Documentary of Interest: Africa's Daughters

Africa's Daughters is a short 25 minute documentary that takes a look at two young women from Uganda whose families have struggled to ensure that these students finish high school. The fact that they have been able to continue their education in a culture that doesn't value the education of girls is something to take note of.

This documentary may be of interest to those who are interested in learning more about the educational realities that young women face in some parts of Africa.

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles of interest published within the last 7-10 days:

Health
1. Why Americans aren't living longer, CNN.com, January 27, 2011
Brief Intro:"A new report from the National Research Council finds that Americans fall short on life expectancy compared with other high-income countries because of two vices – smoking and obesity."

2. CDC: Almost 26 million Americans have diabetes, CNN.com, January 26, 2011
Brief Intro:"Almost 26 million Americans older than age 20 have diabetes and more than a quarter or 7 million do not know they have the disease, according to estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday."

3. Financial rewards for a doctor's care, NYT.com, January 26, 2011
Brief Intro:"In their efforts to improve the quality of medical care, policy makers here and abroad have focused on ways of providing financial incentives to doctors that reward them when they provide better care.

But a new study published in Tuesday’s BMJ, the online version of the old British Medical Journal, casts serious doubt on whether pay-for-performance programs are an effective way of improving the quality of care."

Education
1. Pennsylvania school experiments with 'segregation', CNN.com, January 27, 2011
Brief Intro:"A Pennsylvania high school says some students are separated by race, gender and language for a few minutes each day in an effort to boost academic scores, raising controversy over the historically contentious issue of segregation in schools."

Clinton announces agreement for healthier lunches

A recent article in the Washington Post tells of an agreement announcement from former President Bill Clinton concerning leading food manufacturers and the push for healthier school lunch options. Seven companies have agreed to increase the sale of foods that meet science-based nutrition standards by 50% within five years. In addition, the manufacturers have agreed to set prices for healthy food options no higher than for those that are unhealthy.

WHO recommends food marketing curbs for child obesity

A recent Reuters article discusses the recent recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) that encourage governments to work with industry to restrict child focused advertising of foods high in salt, sugar and fat in order to tackle the epidemic of obesity and other related diseases. According to Dr. Armstrong who heads the WHO's efforts on promoting healthy diet and physical education, non-communicable diseases now account for 90% of premature deaths in low and middle-income countries, where obesity is a rising problem.

U.S. to send more insurance exchange money to states

According to a Reuters article, the federal government has made grant money available to U.S. states that are seeking to open marketplaces for health insurance. Through these exchanges, individuals, families and small businesses will be able to buy affordable health insurance with insurance companies competing for business by lowering their premium charges. The law requires that these exchanges be set up by 2014.

Ariz. governor signs bill seeking Medicaid waiver

According to a recent article on MSNBC, Arizona governor Jan Brewer has signed an emergency bill allowing the state to seek a federal waiver to temporarily remove nearly 300,000 people from its Medicaid roles in the first such request by a state. If the waiver is granted by the federal government, the state expects to save $541.5 million.

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published within the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health/Vulnerable Populations
1. Distrust of health system keeps black males from getting care, Business Week/Health Day, January 14, 2011
Brief Intro:"It's not because they want to appear tough or self-reliant that black men delay going to the doctor; it's because they don't trust the health-care system, researchers at the University of North Carolina report."

2. Walmart pledges to makes food healthier, more affordable, CNN.com, January 20, 2011
Brief Intro:"The largest grocery chain in the country has announced an extensive five-year plan to make its food healthier and more affordable. Walmart, which serves roughly 140 million consumers a week, announced the initiative as a collaboration between its corporation and first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign.

3. Doctor fills health-care gap for homeless women, CNN.com, January 20, 2011
Brief Intro:"Means started her nonprofit -- Women of Means -- after working for seven years with the city's established homeless health care programs. She found that, despite all of the quality medical resources for the homeless population, few women were actually using the services."


Education
1. In Florida, virtual classrooms with no teachers, NYT.com, January 17, 2011
Brief Intro:"Naomi is one of over 7,000 students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools enrolled in a program in which core subjects are taken using computers in a classroom with no teacher. A “facilitator” is in the room to make sure students progress. That person also deals with any technical problems.

These virtual classrooms, called e-learning labs, were put in place last August as a result of Florida’s Class Size Reduction Amendment, passed in 2002. The amendment limits the number of students allowed in classrooms, but not in virtual labs. "

2. Teacher training taught by students, NYT.com, January 14, 2011
Brief Intro:"The idea of using students to help teachers sharpen their skills came from the National Urban Alliance’s trainers, who, while working with Newark’s teachers, observed how easily students on the playground seemed to teach one another the latest dances or games. "