Major Health Groups Join Forces In Connecticut

To Fight Leading Causes Of Death

Connecticut chapters of three of the nation’s leading not-for-profit health agencies recently announced a joint initiative to empower Americans to help lower their risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke by following a single set of recommendations. Combined, the four chronic diseases account for nearly two out of every three deaths in the United States, and more than 19,000 deaths annually in Connecticut.

This is the first time the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association have come together to provide unified health recommendations for the public and joint screening advice for physicians.

“Everyday Choices For A Healthier Life” is a three-year advocacy, public, and professional education campaign based on four simple preventive strategies, as described in a scientific statement published jointly in the rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association (June 15, 2004), Diabetes Care (July 2004) and the American Cancer Society’s CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians (July/August 2004).

Physicians and health care providers play a pivotal role in their ability to influence prevention and screening practices among their patients. The organizations have collectively mapped out general prevention and screening recommendations for all average-risk adults that should guide health care provider recommendations to their patients.

The recommendations are:

*Consume a healthy diet as a key component to achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight

*Be physically active

*Don’t smoke and avoid tobacco smoke

*See a physician to assess your personal health risks

“Poor diet, excess body weight, physical inactivity, and smoking are risk factors that contribute to the premature death of close to 1.5 million Americans from cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke each year,” said Richard Seip, PhD, senior scientist in preventative cardiology at Hartford Hospital and a volunteer spokesperson for the American Heart Association.

“Follow a healthy diet, achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, become more physically active and avoid tobacco smoke. These steps can become a part of your daily life, and can help protect you and your family from cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke,” said Andrew Salner, MD, director of the cancer program at Hartford Hospital and a member of the American Cancer Society’s Medical Advisory Network.

The three organizations have not changed their dietary or lifestyle recommendations. Instead, they are working together to let the public know that they agree on a simple set of lifestyle changes and unified screening recommendations to the public, physicians, and legislators.

“Health care costs are climbing steadily,” said William A. Petit, Jr, MD, director of the Joslin Diabetes Center in New Britain. “In Connecticut, we plan to pool our expertise and resources to encourage greater collaborative efforts among state and local government, private health care providers, insurers, and policymakers to increase the funding and opportunities for prevention.”

The three-year public education campaign kicks off with a series of public service ads produced by Publicis New York with support from the Advertising Council. The multimedia campaign is targeted to women ages 30 to 50 (considered the primary “health-influencers”), and urges Americans to “protect yourself, from yourself,” by making healthier everyday choices.

The campaign features television and radio ads in both English and Spanish, and print ads that will appear in magazines and newspapers across the country.

A free educational brochure has been developed to provide the public with the information they need to help protect themselves from cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The brochure is available by calling, toll-free, 866-399-6789.

A new website, www.everydaychoices.org, features helpful tips and links to more information on healthy eating, physical activity, weight management, smoking cessation, and recommended medical tests.

Routine medical care can help prevent disease and save lives.

The three agencies have developed screening guidelines for identification and control of risk factors and early detection of diseases and are working to promote these unified guidelines to physicians:

Men & Women

Blood pressure measurement: Starting at age 20, each regular health care visit, at least every two years.

Body Mass Index (BMI) measurement: Starting at age 20, each regular health care visit.

Blood cholesterol test: Starting at age 20, at least every five years.

Blood glucose (sugar) test: Starting at age 45 every three years.

Colorectal screening: Starting at age 50 every one to ten years depending on the test your doctor uses.

Women

Clinical breast exam (CBE): Starting at age 20, every three years; yearly after age 40.

Mammography: Starting at age 40, yearly.

Pap test: Starting at age 20, yearly. After age 30, every one to three years, depending on the test your doctor uses and past results.

Men

Prostate specific antigen test and digital rectal exam: Starting at age 50 ask your doctor about the pros and cons of testing

“Too many Americans still smoke cigarettes and are physically inactive, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults has risen to 65 percent, said Dr Seip. In Connecticut, 51 percent of adults are overweight or obese and nearly 80 percent of adults are physically inactive.

“These are all factors that are strong contributing risk factors for stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers,” Dr Salner said.

Dr Petit added, “Protect yourself and those you love with common-sense everyday choices for a healthier life.”