

And here are some of the policy issues we should pay attention to in the new year (drumroll?):

• repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (done, but yet to be implemented...long overdue)
• attempted repeal of healthcare reform (want to know what's in it? Go to http://healthreform.kff.org/) 
• breastfeeding friendly workplace legislation being phased in (some good news--for more go to feed://www.whitehouse.gov/feed/blog/cwg) -- thanks to healthcare reform law
• attempt to privatize and otherwise whittle away at entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security
• Immigration Reform (http://www.asianjournal.com/dateline-usa/15-dateline-usa/8584-immigration-reform-needed-for-economic-growth-bloomberg.html; http://www.newsmax.com/US/DREAM-immigrationreform-CenterforImmigrationStudies-ACLU/2010/12/30/id/381465)
• attempted investigations of everything and everyone under the sun (to keep us good and distracted)

Why am I telling you this? I recall that the nation voted in a mostly new cast of characters who are talking a lot about compromise, bipartisanship, and working together for the good of the American people. I recall a lot of concern about the national debt. Someone will have to make sure these clowns remember their "mandate." If we don't do it, we'll only have ourselves to blame when all we get is a lot of theatrics and no results.

“Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us.”  ~Jerry Garcia