National Public Health Week tells communities to ‘start here’: APHA organizes national observance
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* Michele Late

From health reform to new technology, the nation’s health system is undergoing tremendous change. During this year’s celebration of National Public Health Week, public health advocates nationwide led the way to show Americans how to navigate that new system.

Observed April 7-13, National Public Health Week 2014 focused on “Public Health: Start Here.” Hundreds of health departments, universities, organizations, community groups and others held events during the week, including more than 260 that signed on as official partners. Advocates held a range of events, including health fairs, town halls, award ceremonies and educational activities, inspiring action and rallying their communities.

Organized by APHA, National Public Health Week draws attention to the important role public health plays in the health of the nation. In addition to this year’s overall theme, each weekday of the observance had its own focus, raising awareness of child health, disaster preparedness, prevention, food safety and other important topics. Friday, April 7, was also Public Health Student Day, which both engaged and thanked student health advocates.

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The Alliance Center for Independence in Edison, N.J., observes National Public Health Week with a Walk & Roll event.

Photo courtesy Brian Mazzarella

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[Figure2](http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/44/5/1.3/F2)

Students at Loma Linda University in California share the message of healthy eating.

Photo courtesy Ahmed Abdrabalnabi

“National Public Health Week plays an important role in galvanizing communities across the country to demonstrate the considerable impact public health programs and services have on protecting and improving the health and well-being of all Americans,” said Georges Benjamin, MD, APHA’s executive director.

Leaders around the nation acknowledged the importance of public health during the week, including President Barack Obama, who issued a message noting that “all Americans deserve the chance to lead a healthy life and achieve their full potential.”

“Public health measures play a critical role in keeping us safe in the places we live, work and come together, and in improving health outcomes in our communities,” Obama said in his message to APHA.

Congressional leaders also recognized National Public Health Week and the importance of a robust public health system in improving the health of the nation. U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., introduced resolutions in Congress in April in support of the week. The Senate adopted its version of the resolution April 7.

“Promoting public health and preventing disease makes an enormous difference in our communities and for our nation,” Udall said.

Federal health officials also spoke out about National Public Health Week, with Howard Koh, MD, MPH, assistant secretary for health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, issuing a statement noting that the week provides “an opportunity to recognize not only the important work of public health workers in communities across our country, but also the role every citizen plays in the effort to ‘be healthy from the start.’”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention helped raise awareness during National Public Health Week through its Public Health Nerd graphics series. The series, which is shared online via social media tools, uses “nerdiness” and health facts to educate and engage followers. For National Public Health Week, the campaign released a new graphic each weekday, highlighting issues such as breastfeeding, disasters and food safety.

APHA members chimed in by sending hundreds of messages to Congress in support of public health funding during National Public Health Week. An action alert created by the Association drew attention to the importance of funding for health agencies so they can “support a strong public health system to promote health, respond to everyday health threats and unexpected public health emergencies and ensure that all individuals have access to the health care and preventive services they need.”

Without adequate funding for public health, “the net effect will be more death and disability and higher long-term economic and social costs,” the alert said. Advocates can send their own messages of support to Congress by visiting [www.apha.org/advocacy](http://www.apha.org/advocacy).

## Webinars, forums, Twitter chat a success

APHA led the way in celebrating National Public Health Week at the national level, facilitating webinars, discussions, social media events and more.

APHA kicked off National Public Health Week 2014 on April 7 with a Washington, D.C., forum on “Creating the Healthiest Nation Through System Transformation.” The forum, which was broadcast live online, featured a discussion on how the public health community can work in tandem with partners to champion health for all and implement strategies to reduce health disparities.

Among those disparities is the fact that Americans live shorter lives and have more illnesses than residents of other high-income countries, noted panelist Steven Woolf, MD, MPH, who was an editor of a 2013 report on the topic from National Academies Press. Although the U.S. is among the wealthiest nations in the world, even well-off Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in peer countries, the report found.

“How many parents in America know that a child is more likely to die before age 5 if it’s an American child than if it’s a child born in other high-income countries, that babies are less likely to reach their first birthday?” asked Woolf, who is director of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Human Needs and an APHA member.

Other panelists included HHS’ Koh and APHA member Brian Castrucci, MA, chief program and strategy officer at the de Beaumont Foundation. Castrucci encouraged participants to make a personal commitment to health.

Public health leaders also engaged in National Public Health Week during APHA’s Twitter chat. About 1,100 people sent more than 5,300 tweets during the one-hour chat, which used the #NPHWchat hashtag. A transcript of the chat can be read online at [http://bit.ly/NPHWChat14](http://bit.ly/NPHWChat14).

Social media also took center stage in an April 11 discussion on active transportation. APHA hosted its first Google+ Hangout on Air. The event showcased healthy transportation advocates, including acting U.S. Surgeon General Boris Lushniak, MD, MPH, who noted that a report on walking will be released in upcoming months by the surgeon general’s office.

“The reality is walking is a simple form of physical exercise that has enormous long-term health benefits,” Lushniak said. “Walking is the most common form of physical activity, and yet we still know that based upon statistics, less than half of all U.S. adults meet physical activity guidelines.”

National leaders were also prominent during a National Public Health Week “tele-town hall” on air pollution and chronic disease moderated by APHA’s Benjamin. The April 9 town hall, which participants could take part in via phone, featured HHS’ Koh and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy.

While the Clean Air Act has driven significant progress on reducing air pollution from sources such as motor vehicles and power plants, challenges remain in addressing the human health impacts of air pollution, including carbon pollution from power plants and climate change, they said.

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Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy speaks at a town hall on air pollution on April 9. The town hall, which was broadcast live online, focused on the human health impacts of air pollution, including carbon pollution from power plants, and climate change.

Photo by Don Hoppert, courtesy APHA

“We are doing a lot of great work together, but the caveat is our work is not done yet,” McCarthy said. “That means we have public health protections that we need to continue with.”

APHA also used webinars to share information during National Public Health Week. One of the top draws was a webinar focused on Healthy People 2020’s Leading Health Indicators. The webinar discussed progress on the indicators and served as a tie-in to the release of a new report on the topic.

Another popular National Public Health Week webinar served as the kick-off to a new four-part APHA series on food, justice and health equity.

APHA’s member groups also held their own webinars. The Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Section held a webinar on creating the healthiest nation in a generation; the Genomics Forum held a webinar on cancer and cardiovascular syndromes with the Genetic Alliance; the Maternal and Child Health Section held a webinar on stress and infant birthweight; and the Oral Health Section held a webinar on oral health during pregnancy. In addition, the Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section partnered with the Community Health Planning and Policy Development Section and the California-North Public Health Association for a webinar on communicating health issues with Hispanic communities.

Other events APHA was part of during National Public Health Week included:

*   a panel presentation on the importance of prescription drug overdose prevention at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta. APHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control hosted the event, which was also broadcast live online.

*   a “faceoff” contest in which National Public Health Week events were pitted head-to-head on Facebook and users voted for their favorite. Each weekday had its own winner, with an April 8 presentation at State University of New York-Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y., on preventing and managing chronic disease garnering the most votes overall.

*   a contest in which National Public Health Week participants were asked to share details of how they promoted their events. Results will be in a future issue.

National Public Health Week 2015 will be held April 6-12. The theme will be announced during APHA’s 142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition in November in New Orleans.

Videos of both the April 7 forum and the Google+ Hangout can be viewed on APHA’s YouTube page at [www.youtube.com/aphadc](http://www.youtube.com/aphadc). For more information on National Public Health Week, visit [www.nphw.org](http://www.nphw.org) or email nphw{at}apha.org.

*   Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association