A safe family environment promotes physical well-being and enhances positive mental health. However, childhood abuse at any developmental stage can have long-lasting effects on a child’s behavioral and psychological health, especially as they grow up. Child abuse increases a person’s risk for psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety.  National Child Abuse Prevention Month provides an excellent opportunity to highlight the importance of children’s mental health. Researchers estimate that one out of four children will go through abuse or neglect at some point. Parents, public health...

Every 68 seconds, someone in the United States becomes a victim of sexual assault. April is sexual assault awareness month, an opportunity for college students to stand against sexual violence. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) has designated April 8 as RAINN Day. Students and other learning community members can promote RAINN Day on social media by using #WontStayQuiet and #RAINNDay. You can also download the RAINN Day Event Planning Guide for ideas on organizing a virtual event.  What We Know About Sexual Assault and Abuse  Some people use the terms “rape” and “sexual...

Just as people in the general public likely keep a roadside emergency kit in their vehicles, it’s equally important for them to be prepared in advance of severe weather events. In the United States, springtime represents an opportune season for public health communicators and emergency management teams to help people audit their emergency preparedness plans so they're ready in advance for severe weather events.  Here’s what you need to know about statewide severe weather awareness weeks, and how to help the public prepare for severe weather events.  How States Recognize Severe Weather Preparedness...

When Winston Churchill uttered the now-enshrined political aphorism “never let a good crisis go to waste,” he most likely was not talking about sewage. However, decades later, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has taken the world by storm. Letting the crisis go to waste—e.g., monitoring the virus’s presence in the wastewater—has proven to be a powerful ally in predicting rises in COVID-19 cases in local communities and painting a picture of how infection trends have been moving across the United States.  Here’s what you need to know about the process of wastewater monitoring, how it can be an important...

Do you enjoy hiking in the woods? Be sure to follow some easy preparations to protect yourself against Lyme disease, which is transmitted by the ever-more common deer ticks. According to the CDC, Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. NPR reports that Lyme disease infects an estimated 476,000 people a year nationally.  The upper Midwestern and the Northeastern United States are the most common areas for Lyme disease. Although, northern California, Oregon, and Washington also reported cases.  The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and, rarely, Borrelia mayonii...