Public Health Perspectives
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Prostate Cancer
On the final day of Prostate Cancer Awareness month, Public Health Matters would like to share some information on this disease. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in the U.S. and is the second leading cause of cancer death in men based upon information from the American Cancer Society (ACS). The latest…
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Ovarian Cancer: 4 Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore
What is Ovarian Cancer? Ovarian cancer occurs when abnormal cells divide rapidly in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or peritoneum of a woman’s body and is difficult to constrain. There are four types of ovarian cancer, epithelial, germ cell, stromal, and primary peritoneal.7 The type depends on where it begins. Epithelial ovarian cancer starts in the…
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Minority Mental Health: Addressing Stigma, Barriers, and Healing
Mental Health is a vital component to one’s overall health and well-being. Unfortunately, the stigma that often surrounds it prevents many from taking care of their mind’s health. Many fear criticism and discriminatory acts for something as simple as speaking of mental health struggles, let alone seeking care for said conditions. In some communities this…
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National HIV Testing Day: Why Knowing Your Status Matters
Each year on June 27, National HIV Testing Day is observed to encourage people to get tested for HIV so that they will know their status and begin the steps to treatment and care if necessary. The observation began in 1995 and continues decades later to help people live longer and reduce the spread of…
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5 Preventive Screenings Every Man Should Know About
Men are less likely to use preventive healthcare than women according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency found that women had a 69% higher rate of preventive care visits than men. This is important as men experience a shorter life expectancy than women in the US.…
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The Importance of Mental Health for Overall Well-Being
There is no truer statement than “health is wealth.” Health is the foundation of life and good health is advantageous to living a full and vibrant life. Although one can live a full life with poor health, it can hamper one’s ability and create barriers to moving through life effortlessly if there is such a…
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Addressing Black Maternal Deaths: Solutions and Action Steps
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), up to 80% of maternal deaths are preventable in the U.S.3 Yet, women in the U.S. continue to die maternal deaths in grave numbers. The CDC defines a maternal death as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of…
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National Wear Red Day: Understanding Women’s Heart Health
Today is National Wear Red Day, an initiative of the American Heart Association that encourages women to be seen, counted, and heard when it comes to combatting heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer of women, causing one in three deaths yearly.2 Heart disease affects the heart and blood vessels by restricting blood…
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Cervical Cancer: Why Action Matters
Now that we know what to look for to identify potential signs and symptoms of cervical cancer, we can decide what actions are necessary to hopefully prevent cervical cancer, or if necessary, treat it effectively. Awareness opens the door to action in the fight to eliminate cervical cancer. Actions to combat cervical cancer can be…
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Cervical Cancer: What Every Woman Should Know
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer. Yet, that is not enough to keep it from affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of women globally every year. According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer affects around 660,000 women globally, making it the fourth most common cancer in…
