Antidepressants linked to Increased Falls and Fractures

Roughly 10% of the American population uses perscription antidepressants. Daily use of the antidepressant medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) such as Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, Celexa and Lexapro, by adults 50 years and older is associated with a doubled risk of some fractures, according to a report in the January 22, 2007 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The study is based on the evaluation of 5,008 community-dwelling adults 50 years and older who were followed up for over five years for incident fractures. The study also concluded daily SSRI use was associated with increased risk of falls and decreased bone-mineral density. SSRIs can cause a drop in blood pressure and fainting in some people. Those who take the antidepressants regularly and are 50 years and older, are urged to pay attention to lifestyle choices including regular strength training exercises, eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin D, no drinking and no smoking.

To read the actual study, click here (subscription to Archives of Internal Medicine is necessary)
To read an article on the study, click here

PubMed search for injury articles

Here is a link to a PubMed search that produces a list of injury-related articles in reverse chronological order. Each time you click on the link, a fresh (updated) search is run.

Method: Each article that is indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE is manually indexed with an average of a dozen or so Medical Subject Headings, drawn from a controlled vocabulary of more than 23,000 such terms (MeSH terms). The broadest MeSH term for injuries is accidents, and searching in PubMed with this MeSH term also captures narrower (more specific) terms such as accident prevention or accidents, traffic. The search strategy is constructed so that accidents is the major topic of the article, and the results are set to be limited to the 100+ "core clinical journals" that the National Library of Medicine has identified among the more than 4,600 journals that it indexes in PubMed/MEDLINE. It produces a long list, but the most recent papers always appear at the top. For a somewhat longer introduction to how PubMed works, see the introduction to my book. If you would like more specific preconstructed searches posted here, let me know.

CIPN Interactive On-line Teleconference

REGISTRATION IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!

CIPN Interactive On-line Teleconference Training

-February 15, 2007

-1:00-4:00 pm

-Gain a Deeper Understanding of Policy as a Tool to Build and Strengthen Injury Prevention Programs

**Free Registration for CIPN members and other interested parties**

***REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED***

Click here for more information.

Grant Proposal Writing Trainings from Feb. 6th-15th, 2007

Proposal Writing Basics and How to Apply to The James Irvine Foundation's New Connections Fund

Learn valuable proposal writing skills and hear insider tips on how to apply to The James Irvine Foundation's New Connections Fund at this two-part program offered at several sites in California. Thanks to sponsorship from The James Irvine Foundation, this program is offered FREE OF CHARGE, and all attendees will receive a free copy of The Foundation Center's Guide to Winning Proposals II and The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing.

Click here for more information about the FREE trainings and the Foundation Center.
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GRANT PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS avaliable thru the Nonprofit Resource Center

Basics for Grant Seekers
This workshop will show you a process for researching funders, introduce key reference works, and demonstrate online databases and other research tools. Discover how to find potential grant funders for your nonprofit organization.

Developing Powerful Grant Proposals: An In-Depth Two-Day Training

In this in-depth interactive workshop the training approach largely involves discussing >and learning a theory of resource development that challenges some conventional wisdoms. The presenter shares his more than 30 years of experience on both sides of the “grants’ game.”

For more information, click here

ALERT: GRANT OPPORTUNITY

The W.K. Kellogg and APIAHF announces the Health Through Action – Community Partnerships Grant, a multi-year national grant program supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It is designed to strengthen and bolster community approaches to improving the health of vulnerable Asian American (AA), Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (NHOPI) individuals and families, and children of these families by strengthening the capacity of AA and NHOPI led, local community based organizations and by capitalizing on local assets to meet health needs.

This grant asks each community collaborative to select a pressing local health or healthcare issue as a starting point, build on community assets, and identify and work on priority areas to strengthen the capacity of their collaborative to impact change.

To be considered for this grant, please submit a Letter of Intent no later than February 28, 2007.

For More Information and to apply, click here

Consumer Reports: Car Seats Retracted

Consumer Reports magazine has just retracted their article on infant car seats. Consumer Reports intends to complete new testing and republish the report soon. The tests done in the article were contracted out to a laboratory and an internal investigation is in effect to find out what went wrong. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alarmed at the results of the article, tried to duplicated the results at their own lab and turned up with much different results.

To read the Car Seat Consumer Report post, click here.

Traffic STATS

Next week, a report will be published containing the findings from Traffic STATS, a detailed and searchable new risk analysis of road fatality statistics by Carnegie Mellon for the American Automobile Association. The report shows that some long-held assumptions about safety on U.S. highways don't jibe with hard numbers. It lists the risk of road death by age, gender, type of vehicle, time of day and geographic region.

The study puts together data of all types to find the safest scenario possible. According to the findings, the safest scenario on the road is a 4-year-old girl in a van or school bus, stuck in a Wednesday morning rush hour in New England in February. This is because vehicles with children in the backseat tend to drive at safer speeds and drivers of vans and schoolbuses tend to be dull drivers (a good thing). Also, the fewest deaths per mile driven are at 8 a.m., mostly because the roads are so clogged with traffic and teenagers are already at school. Dangerous driving cannot occur if you are stuck in bumper to bumper traffic which explains why New England ranks #1 in lowest death risk.

To read more about the article, click here.

Child Safety Video

MetLife and Safe Kids have partnered up to produce an educational video for parents and caregivers of young children. The video is meant to help parents keep their children safe from unintentional injuries, the leading cause of death for children ages 0-14. The child safety video will convey key safety facts for major risk areas such as water safety, pedestrian safety, bike and wheeled sports safety, passenger safety and fire prevention and preparedness. Children aged four to seven are an important age group to target, since safety habits developed at this stage address risk areas that remain injury risks later in life. The videos will be produced in the spring and will be avaliable in VHS or DVD format, each containing an English and Spanish version.

To read more about the child safety video click here.

World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, has just published Road Traffic Injury Prevention, a world report designed for a multidisciplinary audience - clinicians, transport and road engineers, vehicle safety professionals, law enforcers, policy-makers, and public health workers.

The report estimates that 1.2 million people are killed in road crashes each year and as many as 50 million are injured worldwide. Projections indicate that these figures will increase by about 65% over the next 20 years unless there is new commitment to prevention. The report looks at injury prevention efforts worldwide and outlines the importance of collecting data in formulating plans to reduce traffic injuries.

To download and read the report, click here.

Lower Childhood IQ Linked to Accident-Prone Adults

An article published in Forbes Magazine links low childhood IQ to accident-prone adults. It seems that children with a low IQ at the age of 7, 9, and 11 are more likely to suffer accidents and injuries as adults. They are also more likely to die as a result of those injuries. However, it does show that with increased education, the risk for injuries decrease.

Researchers believe the reason for this link is that children with lower intelligence scores are more likely to have injuries while children and, if the injuries involve the head, they may make accidents more likely in adulthood. While children with higher intelligence, may be able to process signals from the environment better, thus helping to protect themselves.

Read the article here.

STPP and Partners Release New Reports on the Federal Transportation Law

The Surface Transportation Policy Partnership (STPP) and its many partners, including APHA, have completed a report on the From the Margins to the Mainstream workshop series and a guidebook on the federal surface transportation law. In developing the workshops and guidebook, STPP placed particular emphasis on supporting local transportation and elected officials, community leaders and advocates and the public generally in their efforts to secure transportation investments that expand travel choices and build more livable communities. These new resources are available online at www.transact.org/. For more information, e-mail stpp@transact.org.

Also, a reminder, the 6th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth: Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities is Set for February. Registration Avaliable now! Click here for more information.

Consumer Reports: Car Seats

Consumer Reports recently released a new study on car seats. The study found that only 2 of the 12 car seats tested were acceptable in 35 mph frontal crashes and 38 mph side crash tests. Federal safety standards in the US require car seats to pass a 30-mph frontal crash test. However, there are no requirements on tests for side-impact collisions. The 2 car seats recommended were the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS. The other car seats tested, although they met federal safety standards, provided poor protection, many resulted in launching of the car seat base while others twisted violently. Consumer Reports also found that the Evenflo Discovery did not even meet federal safety standards and urges federal officials to order a recall.

Remember, any car seat is better than no car seat.

For details and the full report, click here.

membership increase

Membership in the California Injury Prevention Network has increased dramatically since its inception last April.

Alternate Roster is Up!

If you visit the member area of CIPN, you will now be able to access two different rosters. The standard roster that lists name alphabetically is still avaliable. The alternate roster sorts members by area of interest/expertise. This new feature will allow members working in the same area to find and contact each other with greater ease.

Comments, suggestions, and changes are always welcome. To contact us, leave comments on the blog or e-mail us at injprevnetwork.dph@sfdph.org

Webcast: Innovative Approaches to Fall Prevention

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and State and Territorial Injury Prevention Directors Association (STIPDA) presents Innovative Approaches to Fall Prevention at 10:30-12:00 PST. on January 17, 2007.

Participation in the event is free but registration is required. It will highlight innovative and effective falls prevention initiatives. Using examples from local and state health departments, this webcast intends to examine the burden and costs associated with falls and will describe the ways that federal, state and local health agencies and others have effectively implemented falls prevention programs or partnered with others to do so.

To register, click here.

New Safety Laws for 2007

Beginning January 1, 2007, new safety laws come into effect. Many of the new laws call for greater regulation and greater penalties for many traffic safety concerns. Listed below are some of the new laws:

1) Driving with passengers in the trunk of the car ("Trunking") is now illegal. Both the driver and the “trunkee” will receive fines and the driver will also receive one point on his/her driving record.

2) AB 2190 makes reckless driving and street racing that results in great bodily injury a felony offense for first-time violators. Previously, only those with a prior conviction for this offense could be charged with a felony.

3) Increased penalties for underage drinking and driving. The new law makes it a criminal offense instead of a civil penalty for drivers under 21 with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.01 percent or more.

4) The enactment of Mature Drivers Courses. These courses are designed for older drivers to keep them driving safer for longer through educating them on the new laws, changing technology, and using proper driving techniques.

5) Homeowners planning on putting in a new pool or remodeling one will be required to install one of seven approved drowning prevention features, such as a pool cover, to cut down on the incidence of accidental toddler drownings. (KSEE-TV, Jan 2007)

To read more traffic safety laws for 2007 from AAA, click here.

To read about more changes in traffic laws including vehicle registration, DMV records, etc. from the DMV, Click here

Traffic Deaths

Approximately 44,000 people die in auto accidents per year, yet leaders and politicians are not taking notice. There is no public outcry, no strict legislation on vehicles, and no regulation. Every year, disasters and war make up the top stories of the night but no one bothers to see the tragedy on our own roadways. In an article in the Washington Post, Peter J. Woolley puts the death toll caused by auto accidents in perspective. He urges the government and leaders to make traffic accidents a priority. Here are some excerpts:

-In any five-year period, the total number of traffic deaths in the United States equals or exceeds the number of people who died in the horrific South Asian tsunami in December 2004. U.S. traffic deaths amount to the equivalent of two tsunamis every 10 years.

-According to the National Safety Council, your chance of dying in an automobile crash is one in 84 over your lifetime. But your chances of winning the Mega Millions lottery are just one in 175 million.

To read the full article, click here

Keep in mind that these figures only include traffic fatalities but do not include non-traffic accidents such as children being left in a vehicle, children being struck by vechicles backing up, or incidents involving power windows. For more information on non-traffic accidents, please visit the kids and cars website.