HISPANIC HEALTH: Prevention Guides Available in Spanish
As part of its "Put Prevention into Practice" national campaign, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research last week issued two pocket-sized Spanish-language guides containing recommendations for the detection and prevention of various medical conditions. The "Child Health Guide" contains information about children's exams and provides a timetable to remind parents when children should be scheduled for certain tests and immunizations. The "Personal Health Guide" has information about blood pressure, cholesterol, immunizations, tests for detecting cancers, dental care, nutrition, HIV/AIDS and physical activities. AHCPR Administrator Dr. John Eisenberg called on health care providers, "insurers, employers and [those] interested in preventing avoidable illnesses to make these guides available to their Spanish-speaking patients, clients or employees." AHCPR hopes to boost the number of Hispanic women who use prenatal care to 90% by 2000, even though the figure hovered at 70% in 1995. AHCPR officials also hope the guides will prompt more Hispanics over age 65 to receive pneumonia and influenza shots -- only 38% of Hispanic seniors have received the shots, well below the year 2000 goal of 60%. Copies of both guidebooks, in either English or Spanish, can be obtained by calling 1-800/358-9295 or by visiting AHCPR's website, at http://www.ahcpr.gov/ppip/ (AHCPR release, 3/1).
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