Good news from the medical community! According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more U.S. doctors are encouraging adults to be physically active. The report, which is published by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), determined that the percentage of adults whose physician or attending health professional encouraged them to exercise increased from 22.6% in 2000 to 32.4% in 2010.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has green-lighted a program to enhance health and wellness throughout the United States. Called “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” the initiative will provide approximately $642 million for programs designed to increase physical activity levels; improve nutrition; lower obesity rates; and decrease smoking prevalence, teen smoking and second-hand smoke exposure. According to the initiative’s website, the program will target programs at the community, state and

Because today’s kids are spending more and more time glued to the computer (see related story on this page), some Web-savvy experts advise using the computer to encourage physical activity. Here’s a list of fun Web sites (courtesy of the Wall Street Journal) that are designed to do just that:

Older adults are incurring traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) from accidental falls, and 50% of unintentional fall deaths are related to TBIs, according to a June report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Most people think older adults may only break their hip when they fall, but our research shows that traumatic brain injuries can also be a serious consequence,” said Ileana Arias, PhD, director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

On the heels of the recent pistachio nut recalls, a new government report says there has been little progress in protecting our nation’s food supply over the past decade. The report was a collaborative effort between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The data used for the report was from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), which each year compares current incidences of food infections to those of the previous 3 years.

As we go to press, a new disease called “severe acute respiratory syndrome” (SARS) is frustrating public health officials worldwide. First identified in Asia, the disease rapidly spread to other areas, including Canada. By the first week of April, at least 148 cases of SARS had been diagnosed in the United States.

Sleep is part of a healthy lifestyle, and people of all ages are suffering from a lack of it. According to the National Institutes of Health, 70 million Americans do not get enough sleep. Even children are experiencing negative consequences of sleep deprivation.