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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Outdoor Smoke-Free Policies In Maine, David E. Harris, Suzanne Roy, Sarah Mayberry
Outdoor Smoke-Free Policies In Maine, David E. Harris, Suzanne Roy, Sarah Mayberry
Maine Policy Review
Incontrovertible evidence of the deadly impacts from both direct tobacco use and environmental exposure to tobacco smoke has led to the institution of smoking bans, first in indoor venues and, more recently, in some outdoor area. This article reviews the science behind smoking bans as well as the history and policy implications of smoking bans with an emphasis on the experience in Maine. As examples we focus on recent outdoor smoking bans in South Portland (parks and beaches) and smoke-free campus rules at a Maine hospital (Franklin Memorial Hospital) and a part of the University of Maine system (University of …
Poor Nutrition Amidst Plenty, Dora Anne Mills
Poor Nutrition Amidst Plenty, Dora Anne Mills
Maine Policy Review
Hunger and food insecurity is on the rise in Maine as are increases in obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, all linked to food choices. Old and young, immigrant and native, rural and urban—Mainers are experiencing a food emergency made graver by the economic recession and rising health costs. Dora Anne Mills writes about “poor nutrition amidst plenty,” its causes, consequences, and the programs and policies that address it
Early Childhood Health, Dora Anne Mills
Early Childhood Health, Dora Anne Mills
Maine Policy Review
Dr. Dora Anne Mills presents a panoramic portrait of early childhood health in Maine, describing the ways in which poverty, health insurance, pregnancy, early growth and development, infectious and chronic diseases, oral health, environmental health, injury, mental health and physical activity and nutrition affect children. She notes policy successes in these areas and describes some of the challenges that remain and the new challenges that are arising.
Obesity In Maine: A Policy Approach, Dora Anne Mills
Obesity In Maine: A Policy Approach, Dora Anne Mills
Maine Policy Review
Compared to earlier generations, Americans are eating more, making poorer nutritional choices, and are less physically active. The result is an “obesity epidemic” facing Maine and the nation. Dora Anne Mills, director of Maine’s Bureau of Health, summarizes the extent, impact, and causes of obesity, and presents policy solutions suggested in public health and medical literature. Because the factors behind the obesity epidemic are so interwoven in the fabric of society, policymakers, businesses and individuals must consider a variety of solutions on the personal, local, state and national levels. Mills warns if we do not act soon and systematically, “our …
Top 10 Health Issues Faced By Maine People, Dora Anne Mills
Top 10 Health Issues Faced By Maine People, Dora Anne Mills
Maine Policy Review
In this article Maine’s Bureau of Health Director, Dr. Dora Anne Mills, outlines the top 10 health issues facing Mainers today. As Mills points out, many chronic health issues would be greatly alleviated if people ate less and better, exercised more, and didn’t smoke. Despite the role of self determination in affecting these behaviors, Mills argues that all can be influenced through more proactive policies at the local, state, and national levels, and changes to our surrounding environments. Only when neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and communities are structured in ways that promote healthy lifestyles will there be real changes in the …
Chronic Disease: The Epidemic Of The Twentieth Century, Dora Anne Mills
Chronic Disease: The Epidemic Of The Twentieth Century, Dora Anne Mills
Maine Policy Review
One hundred years ago, the leading causes of death were infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza and pneumonia. Of equal concern were water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Yet today, as a result of public health measures to clean up drinking water and provide immunizations, and by improvements in medical care, such diseases have been eradicated. As Dora Anne Mills points out, as we begin a new century, we have much to celebrate but still more to consider. Today, we face an epidemic unlike any found in 1900. One hundred years ago only one-in-six people died of a chronic …
A Dose Of Public Health Through Grassroots Advocacy: The Development Of Tobacco-Control Policy On A College Campus, G. Lea Bryant
A Dose Of Public Health Through Grassroots Advocacy: The Development Of Tobacco-Control Policy On A College Campus, G. Lea Bryant
Maine Policy Review
Maine has the unfortunate distinction of having the highest rate of tobacco use among 18- to 30-year-olds of any state in the nation. Moreover—as Bryant points out—first-time smoking among traditional college-age populations has risen nearly 30 percent in the past decade. Armed with these statistics, it is not difficult to conclude that college campuses in Maine face a serious public health issue. Carried by the momentum of recent tobacco-control policy developments at the state level, the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) has passed a stringent new tobacco-control policy that places UMF in the forefront of nationwide efforts to curb …