4 of 5 Kentuckians think child obesity is a problem, and more than half favor a statewide smoking ban, poll finds

More than four out of five Kentuckians think too many children are overweight, and more than half want a statewide smoking ban. These are two of key findings of the Kentucky Health Issues Poll, which also asked respondents about prescription drug abuse, depression and access to health care.

Poll findings are available by clicking here. Findings have been broken down by region: Western Kentucky, greater Louisville, greater Lexington area, Northern Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky.

Statewide, the poll found 54 percent of Kentuckians favor a statewide smoking ban, up from 53 percent the year before. In 2010, Kentuckians were split down the middle, 48 percent to 48 percent.

A whopping 84 percent of Kentuckians feel childhood obesity is a problem, which is timely since 33 percent of children, 60 percent of women and 80 percent of men in Kentucky are overweight or obese, "Shaping Kentucky's Future: A Community Guide to Reducing Obesity" reports.

The poll also found more than one in three Kentuckians know someone who has misused prescription drugs; 65 percent of adults dispose of their prescription drugs in an unsafe way; nearly half keep guns in their homes; and 1 in 2 Kentuckians have a family member or friend with a serious problem of depression. Nearly 90 percent of people asked favor providing access to affordable, quality health care for all Americans.

"The Kentucky Health Issues Poll provides an excellent snapshot of how various health related issues are viewed throughout the commonwealth," said Dr. Susan Zepeda, CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which helped fund the poll. "The survey's methodology lets us compare responses and learn about regional differences in Kentucky views about health."

The poll was also funded by The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. It was conducted Sept. 27 to Oct. 27 by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of adults across Kentucky were interviewed, including 1,313 landline interviews and 308 cell-phone interviews.

2 out of 3 Kentuckians disposing of prescription drugs improperly, poll finds

By Tara Kaprowy
Kentucky Health News

At a summit on prescription drug abuse last week, Attorney General Jack Conway spoke of experiences he's had talking to middle schoolers about prescription drugs. When he asks if they know someone who has tried drugs that haven't been prescribed to them, 70 to 80 percent of hands go up. But when asked to keep their hands up if their parents keep their medicine cabinets locked, "all hands go down," Conway said. "This is a problem that is starting in our homes," he said. "It's a culture we have to break."

Not only are most medicine cabinets not locked, they are usually not cleaned out in the proper way, according to the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll. Sixty-five percent of Kentucky adults dispose of prescription drugs by throwing them away (37 percent) or flushing them down the drain (28 percent). Only 6 percent take them to a recycling center and just 4 percent take them to a government or police facility where they can be safety discarded — though those are the two methods of disposal recommended by the Food and Drug Administration.

The drugs that are thrown in the garbage or flushed down the drain eventually reach the water supply, posing potential harm to people and wildlife. In a 2008 inquiry, The Associated Press found trace amounts of antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones in the drinking water of 24 major U.S. metropolitan areas, including Louisville. Though the concentrations were tiny, "the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences of human health," AP reported.

The Health Issues Poll found that nearly 50 percent of respondents aged 18-29 threw unused or expired prescriptions in the trash. That percentage steadily decreases as people get older, with just 23 percent of people 65 and older likewise trashing the drugs, though they were more likely to flush them down the drain (33 percent). Education levels do not seem to be a factor.

The FDA recommends disposal through take-back programs, which offer locations for people to bring unused or expired drugs. The next National Drug Take Back Day will be April 28. On the last Take Back Day, 377,086 pounds of unwanted or expired drugs were turned in. Also, Kentucky has 76 drop boxes in 46 counties (yellow on map; counties with pending sites in blue) where people can dispose of drugs. To find a listing of these drop box locations, click here.

The poll was funded by The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. It was conducted Sept. 27 to Oct. 27 by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of adults across Kentucky were interviewed, including 1,313 landline interviews and 308 cell-phone interviews. For more information about the findings, click here.

Directory listing 2,500 substance-abuse treatment resources in Kentucky released; every county has at least one facility

There are 2,500 resources for substance abuse treatment in Kentucky, with at least one in each county, research at the University of Kentucky has found.

"In addition to the 345 state-certified substance abuse treatment providers listed in the directory, the peer- and faith-based resources it includes can be just as important for getting someone back on the road to recovery," said Van Ingram, executive director of the Kentucky Office for Drug Control Policy.

The 2011 Kentucky Substance Abuse Treatment Provider Directory is available online by clicking here and can also be obtained by sending an e-mail to michael.childress@uky.edu. The directory is the result of a collaborative effort between Foundation for Healthy Kentucky, which funded the project, the University of Kentucky's College of Communications and Information Studies and UK's Center for Business and Economic Research.

Nationwide, 23.5 million Americans 12 and up needed treatment for drugs or alcohol abuse in 2009, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. About 8 percent of 12+ Kentuckians used illicit drugs and 21 percent were binge alcohol drinkers in the past month, SAMHSA reports. On one day in March 2009, there were more than 19,000 people in Kentucky's substance abuse treatment facilities for either drug or alcohol abuse or both, the 2009 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services showed. (Read more)

Sept. 13 forum in Somerset will explore how rural communities can get healthier and get better care at lower cost

"In an era of tight budgets and strained resources, Kentucky and its rural communities can no longer afford 'business as usual' in the delivery of health care services," write Susan Zepeda and Amy Watts of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. "As health care costs increase and health status declines, the question becomes: How can we ensure rural Kentuckians get better health care at lower costs?"

Zepeda, the foundation's president, and Watts, is senior program officer, see "promising opportunities" for rural communities to reshape health care, such as working with local health departments and civic leaders to "create communities that support healthy behaviors" and better integrate the health system, with special attention for the chronically ill.

These and other issues and ideas for rural health are on the agenda of the foundation's ninth annual Howard L. Bost Memorial Health Policy Forum, to be held Tuesday, Sept. 13 at the Center for Rural Development in Somerset. The forum will include state and national leaders. "Rather than wait for solutions from Washington, forum speakers will share strategies Kentucky’s civic leaders can put into place at the local, state and regional levels. Many will share ways that Kentucky is already doing this," Zepeda and Watts write in an op-ed article distributed to Kentucky newspapers.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Len Nichols, who founded and directed Health CEOs for Health Reform, a group that helped policymakers see that reform of health insurance and health-care can be reformed together. Dr. Kavita Patel, a physician and former RAND Corp. researcher now at the Brookings Institution, will bring insights on how to achieve better care and better health at lower costs. Other experts from Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina will share "practical policy strategies for positive health change in these challenging times," and smaller sessions will allow participants to engage with the speakers, Zepeda and Watts write, saying the forum's goal is to "provide accessible, safe and effective health care to nearly half of Kentucky’s citizens who call rural Kentucky home." More information is available on the foundation’s website, http://www.healthy-ky.org/.

Webinar Wednesday will focus on lobbying, advocacy in Health for a Change series

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky will host another webinar this Wednesday as part of its Health for a Change training series. This session will focus on the differences between lobbying and advocacy work done by non-profit organizations. The session will be presented by April Carson, a legislative advisor and counsel at Alliance for Justice.

The free, one-hour webinar starts at 3 p.m. EST. To register, click here.

Another training webinar will be hosted at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24 and will focus on communication with policymakers. It will help listeners learn about the basic rules needed to figure out how public policy is made in state, county and local governments and how to become involved in the policy-making process.

The Health for a Change training series is geared to community health coalitions, agencies, businesses, advocacy organizations and individuals looking to improve skills, create community participation and create health changes at the local level. The sessions run until December. (Read more)