tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28578234421794330742024-02-07T07:16:10.275-05:00Veritas HealthA blog discussing innovative approaches to evaluation for public health, philanthropy, and social entrepreneurship.Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-81497148337105915952011-05-13T20:41:00.001-04:002011-05-15T17:11:51.425-04:00What Does a Healthy Population Look Like?How do you quantify something as complex and dynamic as a person's health?
First, you define it. What does health mean? Or asked another way, what does it look like to be healthy? The World Health Organization defines health as
"a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."For a long time, I found that answer Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-34936651422332310252011-03-20T17:28:00.000-04:002011-03-20T17:28:33.262-04:00What Shapes Health? Find Out!I've always had the perspective that my successes and wellbeing were influenced by factors far beyond my individual control. My family, friends, and influential members of my community provided me with opportunities and a perspective on life that helped me to 1) not be afraid to tackle challenges and 2) believe that I could be "whatever I wanted to be" if I worked hard enough.
So what does shapeKatelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-376168811937137552010-10-30T14:59:00.000-04:002010-10-30T14:59:51.816-04:00Evaluating Impact: Storytelling Versus Metrics, Which Matters?<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-33405831186547759582010-10-23T15:58:00.001-04:002010-10-23T15:59:24.378-04:00Veritas Health: Evaluation UnpluggedGreeting from California!
Veritas Health has officially relocated to the West Coast. I'm excited to start putting my newly minted Harvard degree into action. I am now working for FSG, a nonprofit strategy consulting firm, in San Francisco as an evaluation consultant.
I've been learning every day how my public health training translates into skills and expertise as a strategy consultant, and I'mKatelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-16765125368482901042010-06-28T11:28:00.001-04:002010-06-29T09:07:28.153-04:00Documentary Film Discussion "The Day My God Died": Child Sex Trafficking in NepalIn Nepal, a small country in South Asia, hundreds of children are trafficked into work as sexual slaves each year. While nonprofits like Maiti Nepal have emerged to fight, prevent, and assist victims of sex trafficking, political, social, and economic circumstances in and around Nepal have created conditions where child slavery and trafficking persist.
A film that documents the personal, social Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-57857803811441970882010-06-22T14:17:00.000-04:002010-06-22T14:17:21.125-04:00Guest Post: A ridiculous burgerAs you are probably aware, this is a time of transition for Veritas Health. I just completed my Master's degree from Harvard School of Public Health and am moving back to the San Francisco Bay Area to begin a new phase in my public health career.
Interviewing and packing has been taking up a lot of my time these past few weeks - so I am extremely grateful to Jessica Yen, who serendipitously Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-10847553744789048472010-06-16T11:55:00.002-04:002010-06-16T11:58:25.395-04:00Lead Poisoning - A true global health problemAround the world children are dying from lead poisoning and many more suffering from the neurological and physical health problems associated with lead exposure. In one region of Nigeria, lead poisoning has caused an estimated 163 deaths, mostly among children.
CNN ran a lead story on the tragic developments this week, even though it seems that the problem was first recognized back in January. Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-44982304008127669712010-06-08T14:31:00.001-04:002010-06-11T17:57:48.901-04:00Gates Pledges $1.5b for Maternal & Child HealthThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $1.5 billion over 5 years to improve systems that will reduce maternal and newborn deaths and illness in the developing world. The announcement came yesterday during the Women Deliver conference.
I heard the story first on NPR - you can access their brief interview with Melinda Gates here. But this story peppers papers from the Wall Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-24721476053379333812010-05-12T09:54:00.002-04:002010-06-08T14:32:48.522-04:00Task Force Releases Report on Childhood ObesityTo rollback childhood obesity in one generation.
Ambitious goal - to get the prevalence of childhood obesity down to 5% by 2030. No society has ever succeeded in undertaking such an enormous task - one that is complicated by deeply ingrained norms around diet and exercise, a well-financed commercial industry (not only fast/junk food, but also when it comes to diet and weight loss), and a generalKatelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-87030971227679278402010-05-03T09:29:00.001-04:002010-05-03T23:04:10.523-04:00Updating Nutrition LabelsIt was only 20 years ago that we began seeing uniform nutrition labels on processed food products telling us how many calories, how much fat and sugar, and what nutrients are in the food we eat.
But many health groups believe it's time to update nutrition labels. I agree that it's time to give consumers information in a way that is useful and helps people make healthy choices. In this week's Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-87855238855475772662010-04-27T17:00:00.000-04:002010-04-27T17:00:55.362-04:00Remember the Food Pyramid?Every five years the US federal government reviews the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Remember the days of the "Food Pyramid" and then the recent 2005 edition of the "My Pyramid"? Well, if you missed my past post on the topic you should see the Harvard School of Public Health rendition - the Healthy Eating Pyramid - which has a much simpler and scientific food guide for health!
Marion Nestle Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-56461717231773796992010-04-26T18:57:00.000-04:002010-04-26T18:57:13.750-04:00Allentown High School Student Wins Top Public Health Honors!Two girls from *near* my hometown in Pennsylvania won top honors from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the YES Competition for high school students.
According to the news release,
"Shoshanna Goldin, a 17-year-old student at Moravian Academy in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, won for her research project entitled, Energy Epidemic: Teen Perception and Consumption of Energy Drinks."Not only is Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-27128637577319689682010-04-20T12:25:00.002-04:002010-05-15T19:22:23.851-04:00Caution: Camel Orbs are NOT Kid FriendlyPhoto from the HSPH website
Candy or tobacco? Do you think your child could tell the difference?
Harvard School of Public Health professor, Gregory Connolly, recently published an article in Pediatrics on the dangers of this Camel Orbs, a dissolvable nicotine tablet, widely available in the US.
(Click here for the news release)
Note: I looked up the Colbert Report segment that references Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-38959553014821300322010-04-19T22:37:00.001-04:002010-04-19T22:38:35.264-04:00Breastfeeding Saves Money, Saves LivesMost parents enter labor expecting to breastfeed. Many are confronted with numerous challenges (some from the start, others as they go back to work) to continue breastfeeding throughout infancy.
A CNN news report highlights the challenges and public health importance of promoting and supporting new mothers in breastfeeding their baby throughout the first 6 months of their child's life.
This Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-7990133890753019692010-04-07T22:48:00.001-04:002010-04-07T22:49:13.480-04:00World Health Day 2010Today, April 7, 2010 marks World Health Day.
I've been thinking a lot about my own health habits. It's easy to get complacent when it comes to our health. We expect that our bodies will just keep on functioning like they always have. Usually reality hits us when it's too late.
Staying healthy in body, mind and spirit requires us to make conscious decisions about what we eat, how we travel, and Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-22225006541626057122010-04-05T16:59:00.002-04:002010-04-05T17:04:50.029-04:00It's Public Health Week!This week is National Public Health Week 2010 - and there are many ways you can get involved to promote a Healthier America. You can view a video and get tips on how your individual actions and easy changes can have a HUGE impact on our nation's health! To find out more visit: http://generationpublichealth.org.
Here are some of my favorite tips:
Go for a run! (or bike ride)
Get proper sleep and Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-38277527049850819302010-03-30T17:30:00.003-04:002010-03-30T23:24:03.815-04:00Veritas Health: Back from Hiatus?Life has never been busier. With school work, classes, legislative events, teaching, and flying around the country Veritas Health has gotten short shrift. Sorry to all my readers! And this has come at a terrible time -- Health care reform has passed, been signed into law, been revised, and signed again! The School Nutrition Act in Massachusetts has been passed by the Senate and will likely make Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-67167605254790728122010-03-23T09:33:00.001-04:002010-03-23T09:35:49.250-04:00Top Picks in 2010 Health Care Reform: Bill Passed!I can't believe we've passed national, comprehensive health care reform! A first for public health. With all that I learned from the esteemed Bob Blendon in Political Strategies, I knew it would be a long shot. Presidential diplomacy likely played a strong hand in back deal negotiations, as well as the organizing and activity of pro-reform groups in putting pressure on key (read: moderate) Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-83208282879711824682010-02-28T15:51:00.000-05:002010-02-28T15:51:01.025-05:00Vote for Veritas Health Content!I want to hear from you! See that new poll to the right of the this post??
In order to keep this blog interesting and relevant to my readers I want to know what you would like to see more of on Veritas Health?
And, if you don't see what you want to read represented to the right, just comment below and I'll be sure to address it! Thanks for reading VH.
Can't get enough of VH? Follow meKatelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-3439436119396745622010-02-27T19:43:00.003-05:002010-02-28T10:07:22.396-05:00From Cigarettes to Snus: Tobacco Advertising Returns!I had read about the tobacco industries attempts to shift its marketing from cigarettes to a "spitless" tobacco (or what it is calling Snus), but it didn't really sink in until I was reading Entertainment Weekly.
Sitting on the T on my way up to Cambridge I saw this ad. My first thought while reading it was "That's interesting...Camel is promoting quitting smoking?" It's fascinating how quickly Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-50065807356875257502010-02-21T20:55:00.000-05:002010-02-21T20:55:27.835-05:00Embrace Life PSA (Video)How often do you wear your seatbelt? If you live in California, chances are you wear your seatbelt every day (a 2007 survey found that 92% of Californians wear their seatbelt). Having lived in California, I am pretty sure that people wear seatbelts because chances are you will get pulled over if you (or someone else in your car) is not wearing a seatbelt. I know that all too well.
But if you Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-15676593523994052422010-02-20T16:04:00.002-05:002010-02-20T16:05:14.302-05:00FDA May Tackle Serving Size Concerns in Food Labeling Overhaul"Once you pop, you can't stop!"
What clever marketing. Like a self-fulfilling prophecy, really. I mean "Bet you can't eat just one!" -- that'll get you, too.
Well, it's time we faced the facts of American food culture straight up. Bigger is better, and more makes you merrier. Tell me, who eats for breakfast a bowl filled with only 1 cup of cereal or -- heaven forbid -- 1/2 cup of granola? And Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-78619230595062035982010-02-15T09:34:00.001-05:002010-02-15T09:36:15.965-05:00Jamie Oliver (Naked Chef) Takes on Child Obesity at TedJamie Oliver gives a Ted Prize speech on childhood obesity at the Ted Conference in southern California. He believes that the food reality in America is awful and that action must be taken. Oliver is a food ambassador that commands attention, even of our nations tech leaders!
This is not a research presentation; it's a passionate, moving talk on the realities of death and the TRUE costs Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-46980321832672298942010-02-09T20:47:00.001-05:002010-02-09T20:48:29.040-05:00Let's Move! ...to Prevent Childhood Obesity
It's no surprise that childhood obesity is drawing more public attention than ever before. Evidence is growing on the ill-effects and complicated origins of childhood obesity, making inaction impossible both for public health programs and politicians.
We can prevent childhood obesity. And that's precisely what the White House initiative, Let's Move!, intends to do.
The four main components of Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857823442179433074.post-16900385004185989442010-02-08T19:00:00.002-05:002010-02-08T20:20:48.559-05:00Soda Causes Cancer, Could it be?A study done in Singapore has found that drinking 2 or more sodas per week is associated with nearly twice the risk of pancreatic cancer than staying soda free. The study was published this month in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, & Prevention and reported on WebMD.
It's no surprise that the beverage industry is doing all it can to discredit the study; however, the methods used Katelyn Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16580748536424850026noreply@blogger.com0