CDC PRAMS Update

08/01/2016

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Division of Reproductive Health Global Activity eUpdate

PRAMS Update

CDC is pleased to announce expansion of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and the release of new PRAMS data.

PRAMS Expands to 11 New Sites

As of May 2016, PRAMS is funded in 51 sites and covers 83% of all live births in the United States. Sites now include 47 states, New York City, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Health Board.

PRAMS Releases 2013 Data

Researchers can request the most recent year of data by visiting https://www.cdc.gov/prams/researchers.htm.

About PRAMS

PRAMS was developed in 1987 to help reduce infant morbidity and mortality by providing data that were not available elsewhere about pregnancy and the first few months after birth. It is part of CDC’S Safe Motherhood and Infant Health Initiative.

PRAMS data can:

Be used to identify groups of women and infants at high risk for health problems;
Provide information for state health officials to improve the health of mothers and infants;
Allow states and CDC to monitor changes in maternal and child health indicators such as breastfeeding, smoking and drinking during pregnancy, and infant sleep position; and
Address emerging health issues of particular concern to pregnant women, such as awareness and risk reduction behaviors related to Zika virus infection.

For more information on PRAMS, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/PRAMS.

Health Communication Science Digest -- July 2016

08/01/2016

Greetings!

The July issue of Health Communication Science Digest (HCSD or Digest) is now available at http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/ScienceDigest/index.html.

This month, the Digest contains many articles that examine various message design issues (Arpan et al., Harrington et al., McQueen et al., Richards et al.,; Lee and Cameron; Lochbuehler et al.).

Articles covering various aspect of the health communication response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa are also included in the Digest: Bedrosian et al. summarize broad risk communication activities; Fung et al., report on a systematic review of social media use; and Ihekweazu looks at the news coverage of the outbreaks.

Four of the articles report studies that can contribute to various health communication evaluation efforts (Alpert et al., Barbrook-Johnson et al., Davis et al., Hall et al.).

Articles in the Digest also cover several other topics. Aldoory reports on the status of health literacy research; Namkoong et al., investigate the differential effects of message reception when coupled with social interaction when compared with message reception alone; and Kononova et al., report findings from a study concerning health information processing. In addition, Lin and Dutta report a study of channel complementarity; and Yun et al., present findings from a study using Twitter for agenda setting.

The article by Mackert et al., reports on the evaluation of a training on grant writing and is likely to have value especially for junior health communication researchers.

Please remember that you can access all issues of the “Health Communication Science Digest” series online via the searchable Health Communication Science Digest Archive.

We hope that you find the Health Communication Science Digest useful and invite you to provide us with feedback for improvement. Please send us articles that you would like to share with others—articles you or your colleagues have published or found useful.

Please send your comments and questions to [log in to unmask].

Enjoy!

Doğan Eroğlu

Associate Director for Communication Science

Office of the Associate Director for Communication

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Atlanta, GA

CDC Press Release: CDC issues travel guidance related to Miami neighborhood with active Zika spread

08/01/2016

Press Release

Monday, August 1, 2016

Contact: CDC Media Relations

(404) 639-3286

CDC issues travel guidance related to Miami neighborhood with active Zika spread

New assessments of mosquito populations and test results this past weekend by Florida public health officials, as part of a community survey in the Miami neighborhood where several Zika infections were recently confirmed, have found persistent mosquito populations and additional Zika infections in the same area. This information suggests that there is a risk of continued active transmission of Zika virus in that area. As a result, CDC and Florida are issuing travel, testing and other recommendations for people who traveled to or lived in the Florida-designated areas on or after June 15, 2016, the earliest known date that one of the people could have been infected with Zika. At Florida’s request, CDC is also sending a CDC Emergency Response Team (CERT) with experts in Zika virus, pregnancy and birth defects, vector control, laboratory science, and risk communications to assist in the response. Two CDC team members are already on the ground in Florida, three more will arrive today, and three more on Tuesday, August 2.

For more information about Zika: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/.

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

CDC works 24/7 saving lives and protecting people from health threats to have a more secure nation. Whether these threats are chronic or acute, manmade or natural, human error or deliberate attack, global or domestic, CDC is the U.S. health protection agency.

Why Measure Health Literacy Skills?

08/01/2016

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Saving Lives. Protecting People. ^TM

www.cdc.gov

Why Measure Health Literacy Skills?

The ability to create or choose oral, written, or graphic health messages that match your audience’s understanding comes from knowing about their health literacy skills. Better understanding of health materials can lead to informed decision making and potential changes in health behavior.

The Health Literacy Tool Shed is a free, user-friendly, online database of validated health literacy instruments. It serves as an interactive, one-stop shop that provides filters to help select research the instruments you need. The project was sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Get more information about this tool and others by visiting our Measures of People's Skills and Experiences webpage.

Also, check out the Clear Communication Index! A research-based tool that helps you develop and assess communication materials for your intended audience.