The most recent findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicate decreases in the use of commercial tobacco products overall, combustible tobacco products, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and two or more tobacco products among U.S. adults from 2019 to 2020. Despite these decreases, however, nearly one in five…
Read More »The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) this week released its annual report entitled, “Ready or Not 2022: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism,” evaluating states’ performance on 10 key emergency preparedness indicators and identifying gaps in states’ readiness to respond to emergencies. The report calls for urgent investment to create a public…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) this week, finding that approximately 2.55 million U.S. middle and high school students report current (past 30-day) use of a tobacco product in 2021. The NYTS was conducted among U.S. middle and high school students…
Read More »The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently released a report, “Premium Cigars: Patterns of Use, Marketing, and Health Effects.” The report found that overall cigar consumption has increased every year since the late 1990s, with a total increase of 145 percent from 1998 to 2020. The report details 13 findings, 24 conclusions, and…
Read More »The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) recently issued a report examining the demographic trends of who remains unvaccinated against COVID-19 throughout the state. In PPIC’s February statewide survey, more than eight in 10 California adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine with three in four receiving either both doses of…
Read More »The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) this week published a brief assessing various January Budget proposals from the Newsom Administration related to improving health care access and affordability in California. The LAO details opportunities for the Legislature to improve affordability of health plans purchased through Covered California, as well as key access and affordability challenges that…
Read More »A survey from the University of California, Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies examined a range of issues related to how K-12 schools are handling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The poll was administered online in early February among 8,937 California registered voters. The poll’s primary findings include: Overwhelming support among the state’s voters for adding COVID-19…
Read More »The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released two new reports in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) that provide important insights on the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first report assessed pediatric emergency department visits, finding that overall pediatric emergency department visits decreased…
Read More »The California Budget & Policy Center this week released a brief on the demographics of homelessness in California. The report highlights the various and complex reasons individuals experience homelessness, as well as the importance of tailoring interventions to different types and scales to support unhoused residents statewide. The report’s primary findings include: Homelessness in California…
Read More »A new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) found that since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage provisions beginning in 2010, the uninsured rate among Black Americans under age 65 decreased from 20 percent in 2011 (approximately…
Read More »