July 2012
Health Matters for Women
New from CDC
Intended and Unintended Births in the United States: 1982-2010 (pdf)
About 37% of births in the United States were unintended at the time of conception. Large differences exist between groups in the percentage of births that are unintended.
CDC Reports Progress, Innovations and Challenges in Scaling-Up Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission Efforts in Africa
Research and analysis from the CDC on Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission presented at the XIX International AIDS Conference reveal mother-to-child transmission has decreased in South Africa, provides insights into new clinical and laboratory data in resource-limited settings, and highlights the application of best practices in Mozambique.
Alcohol Use and Binge Drinking Among Women of Childbearing Age - United States, 2006-2010
CDC analyzed 2006-2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Based on their self-reports, an estimated 51.5% of nonpregnant women used alcohol, as did 7.6% of pregnant women. The prevalence of binge drinking was 15.0% among nonpregnant women and 1.4% among pregnant women.
Adventure Travel
Adventure travel can be a great way to explore the world and be active. Learning about your risks and preparing for your trip will help make your vacation a fun and safe adventure.
Trends in HIV-Related Risk Behaviors Among High School Students - United States, 1991-2011
Overall and among female and white students, condom use increased during 1991-2003 and then did not change significantly during 2003-2011 (overall: 46.2% to 63.0% and then 60.2%; female: 38.0% to 57.4% and then 53.6%; and white: 46.5% to 62.5% and then 59.5%).
Home Canning and Botulism
Home canning is an excellent way to preserve garden produce and share it with family and friends, but it can be risky or even deadly if not done correctly and safely.
Protect Your Baby from Group B Strep!
Protect your baby from group B strep. If you're 35-37 weeks pregnant, ask your doctor or nurse about a group B strep test.
Cytomegalovirus: Protect Your Baby
In the U.S. 1 in 750 children have disabilities due to congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Learn how to protect your baby from CMV.
Let’s Stop HIV Together
The campaign gives voice to people living with HIV from all walks of life, alongside their friends and family members. As part of the campaign, these individuals share their personal stories and call on everyone to join the fight against the disease.
Death in the United States, 2010
Hispanic females have the longest life expectancy (83.8 years), followed by non-Hispanic white females (81.1 years), Hispanic males (78.8 years), non-Hispanic black females (77.7 years), non-Hispanic white males (76.4 years), and non-Hispanic black males (71.4 years).
Preconception Health Indicators Among Women - Texas, 2002-2010
Nearly half (48%) of Texas women surveyed by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System did not have any health-care coverage before their pregnancy. Of the 52% of women who did have health-care coverage before pregnancy, 17% had coverage through Medicaid, and 59% of all deliveries in Texas were paid for by Medicaid.
Updated Community Preventive Service Task Force Findings (pdf)
Based on these findings, the Task Force now recommends interventions using one-on-one education to increase colorectal cancer screening with fecal occult blood testing, and group education to increase mammography screening for breast cancer. In both cases, the strength of evidence was upgraded from “insufficient evidence” to “sufficient evidence.”
Congenital Transmission of Chagas Disease - Virginia, 2010
This report describes the first case of congenital Chagas disease in the United States confirmed by CDC and highlights the importance of raising awareness of Chagas disease among health-care providers.
Not Quite So Different Video
Two women, different on the surface, discover that they may both suffer from similar health problems in the future, because they are both smokers. This video, created by William Bowman, was the first runner up winner in the 18-25 age category of the Surgeon General's Video Contest: Tobacco -- I'm Not Buying It.
Snapshots
