100 Years of the American Public Health Association's Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section: Celebrating the Past, Forging the Future.

The American Public Health Association's Public Health Education and Health Promotion (APHA PHEHP) Section celebrates its 100th anniversary by reflecting on its humble beginnings and early contributions to the field of health education. This article highlights the often-unsung history of our field and its fledgling beginnings, which is important to scholars and students alike. First codified as the Health Education and Publicity Section in the early 1920s, we trace the history and challenges of using new modes of publicity such as motion pictures and innovative exhibits to help curb the spread of infectious diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, venereal disease). Evart G. Routzahn, credited as the Section's father, worked tirelessly to increase the Section's visibility (renamed the Health Education Section in 1927 and the Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section in 1990) and in advancing the professionalization of health education during a time when there were no formal professional preparation programs in health education. Over the years, the Section has played significant roles in strengthening the practice of health education and communication; advancing APHA's overall leadership, infrastructure, and governance; and contributing to the unified voice and advocacy for the health education profession and health equity. We conclude by describing contemporary initiatives that reflect the continued spirit and vibrancy of the Section in setting the stage for the next 100 years.

Fatal unintentional injuries in the home in the U.S., 2000-2008.

BACKGROUND: From 1992 to 1999, an average of more than 18,000 unintentional home injury deaths occurred in the U.S. annually. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to provide current prevalence estimates of fatal unintentional injury in the home. METHODS: Data from the 2000-2008 National Vital Statistics System were used in 2011 to calculate average annual rates for unintentional home injury deaths for the U.S. overall, and by mechanism of injury, gender, and age group. RESULTS: From 2000 to 2008, there was an annual average of 30,569 unintentional injury deaths occurring in the home environment in the U.S. (10.3 deaths per 100,000). Poisonings (4.5 per 100,000) and falls (3.5 per 100,000) were the leading causes of home injury deaths. Men/boys had higher rates of home injury death than women/girls (12.7 vs 8.2 per 100,000), and older adults (≥80 years) had higher rates than other age groups. Home injury deaths and rates increased significantly from 2000 to 2008. CONCLUSIONS: More than 30,000 people die annually in the U.S. from unintentional injuries at home, with the trend rising since the year 2000. The overall rise is due in large part to the dramatic increase in deaths due to poisonings, and to a lesser degree falls at home. Unintentional home injuries are both predictable and preventable. Through a multifaceted approach combining behavioral change, adequate supervision of children, installation and maintenance of safety devices, and adherence to building codes, safety regulations and legislation, home injuries can be reduced.

Safe Kids Worldwide: preventing unintentional childhood injuries across the globe.

Unintentional injuries are predictable and preventable. Yet every hour, a child in the United States dies from an unintentional injury. Globally, the number is even more staggering, with nearly 1 million children dying from unintentional injuries each year. Motor vehicle-related injuries, burns, drowning, falls, suffocation or choking, and poisoning are just a few of the unintentional injury risks threatening children. Patient safety requires a three-pronged strategy of behavior change, use of safety devices, and improvement of laws and regulations to ensure that all children lead healthy and productive lives.

Preventing young children's injuries: analysis of data from a population-based surveillance.

The objective of this study is to determine prevention strategies for potentially serious injury events among children younger than 3 years of age based upon circumstances surrounding injury events. Surveillance was conducted on all injuries to District of Columbia (DC) residents less than 3 years old that resulted in an Emergency Department (ED) visit, hospitalization, or death for 1 year. Data were collected through abstraction of medical records and interviews with a subset of parents of injured children. Investigators coded injury-related events for the potential for death or disability. Potential prevention strategies were then determined for all injury events that had at least a moderate potential for death or disability and sufficient detail for coding (n = 425). Injury-related events included 10 deaths, 163 hospitalizations, and 2,868 ED visits (3,041 events in total). Of the hospitalizations, 88% were coded as moderate or high potential for disability or death, versus only 21% of the coded ED visits. For potentially serious events, environmental change strategies were identified for 47%, behavior change strategies for 77%, and policy change strategies for 24%. For 46% of the events more than one type of prevention strategy was identified. Only 8% had no identifiable prevention strategy. Prevention strategies varied by specific cause of injury. Potential prevention strategies were identifiable for nearly all potentially serious injury events, with multiple potential prevention strategies identified for a large fraction of the events. These findings support developing multifaceted prevention approaches informed by community-based injury surveillance.

Hot tap water legislation in the United States.

Excessively hot tap water results in an estimated 1500 hospital admissions and up to 50 deaths in the United States every year. This study reviewed the current state of tap water temperature regulation in the United States, including the model plumbing code standards on which state legislation in this area is based; assessed the level of public awareness regarding the risk, prevalence, and severity of such injuries; and identified specific prevention measures. Relevant information was obtained from state legislative codes, model code development organizations, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, and a survey of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to tap water temperature safety. Model building and plumbing codes related to tap water temperature regulation and their subsequent adoption by state legislatures vary widely across the United States. The states also vary with respect to the authority provided to lower levels of government (counties or municipalities) to modify and enforce code provisions. Public awareness of hot tap water hazards and implementation of preventive measures are limited. A broader and more uniform application of codes for regulating tap water temperature in both institutional and residential settings can be achieved through input from affected users, government agencies, legislators, advocacy organizations, and the general public. Safer hot water temperatures and a reduction in scald injuries can be achieved through regulating hot water temperature level at the thermostat, installing temperature-regulating valves at the tap, and raising public awareness of hot tap water hazards.

Housing interventions and control of injury-related structural deficiencies: a review of the evidence.

Subject matter experts systematically reviewed evidence on the effectiveness of housing interventions that affect safety and injury outcomes, such as falls, fire-related injuries, burns, drowning, carbon monoxide poisoning, heat-related deaths, and noise-related harm, associated with structural housing deficiencies. Structural deficiencies were defined as those deficiencies for which a builder, landlord, or home-owner would take responsibility (ie, design, construction, installation, repair, monitoring). Three of the 17 interventions reviewed had sufficient evidence for implementation: installed, working smoke alarms; 4-sided isolation pool fencing; and preset safe hot water temperature. Five interventions needed more field evaluation, 8 needed formative research, and 1 was found to be ineffective. This evidence review shows that housing improvements are likely to help reduce burns and scalds, drowning in pools, and fire-related deaths and injuries.

Kids in cars: closing gaps in child occupant restraint laws.

This article provides background on the latest research and findings related to child occupant restraint laws; highlights recent and proposed legislation mandating child occupant restraints, along with strategies and partnerships leading to the adoption of the legislation; and identifies practical steps that elected officials and public health practitioners can take to adapt and replicate those strategies and policies in their states and communities.