According to data from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, more than three million middle and high school students currently use tobacco products. The report showed that in 2022,, more than one in 10 middle and high school students had used a tobacco product during the past 30 days. E-cigarettes were the most common form of tobacco used. Among current youth e-cigarette users, more than one in four use e-cigarettes daily and 85 percent use flavored e-cigarettes.

Youth use of tobacco products, in any form, including e-cigarettes is unsafe. These products contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm the developing brain. Nicotine use can also affect teens’ mental health. When a teen is dependent on, or addicted to, nicotine and stops using it, their body and brain have to get used to not having nicotine, this is known as nicotine withdrawal. Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal can include irritability, restlessness, feeling anxious or depressed, trouble sleeping, problems concentrating and craving nicotine. The symptoms can lead teens to continue use tobacco products containing nicotine to relieve these symptoms. However, quitting e-cigarettes can improve mental health by decreasing anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms, and increasing a positive mood.

Aside from the addictive qualities of nicotine, e-cigarettes come with other risks to teens. Because of how new e-cigarettes are, scientists and researchers are still learning about the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes. Some of the ingredients in e-cigarette aerosol could also be harmful to the lungs in the long term. Defective e-cigarette batteries have also caused some fires and explosions; a few have caused serious injuries.

To combat the increase of consumption of tobacco products in teens, we can educate them early about the harmful effects of tobacco. It’s also important to remember that no matter how it’s delivered, nicotine is addictive and harmful.

For additional resources, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) resource page on smoking and tobacco use.

According to the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, high school students’ rates of physical activity is decreasing. The same is true for daily consumption of fruits, vegetables and breakfast. Healthy eating and physical activity in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development and in the prevention of chronic health conditions.

For adolescents, adequate physical activity plays a significant role in their health and well-being. By participating in the recommended 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity high school students’:

• Boost academic performance by improving attention and memory
• Reduce risk of several preventable chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity
• Regulate body weight and reduce body fat
• Reduce risk of depression

Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development. It also assists in the prevention of chronic health conditions. It’s important for teens to make choices from all food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy, every day. For adolescents healthy eating can:

• Help achieve and maintain healthy weight
• Support brain development
• Support healthy growth
• Boost immunity
• Improving mental health

Schools, communities, and families can work together to create supportive environments where adolescents can learn about and practice making healthy choices. Some examples are:

• Providing physical education and access to team sports
• Increasing access to healthy food and drink options
• Promoting opportunities for physical activity within the community

For more ways to boost your teen’s physical activity goal, check out the CDC’s Active People, Healthy Nation strategy.

For resources on improving your teen’s diet, check out the FDA’s My Plate resources.

In late 2022, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank opened an on-site pantry where eligible residents can shop for grocery items at no cost.

The Market is at the Food Bank’s headquarters in Duquesne at 1 North Linden Street.

Available items include canned goods, produce, freezer items, eggs, and meat. Residents can order ahead and shop online at the OrderAhead site.

Want to know who is eligible? Visit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s website.

The Market is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m., as well as Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon.

Pittsburgh Langley Holds Walk to School Day Event

The 26^th Annual National Walk to School Day was held on October 6 at Pittsburgh Langley K-8.

National Walk to School Day promotes safe, active transportation. Active transportation is a way of getting around that is powered by human energy, specifically walking and biking. Along with providing a safe space for children and their families to walk to school, the day is about partnering with local law enforcement to draw attention to road safety. This includes speed restrictions near school routes and restructuring carpool line traffic flows to reduce conflicts with walking students, among other safety improvements.

The event was organized by Safe Kids Allegheny, a local coalition of Safe Kids Worldwide led by UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. The Allegheny County Health Department Injury Prevention Program are members and participate in Safe Kids activities as well. Safe Kids Allegheny Coalition members include state, local and college police officers. This is the 10^th year that the Injury Prevention program has participated in the event.

On the day of the event, Safe Kids Allegheny worked with community partners and the Pitt Police Community Programs Unit. Volunteers were stationed at strategic positions where it was safest for students and their guardians to walk. They also walked with students and observed their behavior. The goal of the day was to ensure a safe crossing experience within the designated crossing areas and to avoid any no cross areas.

Visit the Safe Kids Allegheny County website for more information.

It’s a great time to freshen up on food safety practices and educate yourself about preventing food poisoning.

Each year, about 1 in 6 Americans get a foodborne illness. While only a small percentage of these illnesses are the result of identified foodborne outbreaks (two or more similar illnesses result from eating the same food), most could be avoided with increased attention to safe food handling.

Consumers play an important role in food safety and preventing food poisoning. When preparing and handling food, keep these four steps in mind to help prevent foodborne illness:

• Clean: Wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces often when you cook
• Separate: Raw meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, and eggs can spread germs. Separate them from cooked food and fresh produce.
• Cook: Use a food thermometer to make sure food is cooked to an internal temperature that kills germs.
• Chill: Refrigerate perishable foods: (food likely to spoil or go bad quickly) and leftovers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the food is exposed to temperatures above 90°F (like might happen in a hot car or at a summer picnic)

While anyone can get sick from food poisoning, these tips are particularly important for those who are more likely to respond with a serious illness, including:

• Adults 65 or older
• Children younger than 5
• People with weakened immune systems
• Pregnant people

The Health Department also has an important role in preventing illness from food. Its Food Safety Program permits and inspects approximately 8,500 permanent food operations across the county. These include restaurants, retail markets, food processing facilities, caterers, warehouses, mobile vendors, festivals, farmers markets, school cafeterias and nursing homes.

Food Safety protects public health by ensuring that food operations are storing, handling, and preparing food safely. This is done through:

• Conducting inspections
• Investigating complaints
• Responding to emergency conditions
• Offering training and testing to become a Certified Food Protection Manager
• Providing plan review services to people wanting to open a food facility
• Responding to questions

For more information about food safety and preventing foodborne illnesses, sign up for our November Live Well Speaker Series on Tuesday, November 15 from 10-11 a.m. on Microsoft Teams.

A member of the ACHD Food Safety Program will present tips for the holidays and provide a sneak peak of the Allegheny County’s Food Safety Rules and Regulations (Article III) updates.  Sign up for the November Speaker Series.

Allegheny County held its annual Health and Safety Fair on Wednesday, July 20, in the Courthouse courtyard in Pittsburgh. The fair is held to promote health and safety for county employees and is a good way to connect individuals with various county services.

Programs in attendance from the Health Department included the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Vector Control, STD/HIV Prevention and Overdose Prevention. Each program provided resources to help promote their individual programs and better the health and well-being of attendees. Attendees were given tick kits from Vector Control, Narcan from the Overdose Prevention, condoms from STD/HIV Prevention, education about car seat safety from Injury Prevention and healthy eating tips with MyPlate giveaways from the Chronic Disease Program.

Many seniors experience a fear of falling. People who develop this fear often limit their activities, which can result in physical weakness, making the risk of falling even greater. The Allegheny County Health Department’s (ACHD) Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention program is implementing an evidence-based program called A Matter of Balance (MOB) for seniors. The program is designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels.

Since the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on senior living facilities, the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Program facilitated its first MOB class last May at the Bennett Place Living Community.

The class consisted of 10 seniors from both the Bennett Place Living Community and the surrounding Homewood neighborhood. The class also utilized students in both the Occupational Therapy doctoral program and the Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling master’s program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. The students assisted with the facilitation of the class and interacted with the seniors.

The participants learned:

• Falls are controllable
• Physical activity is attainable for all ages
• How to make changes to reduce fall risk at home
• Exercises to increase strength and balance

The seniors enjoyed the class and their interactions with the students. We hope to hold another similar class in fall 2022. For more information on the A Matter of Balance program, view the informational video here.

A Collaborative Community Conversation for the African American Community

In honor of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pittsburgh Chapter partnered with AARP for a summit that addressed how Alzheimer’s and other dementia impacts the Black community and ways to address it in the area. The event was held on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 at the Hosanna House. The Allegheny County Health Department attended this event to show support for the community and to provide resources to those in attendance.

According to the 2022 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report, non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic American seniors are more likely than their white counterparts to have Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Research hasn’t identified the cause but higher rates of cardiovascular, heart and blood vessels, disease may play a role. Some studies indicate that after correcting for overall health and socioeconomic status, these differences disappear. During the month of June, Alzheimer’s and Brain Health Awareness Month the Alzheimer’s Association wants to amplify the message that this is not just an aging issue, but a lifespan one that should be addressed in the way we address other chronic diseases. Alzheimer’s is a public health crisis that takes a physical, emotional, and financial toll, and as with any such crisis, there are potential ways to intervene and implement public health best practices to improve lives.

Only 20 percent of Black Americans say they have no barriers to excellent care and support for Alzheimer’s or other dementias. The summit on included experts speaking about different facets of the disease, as well as caregivers sharing firsthand experiences.

“This summit showed the importance of healthy aging and preventing chronic diseases in relation to preventing Alzheimer’s and dementia,” said Dr. Debra Bogen who attended the event. “The Alzheimer’s Association is an active Live Well Allegheny Community Partner and they provide valuable resources and information to help all Allegheny County residents live long and healthy lives.”

If you are interested in learning how to volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association, please connect to Sara Murphy by emailing smurphy@alz.org.

For more information about Alzheimer’s and all other dementia – visit the Alzheimer’s Association website or call the 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900.