MAY AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION For the month of May, we will focus on prevention. The following pages contain verbiage, tips, a printable poster and other articles and resources that you can reference and share with your co-workers and employees.

WHAT AND WHY: Something as simple as prevention can not only stop disease before it occurs, it will create healthier homes, workplaces, schools and communities so that people can live long and productive lives and reduce their healthcare costs. It seems like an easy thing to buy into. But sometimes our busy lives get in the way. Seven out of 10 of us will die from a chronic disease, namely, heart disease and stroke, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, obesity, respiratory diseases and oral conditions. We owe it to ourselves to do better. [INSERT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MONTH’S ACTIVITY, WHERE TO SIGN UP AND HOW TO START.]

IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES: Provide an incentive for team members to have their biennial physical. Learn your family medical history. Knowing what runs in your family can be very helpful. Know what is a healthy weight for your height.

ARTICLES: What is metabolic syndrome: syndrome-what-is-ithttp:// syndrome-what-is-it OTHER RESOURCES: What to expect during your annual physical: physical-examinationshttp:// physical-examinations Adult health maintenance guidelines: idelines.pdf idelines.pdf Back to School, Back to the Doctor: stages/gradeschool/school/Pages/Back-to-School-Back-to-the-Doctor.aspxhttp:// stages/gradeschool/school/Pages/Back-to-School-Back-to-the-Doctor.aspx

THE MORE YOU KNOW! 25 TIPS, TIDBITS OF TRIVIA AND TWEETS ABOUT PREVENTION. SHARE ONE VIA EACH DAY OR POST THEM NEXT TO THE WATER COOLER. 1.Have a Health Maintenance Exam every five years if you are years old, every 2-3 years if you are 40-49, and every 1-2 years if you are If your blood pressure is between 120/80 and 139/89, have it checked yearly. If it is lower than 120/80, once every two years is fine. 3.The American Cancer Society recommends a mammogram each year for women after age Colonoscopy / colon cancer testing recommended for men and women at the age of million US adults have prediabetes, and 90% of them don’t know they have it. With prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as diabetes. 6. The right preventive care at every stage of life helps all Americans stay healthy, avoid or delay the onset of disease, keep diseases they already have from becoming worse or debilitating, lead productive lives and reduce costs. 7.Receiving routine vaccinations in accordance with your doctor’s recommendations can help prevent diseases such as measles, chicken pox, or meningitis, as well as flu and certain kinds of pneumonia.

MORE TIPS: 8.Diseases are becoming rare due to vaccinations. Some diseases (like polio and diphtheria) are becoming very rare in the U.S, but immunization can keep those diseases from spreading again. 9.Health problems are a major drain on the economy, resulting in 69 million workers reporting missed days due to illness each year. 10.Your insurance may cover costs for certain visits and preventive screenings to detect disease in early stages, when it is most treatable. 11.Counseling, screening, wellness visits, prenatal care, etc., can improve health and reduce costs by preventing illness. 12.Be active. Any activity that raises your heart rate counts. It could be brisk walking, sports, housework, or yard work. 13.Watch what you eat. Stick with fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, seafood and fat-free or low- fat dairy products as much as possible.

MORE TIPS: 14.The American Heart Association recommends adults age 20 or older have their cholesterol and other risk factors checked every 4 to 6 years. 15.Desirable cholesterol levels are less than 200 mg/dL, borderline high is mg/dL, and high levels would be 240 mg/dL and above. 16.Going to the doctor each year to get a basic rundown of your vital statistics is a good way to stay on top of your numbers. If things change, your doctor will know in a timely manner, which increases the chance that treatment will be successful. 17.Women should begin receiving pap smears within three years of starting sexual activity or by age 21, and screening every three years thereafter. 18.Men should start getting a colonoscopy at age 50, but may need to be screened earlier if they have a family history of colorectal cancer. 19.Tetanus shots should begin at 18 years-old and should be renewed every 10 years.

MORE TIPS: 20. Follow a healthy lifestyle, including keeping your weight in normal range (BMI under 25), being physically active (at least 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise), minimizing alcohol intake (one drink a day or less), and not smoking. 21. Experts recommend a one-time abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening for men ages 65 to 75 who have smoked at any point in their lives. 22. A flu shot is recommended yearly for everyone, 6 months of age and older. 23. Flu viruses change slightly each year so it is important to get vaccinated every year, beginning in October and through the season, which lasts until May. 24. Two different pneumonia vaccines are recommended if you're 65 or older. The vaccine is also recommended if you have diabetes, liver disease, asthma, any other type of lung disease, or problems with your immune system. 25. Don’t smoke. No matter how old you are when you quit smoking, you improve your chances for a healthy life almost immediately.

APPENDIX: We can’t take all of the credit. In compiling this information, we referenced the following organizations and websites: CDC.gov Wellmark.com WebMD.com NJ.com DPH.Georgia.gov Healthline.com Heart.org NLM.NIH.gov HealthyLiving.AZCentral.com HealthyWomen.org FredHutch.org