Prevention Matters

The state of Ohio’s new obesity prevention strategy was named Partnership for Prevention’s Best Prevention Idea of the Week, while recent cuts in the number of health reporters in the U.S. was named the Worst Prevention Idea of the week.

The Best/Worst Idea awards are a regular feature of Prevention Matters, the blog of Partnership for Prevention. Each week, Partnership for Prevention's staff will choose the designees based on nominations of items in the previous week’s news submitted by members, staff and the public at large. To submit a nomination or for more information, contact Damon Thompson at dthompson@prevent.org .


BEST IDEA

Ohio health plan focuses on obesity prevention

The Ohio Department of Health released a statewide obesity prevention plan that places a priority on promoting more access to healthy food and exercise. It also says state officials should focus efforts on preventing more Ohioans from becoming obese, rather than promoting weight-loss among those already seriously overweight.

WORST IDEA

News Organizations Cutting Back on Health Coverage

At a time when public discussion is sorely needed on health reform issues, a new report examining the state of health care journalism showed that many reporters feel they’re sailing into a headwind at their organizations. Forty percent of respondents said the number of health reporters has gone down since they started at their news organization. More than 9 in 10 health journalists said bottom-line pressures in media organizations were hurting the quality of news coverage of health issues. Nearly 40 percent said it was either very likely or somewhat likely that their position will be eliminated in the next three years.

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