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Newborn Weights Affected By Environmental Contaminants
Recent epidemiological studies have revealed an increase in the frequency of genital malformations in male newborns (e.g., un-descended testes) and a decrease in male fertility.
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Needle Exchange Programs Needed To Prevent Spread Of HIV, Letter To The Editor Says
"Despite making strides in addressing HIV/AIDS, we have not reached all individuals and communities with the full range of prevention tools needed to reverse the epidemic," Jirair Ratevosian, chair of the American Public Health Association International Health Section"s Advocacy and Policy Committee, writes in a Washington Post letter to the editor. Ratevosian continues, "Congress has a chance to help by lifting the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs," adding, "Such programs do more than just distribute clean syringes; they link people into the health care system and drug treatment programs." Ratevosian also discussed support of needle exchange programs by several national health organizations and concludes, "It is imperative that effective approaches to preventing HIV be accessible without delay" (Ratevosian, 7/24).
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HIV/AIDS Education Project Targeting Pennsylvania Black Women Examined
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiled the Girlfriends Project, a domestic violence and HIV/AIDS education program implemented by the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force that targets at-risk black women in three Allegheny County, Pa., cities. Blacks "comprise just 7 percent of the total population in southwestern Pennsylvania but 41 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS, according to Allegheny County Health Department statistics provided by the task force," the Post-Gazette reports. "The Girlfriends Project was designed for Braddock, Clairton and Duquesne "because we knew nobody was doing outreach there," project coordinator, Lisa Dukes, said. As part of the project, Dukes hosts Tupperware party-style gatherings in homes of residents where she provides HIV testing and education, sexual health information, safe sex products and cash gift cards. The project is an outgrowth of the CDC"s prevention program Sisters Informing Sisters About Topics on AIDS, or SISTA, and has been so successful that CDC "has asked the task force to introduce it at the CDC"s 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta Aug. 23," the article states (Smith, 7/29).
Endocrinology

Active Commuters Have Fewer Heart Disease Risk Factors

Men and women who walk or ride a bike to work appear more fit, and men are less likely to be overweight or obese and have healthier triglyceride levels, blood pressure and insulin levels, according to a report in the July 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. For most adults, 60 minutes of brisk walking per day is sufficient to meet physical activity guidelines for avoiding weight gain, according to background information in the article. "One potentially effective means of increasing physical activity is through alternative, non-leisure forms of physical activity such as active commuting (walking or biking to work)," the authors write. However, little previous research has been conduced on the cardiovascular and overall health benefits of such lifestyle exercise. Penny Gordon-Larsen, Ph.D., of the School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues studied 2,364 adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study who worked outside the home. At examinations conducted between 2005 and 2006, participants reported the length of their commute in minutes and miles, including details on the percentage of the trip taken by car, public transportation, walking or bicycling. The participants" height, weight and other health variables, including blood pressure and fitness levels as assessed by a treadmill test, also were collected. In addition, they wore an accelerometer to measure their levels of physical activity during at least four days of the study period. A total of 16.7 percent of the participants used any means of active commuting to reach their workplace. "Active commuting was positively associated with fitness in men and women and inversely associated with body mass index, obesity, triglyceride levels, blood pressure and insulin level in men," the authors write. The results add to existing evidence that walking or biking to work is beneficial, they note. "Public support for policies that encourage active commuting has been shown, particularly for individuals with experience using active commuting and with positive attitudes toward walking and biking," the authors write. "Furthermore, increasing active commuting will have the dual benefits of increasing population health and in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental supports for commuting, such as physical environment and sociocultural factors, have been shown to promote active forms of commuting." Additional research is needed to elucidate other potential benefits of active commuting, as well as unraveling the association between walking or biking to work and other health-promoting behaviors, they conclude. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169[13]:1216-1223. Archives of Internal Medicine


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