Public Health Education and Health Promotion
Section Newsletter
Winter 2005

Message from the Chair

I was starting to feel overwhelmed with work and feeling a little sorry for myself when I heard the news that a giant tsunami had hit parts of Asia. Seeing the horrible images of human suffering on television made me stop and think—about the power of nature, about orphaned children, and about how much I have to be thankful for. The public health consequences of this disaster will be with us for a long time, and our colleagues from all over the world are responding in an amazing fashion. So far, no disease outbreaks have been reported (as of early January) but the World Healtyh Organization fears that there will be outbreaks of cholera, malaria and other infectious diseases. Add to that the concern for the well-being of thousands of orphaned children in an area where the child sex trade is known to abound. In addition to my feelings of sadness and heartache for the people affected, I also, almost every day, have reason to feel hope. I have seen news accounts of miraculous survival, children reunited with parents, and communities working together to clean up and get on with life. And I have seen accounts of our colleagues, both public health and medical professionals, giving their time and talents to help those in need. I am very proud of our profession and the willingness to respond from all over the world. And I am pleased to hear that about 50 percent of U.S. residents have responded with donations. I bet they come from both blue and red states! It is good to know that the nation can still unite when called upon to do so.

On a lighter note, we have plenty of work ahead of us this year as a Section. We hope to find ways to better integrate our students into the section, and to help them get involved in the activities of the organization. In addition, we are working on a way to get to know our members better, especially those who are not always able to get to annual meetings. Once we know who does what, and where they do it, we can better connect members to the larger organization when a need arises. If you have any questions or suggestions for the Section, please feel free to contact me at <Theresa.L.Byrd@uth.tmc.edu>.

I wish you all a happy and blessed 2005!

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APHA News

APHA Adopts 20 New Policies
Policies Focus on Range of Public Health Issues From Workplace Violence and Health Disparities to Flu Vaccination and Correctional System Health Care Standards

Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2004–APHA recently adopted 20 policies addressing a broad range of issues in public health from underage alcohol consumption and nutrition labeling in restaurants to the supply of flu vaccinations and threats to immigrants’ health care. The Association also approved an operational measure in support of smoke-free cities.

Full language of the 2004 policies approved by the Association’s Governing Council during its 132nd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Nov. 6-10, 2004 is available at <http://www.apha.org/legislative/policy/policysearch/>.


APHA Applauds 40 Nations That Have Ratified the International Tobacco Control Treaty, Urges U.S. Administration to Make Ratification a Top Priority

Statement from Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, Executive Director

Washington, D.C., Nov. 30, 2004 – “With Peru’s ratification today of the international tobacco control treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will become international law early next year. The American Public Health Association commends the 40 nations that have ratified the treaty, which cements a historic step in containing the global epidemic of tobacco use that kills more than 4 million people a year. In effect, this treaty gives countries the power to restrict tobacco advertising, combat cigarette smuggling and require health warning labels -- crucial measures in reducing the health threats of tobacco.

“Yet, the United States is noticeably absent from this important international action, which has even been ratified by countries that have major tobacco industries. While the United States has signed the treaty, the administration has yet to send the agreement to the U.S. Senate for ratification, rendering the signing meaningless. As it stands, this nation is not committed to the treaty’s goals of reducing global tobacco use.
“We cannot afford to move slowly on this issue. In the United States alone, tobacco use is the leading cause of death, killing more than 400,000 people each year and costing our nation a massive $75 billion in health care costs. Tobacco products are virtually unregulated and, every day, hundreds of children become smokers.

“The American Public Health Association urgently calls on the administration and Senate to follow the lead of other countries and work together to ratify the treaty and work for its full implementation to protect the health of all citizens from the scourge of tobacco.”

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Reflections from the 2005 APHA President-Elect

I cannot say "thank you" enough to my incredible colleagues in PHEHP. I just realized that we have four, count 'em, four health educators on the Executive Board: Elaine Auld, Chair of the Action Board; Jay Bernhardt, Vice Chair of the Executive Board; Nell Gottleib, who returns to the EB in a voting seat with her excellent perceptions, objectivity and humor; and myself, still somewhat in disbelief, as President-Elect.

So far, life is quiet, but activity is bound to pick up. I attended a Development Committee Strategy Session at APHA Hq. Dec. 21-22 (just missed the great airline meltdown). We worked to identify those elements of APHA that members would contribute money to, being mindful that public health workers don't have a lot of discretionary cash. We also discussed the corporate donation dilemma and how we can effectively implement existing guidelines to gain some corporate relationships and protect the association from perceived prostitution of our core values.

The EB met Jan. 23-26 in D.C., beginning with an orientation of new Board members. I'm trying to think back four years to what I wished I knew and didn't when I first joined the Board. Time goes fast. I'll be meeting with the Chairs-Elect in June to participate in their orientation, and addressing a few of the Affiliates during the year.

As I write this, I have been online looking at the incredible devastation of the tsunami and sharing world concern about the potential for epidemic diseases and injuries from the destruction to follow. Coming on the heels of our most gifting holiday, it made me realize again how blessed I am to have a roof over my head, water coming from the tap that I trust, warmth and food on the table. So simple, fundamental human needs and it can all be lost in minutes. My home is literally around the corner from the headquarters of World Vision, and I stopped and gave them a donation on the way home because they were on the ground immediately helping. We should all be thankful for the lives we have. Happy New Year to Each and every one of you.

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2005 APHA 133rd Annual Meeting and Exposition Call for Abstracts

New Orleans
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Nov. 5-9, 2005

2005 Annual Meeting: Evidence Based Policy and Practice

Evidence-based policy and practice are processes of systematically finding, appraising and using contemporaneous research findings as the basis for decisions. It is the best knowledge based on rigorous, comprehensive syntheses and analyses of the scientific literature on topics relevant to (clinical, social, science/behavioral, economic and other) health care organizations. The reason for evidenced-based decision making is to improve performance, health outcomes and make more efficient use of resources. Another crucial role of evidence-based decision making is to translate science to policy-makers and assist them in evaluating the merits of competing demands for limited resources. Evidence-science surrounding public health leads to conclusions based on proven facts.

Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section Call for Abstracts – deadline Feb. 9, 2005

This Section invites papers, posters and sessions that address current and relevant health education themes, along with this year’s APHA theme, “Evidence Based Policy and Practice." Of particular interest are papers related to the following:

• Community Mobilization


• Diversity, Disparity and Inclusivity


• Ethical Issues


• Health Communication and/or Health Risk Communication


• Health Education/Health Education Programming


• Innovative Practices


• Public Health Policy


• Special Focus Populations (minorities and emerging majorities, sexual orientation issues, age-group issues, Indian/Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian issues, etc.)


• Technology in Public Health


• Topical issues: e.g., tobacco, alcohol, depression, HIV/AIDS, violence, nutrition, injury prevention, and physical activity


• Worksite Health Promotion

Individual abstract submissions must include at least two learning objectives. Learning objectives are needed as a standing APHA requirement and consideration for CHES contact hours. Incomplete abstracts cannot be reviewed. Authors who wish to have multiple abstracts considered as one session MUST take the following steps:
1. submit each abstract individually through the online system,
2. note the assigned abstract number for each paper,
3. send an e-mail to <sradius@towson.edu> with the title of your session, numbers for each of the abstracts and any other relevant information.

Without these steps, all abstracts will be considered as individual submissions. Please note that in order to provide as full a program as possible, PHEHP does NOT generally accept full sessions related to a single project.

To link directly to PHEHP Abstracts, go to <http://apha.confex.com/apha/133am/phehp.htm>.

Call for Volunteers
In addition to submitting abstracts for the Section’s program at the Annual Meeting, PHEHP members are invited to participate in program development by volunteering as reviewers and session moderators. Reviewers will review the abstracts submitted and provide valuable rating information to guide the Program Planners in selecting abstracts and organizing the program. The time commitment is small and very manageable, thanks to the online system used by APHA – the entire process is conducted electronically. Assignments will be made in mid-February for reviews to be completed in about one month. The more reviewers we have, the fewer abstracts each person has to review, so please contact the Program Planners immediately and volunteer!

The moderators serve during the Annual Meeting itself, and manage the presentation sessions by introducing speakers, keeping time for each presentation, assisting with AV needs, and facilitating Q-and-A and discussion. This is a great job for anyone who wants an active role in a session without actually given a presentation. If you are interested in moderating a session, contact the Program Planners.

Program Planner Contact Information:

Johanna M. Hinman, MPH, CHES
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory Prevention Research Center
Emory University
jhinman@sph.emory.edu

and

Susan Radius, PhD, CHES
Department of Health Science
Towson University
sradius@towson.edu

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PHEHP Section Awards

Now is the time to nominate your peers for the PHEHP Awards
DEADLINE: Friday, April 30, 2005

The start of the New Year is the best time to reflect on our accomplishments and those o