National Initiative to Stop Teen Dating Violence

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) just announced that Blue Shield of California Foundation and the Family Violence Prevention Fund will join with RWJF to help communities combat and control teen dating violence. The initiative called Start Strong targets kids aged 11 to 14 and the budget is big -- $18 million. However, this budget will be divided between 11 communities in the country.
If this sounds somewhat familiar it may be because you read my Society & Health post a few months back on the Teen Dating Violence Forum that was held by the Boston Public Health Commission (remember the Rihanna/Chris Brown event that put dating and intimate partner violence in the fore front of everyone's minds?).
Boston will be one of the communities funded for this initiative. And boy do we need it! I think every shooting and stabbing I hear about in this city (and I hear about it way too much...) is either gang-related or a case of intimate partner violence. I know...I should be scientific about this, but you can check out the stats at the BPHC website if you are interested.
The leadership of Start Strong in Boston seem up to the challenge before them. I am excited to see what kind of impact it has on the city and among young people. Maybe it will affect the same kids who hit me with an egg while I was riding home from work this week. (I had to throw that in there...true story.)

Prevention First in 2009

For a good long time medicine was concerned with just that -- medicine. I am talking about the new pills, technology, and techniques that have served to prolong life and cure disease. I believe that health, however, is about 10% medicine (maybe 20% if you include vaccination...) and 90% disease prevention. 

I was attempting to look up Boston health statistics when I came across a posting of "10 New Year's Resolutions for Good Health" on the Boston Public Health Commission website. These 10 tips were written by Dr. Harvey B. Simon, an affiliate with Harvard Medical School. As a physician, I expected his resolutions to encourage getting mammograms, taking an aspirin a day for those over 50, and focusing on the medical and health services aspects of health. I was so wrong! A full NINE of the resolutions were specifically preventive behaviors aimed at reducing one's risk of getting disease in the first place. This included suggestions such as:

• avoid tobacco
• eat right
• protect yourself from infection (using vaccinations and preventing STD transmission)
• wear bike helmets, seat belts, and install child safety seats
• reduce stress

Now, I can appreciate the openness of his resolutions, which allows people to adapt them to their own circumstances (in fact, a more detailed list can be found at the Aetna Intelihealth.com website). However, to incorporate these into our lives would definitely require more specific, measurable goals. For instance, rather than "avoid environmental hazards" I would suggest a resolution that says "Have home tested for lead paint and other toxins by April 1 , if found replace with hazard-free alternatives by August 1." That way you have a specific action to take and a deadline to achieve it by. 

What can you do to most improve your health this coming year? Is it to cut back on smoking or alcohol consumption? Drink more tea and less coffee? Go for a 2-3 mile walk or a long bike ride a few times a week? Wear a condom or use another form of STD protection every time you have sex? Go to the doctor for an annual check-up (even though you may feel perfectly fine!)? 

We all can do more for our physical and mental health. Now is the time.