Below you can read our findings based on our various sources of data. If you would like to dig deeper into a specific subject, select a category from the menu to the left below Community Dashboard.
HIV Testing Among Adults in Southeastern Pennsylvania
December 2013
HIV infection continues to impact a large number of Americans. The CDC estimates that over 1.1 million people in this country are now living with HIV and about 50,000 become infected every year[1]. Despite increased availability of HIV testing, it is estimated that 18% of persons who have HIV do not know they are infected[2]. Increased access to HIV testing is important for several reasons: the risk of AIDS-related complications is greatly reduced when HIV infection is detected and treated early; treating pregnant women greatly reduces the chance that their babies will be infected; and persons who are receiving treatment are much less likely to pass the infection to someone else. Using data from Public Health Management Corporation’s Center for Data Innovation and the Community Health Data Base’s 2012 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, this article examines HIV testing behaviors among adults age 18 and older in Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA), specifically looking at characteristics among those who have recently been tested for HIV and those who have never been tested.
Cigarette Smoking and Exposure to Secondhand Smoke in Southeastern Pennsylvania
November 2013
The Great American Smokeout, which will be taking place on Thursday, November 21st, encourages smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), by quitting—even for one day—smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life and reducing their cancer risk. [1] In the United States, tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death. Yet, some 43.8 million Americans, nearly one in every five adults,still smoke cigarettes. [2]
Key Findings from the CHDB 2011 Member and Affiliate Survey
In the Summer of 2011, CHDB conducted a survey of Members and Affiliates to check in on how we're doing and to try to better understand the needs of our users. The following is a brief overview of key findings from the survey. Thank you for all of your help!
HIV Testing in Southeastern Pennsylvania
December 2011
Between 35,000 to 40,000 people become infected with HIV every year in the United States (1). While there are about 1.2 million people living with HIV in this country, about 240,000 (20%) do not know that they are HIV positive (2).
In observation of World AIDS Day (December 1st), this article presents data from PHMC's 2010 Household Health Survey on HIV testing among adults 18 years of age and older in the Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) region. This survey is a random digit dial telephone survey of over 10,000 households in the five-county SEPA region of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties.
Falls within the past year among older adults in Southeastern Pennsylvania
Tuesday. April 5, 2011
This year's National Public Health Week campaign will take place April 4-11. Throughout the week, the public's attention will be directed towards messages about safety and injuries, including falls. According to national injury statistics, unintentional falls is one of the leading causes of injury among all age groups, particularly older adults. In fact, in 2009, there were more than 2.6 million emergency department visits among adults 60 years of age or older due to fall-related injuries. Like most injuries, falls are preventable, and knowing which population subgroups are disproportionately affected by falls can lead to more tailored prevention programs and messages.