Building Back Better: Toward a disability-inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post COVID-19 world

"Some people with disabilities have severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19 due to underlying medical conditions, if they live in a group setting, or because of systemic health and social inequities. CDC recommends that all people age 5 and older receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Adults with disabilities are less likely to report hesitancy about getting vaccinated; yet, are more likely to report experiencing difficulties obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine than adults without a disability. It is critical to ensure that people with disabilities are able to access COVID-19 vaccines to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilitiesexternal icon. In the United States, 1 in 4 adults has a disability.¹ Many people will experience a disability at some point during their lives. Disabilities may include difficulty with walking or climbing stairs; hearing; seeing; or concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.

Although the term “people with disabilities” sometimes refers to a single population, this is a diverse group of people with a wide range of needs and abilities. Two people with the same type of disability can be affected in very different ways. Some disabilities may be hidden or not easy to see.

Many Adults with Disabilities Report Difficulty Getting Vaccinated

A recent CDC study found that adults with disabilities were more likely than adults without a disability to report difficulty getting vaccinated against COVID-19.² Among unvaccinated adults, those with a disability were more likely than were those without a disability to report challenges such as:

• Getting an appointment online,
• Not knowing where to get vaccinated,
• Getting to vaccination sites, and
• Vaccination sites not being open at convenient times²

Health disparities are differences (also known as disparities) in health and access to services. Addressing these barriers to COVID-19 vaccination for people with disabilities can help reduce health disparities, increase COVID-19 vaccination demand, and increase the number of people with disabilities who get the COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 Materials for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Care Providers

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face unique challenges and are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, parents, family members, and caregivers have been working hard to help the people they care for stay healthy and safe during this difficult time.

• COVID-19 Materials for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Care Providers. COVID-19 is challenging to explain, live through, and communicate about. CDC created the materials on this page in English and in Spanish to help make communicating about COVID-19 a little easier. 
• Talking About COVID-19: Tips for Parents, Family Members, and Caregiversexternal icon. The aim of these materials is to help caregivers talk with their loved ones with IDD about what to expect when getting a COVID-19 vaccine or test and how to stay safe if they are not fully vaccinated.
• Strategies for Reaching People with Limited Access to COVID-19 Vaccines.  Practices that can help reach populations who might need help accessing COVID-19 vaccination.
• Guidance for Direct Service Providers. What do care providers for people with disabilities need to know about COVID-19?
• COVID-19 Vaccine Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL)external icon. DIAL is now available to help people with disabilities, including deaf persons, get vaccinated. The DIAL’s trained staff is standing by to help with COVID-19 vaccinations for people with disabilities..."
  Disability and health 

U.S. Surgeon General Issues Advisory During COVID-19 Vaccination Push Warning American Public About Threat of Health Misinformation

"U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is issuing the first Surgeon General's Advisory of this Administration to warn the American public about the urgent threat of health misinformation. Health misinformation, including disinformation, have threatened the U.S. response to COVID-19 and continue to prevent Americans from getting vaccinated, prolonging the pandemic and putting lives at risk, and the advisory encourages technology and social media companies to take more responsibility to stop online spread of health misinformation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have been exposed to a wide range of misinformation about masks and social distancing, treatments, and vaccines. As of late May, 67% of unvaccinated adults  had heard at least one COVID-19 vaccine myth and either believed it to be true or were not sure of its veracity. Health misinformation has already caused significant harm , dividing families and communities and undermining vaccination efforts. An analysis of millions of social media posts  found that false news stories were 70 percent more likely to be shared than true stories. And a recent study  showed that even brief exposure to misinformation made people less likely to want a COVID-19 vaccine.

"Health misinformation is an urgent threat to public health. It can cause confusion, sow mistrust, and undermine public health efforts, including our ongoing work to end the COVID-19 pandemic," said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. "As Surgeon General, my job is to help people stay safe and healthy, and without limiting the spread of health misinformation, American lives are at risk. From the tech and social media companies who must do more to address the spread on their platforms, to all of us identifying and avoiding sharing misinformation, tackling this challenge will require an all-of-society approach, but it is critical for the long-term health of our nation."

Health misinformation is information that is false, inaccurate, or misleading according to the best available evidence. It is not a recent phenomenon, and persistent rumors about HIV/AIDS for decades have undermined efforts to reduce infection rates in the U.S. During the Ebola epidemic, misinformation spread rapidly on social media. A 2014 study - PDF  found that Ebola-related tweets that contained misinformation were more likely to be politically charged and have content promoting discord.

This advisory lays out how the nation can confront health misinformation by helping individuals, families, and communities better identify and limit its spread, and issues a number of ways institutions in education, media, medicine, research, and government stakeholders can approach this issue. It also underscores the urgent need for technology and social media companies to address the way misinformation and disinformation spread on their platforms, threatening people's health..."
Health Misinformation 

Give Your Kids a Healthy and Active Summer

"Parents play a powerful role in helping their children prepare mentally, physically, and emotionally for the upcoming school year. Here are some ways you can give your child a healthy and active summer through activities that help them be safe, healthy, engaged, supported, and challenged.

Keep Your Children Safe This Summer

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Physical Activity

• Water activities, like swimming and canoeing, are a fun way to stay cool. Check out these tips to enjoy the water safely.

Nutrition

• Want to try a new recipe? Be safe while doing so! Teach your child the basics of food safety and handwashing.

Social Emotional Learning

• Social and emotional learning starts at home. Check out a video and other resourcesexternal icon to learn more.

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Keep Your Children Healthy This Summer

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Physical Activity

• Help your kids and teens get 60 minutes of physical activityexternal icon every day! Check for free or low-cost sports camps at their school or the local rec center — or get active by walking, biking, or roller skating as a family during your summer vacation.

Nutrition

• Getting enough water every day is important for your child’s health. Help your child choose water over sugary drinks.

Social Emotional Learning

• Dancing to music from other countries and languages can strengthen the ability to empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Try dancing, for example, to hits from around the worldexternal icon or other multicultural music options.

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Keep Your Children Engaged This Summer

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Physical Activity

Planting a garden together can foster teamwork and improve mood.

• Try using this Family Nature Club Toolkitexternal icon to help you plan and share outdoor experiences with like-minded friends and families who are yearning for “more green, less screen.”

Nutrition

• Download the Dining Decisions mobile app on your phone or tablet to help your kids make healthy food choices at home or on the go.

Social Emotional Learning

• Try planting a garden or volunteering at a community garden as a family. This can help foster teamwork and strengthen relationships..."
  Kids Healthy and Active Summer 

National Men’s Health Week

"National Men’s Health Week is observed each year leading up to Father’s Day. This week is a reminder for men to take steps to be healthier, but they don’t have to do it alone! Whether it’s your husband, partner, dad, brother, son, or friend you can help support the health and safety of the men in your life.

Set an Example with Healthy Habits

You can support the men in your life by having healthy habits yourself and by making healthy choices.

• Eat healthy and include a variety of fruits and vegetablesevery day. Fruits and vegetables have many vitamins and minerals that may help protect you from chronic diseases. Limit foods and drinks high in calories, sugar, salt, fat, and alcohol.
• · Regular physical activity has many benefits. It can help control your weight, reduce your risk of heart disease and some cancers, and can improve your mental health and mood. Find fun ways to be active together. Adults need 2½ hours of physical activity each week.
• Set an example by choosing not to smoke and encourage the men in your life to quit smoking. Quitting smoking has immediate and long-term benefits. You lower your risk for different types of cancer, and don’t expose others to secondhand smoke—which causes health problems. Call your state’s tobacco quitline (for English speakers, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW [1-800-784-8669]; for Spanish speakers, call 1-855-DÉJELO-YA [1-855-335-3569])
• Help the men in your life recognize and reduce stress. Physical or emotional tension are often signs of stress. They can be reactions to a situation that causes you to feel threatened or anxious. Learn ways to manage stress including finding support, eating healthy, exercising regularly, and avoiding drugs and alcohol..."
  Men's health

Disability and Health Data at Your Fingertips

"There are important health differences between people with and without disabilities. Do you know what they are in your state? Disability and Health Data System (DHDS)can help you find out.

Disability doesn’t have to equal poor health. However, adults with disabilities are more likely to be obese,¹ smoke,² have high blood pressure³ and be physically inactive.⁴ These are all preventable factors that can increase the risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers,^4-6 which are also more common among adults with disabilities.⁷

CDC created Disability and Health Data System (DHDS) to provide the vital information needed to better understand the health needs of adults with disabilities at the state and national levels. Equipped with these data, state epidemiologists, researchers, policy makers, public health professionals and everyone interested in the health of adults with disabilities can plan for inclusive communities that offer the programs and services needed to improve the health of this population.

DHDS is

• Interactive – An online, easy-to-use data tool that provides state and national level data on approximately 30 health topics for adults with disabilities.
• Customizable – You can explore data by indicator (e.g., health topic) or by location, then customize maps, charts, and tables, making it easy to view information for your state..."
  Disability and health

How Does Sleep Affect Your Heart Health?

"Getting good sleep isn’t just important for your energy levels—it is critical for your heart health, too. Learn how sleep is connected to heart health.

Sleep is not a luxury. It is critical to good health. Sleep helps your body repair itself. Getting enough good sleep also helps you function normally during the day.

How much sleep do I need?

Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep each night.¹ However, more than one in three American adults say they don’t get the recommended amount of sleep.² While this may be fine for a day or two, not getting enough sleep over time can lead to serious health problems—and make certain health problems worse.

What health conditions are linked to a lack of sleep?

Adults who sleep less than 7 hours each night are more likely to say they have had health problems, including heart attack, asthma, and depression.³ Some of these health problems raise the risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. These health problems include:

• High blood pressure. During normal sleep, your blood pressure goes down. Having sleep problems means your blood pressure stays higher for a longer amount of time.⁴ High blood pressure is one of the leading risks for heart disease and stroke. About 75 million Americans—one in three adults—have high blood pressure.⁵
• Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that causes sugar to build up in your blood, a condition that can damage your blood vessels. Some studies show that getting enough good sleep may help people improve blood sugar control.⁶
• Obesity. Lack of sleep can lead to unhealthy weight gain. This is especially true for children and adolescents, who need more sleep than adults. Not getting enough sleep may affect a part of the brain that controls hunger.."
  Sleep and health

Drought and Your Health

"Drought is a natural phenomenon in which rainfall is lower than average for an extended period of time. Periods of drought can result in inadequate water supply and can lead to public health problems. Take action and learn how drought can impact your health and the health of your family.

Overview

Cycles of drought have affected North America for the last 10,000 years. Droughts can last from a single season to many decades and can affect from a few hundred to millions of square miles.

Drought can affect areas or communities differently depending on several additional variables. These variables include:

• the structure and capacity of existing water systems,
• local governance of water use,
• economic development,
• the at-risk populations living within the affected area, and
• other societal factors, such as the presence of local social networks..."
  Drought

Advice for Safe and Healthy Travel for Students

"Planning to study abroad, but don’t know how to start preparing for your trip? Use this guide from CDC Travelers’ Health to help you get ready for safe and healthy travel.

You’ve decided to study abroad. You have your program dates confirmed, and your flight is booked—now what? Spending a semester abroad can be a thrilling and memorable experience. See below for ways to prevent travel-related illnesses or injuries and ensure you enjoy yourself!

Before You Go

• Learn about health and safety concerns in your host country, including other countries you may plan to visit while you’re there.
• Make an appointment with a travel medicine specialist or your health care provider to get needed vaccines and medicines at least a month before you leave.
  • CDC recommends all travelers be up to date on routine vaccines, such as influenza and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). This year there are measles outbreaks in many popular destinations. Make sure you get vaccinated. Don’t go unprotected!
  • Discuss your itinerary with your health care provider to make sure you get any destination-specific vaccines and medicines, such as yellow fever vaccine or medicine to prevent malaria.
  • Get all your routine health checkups, such as seeing your dentist, before you leave, because the quality of dental and medical care may be different in host countries or more expensive than in the United States.
• Pack a travel health kit with your prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines (enough to last your whole trip, plus a little extra), first aid supplies, condoms, and your health insurance card.
  • Make sure your medicines are permitted and properly packaged and stored for travel to your destination. Medicines commonly prescribed in the United States may be prohibited or unavailable in the host country.
  • Pack your medicines in your carry-on luggage. You don’t want to be stuck without them if your suitcase gets lost!
• Monitor travel warnings and alerts at your destination(s) through the US Department of State website.
  • Enroll with the nearest US embassy or consulate through the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to get safety updates and phone numbers in the event of an emergency.
• Prepare for the unexpected.
  • Leave copies of your itinerary, contact information, credit cards, passport, and proof of school enrollment with someone at home, in case you lose them during travel.
  • Find out if your health insurance covers medical care abroad—many plans don’t! Consider buying additional insurance that covers health care and emergency evacuation.
  • Studying abroad may result in culture shock, loneliness, or stress. Discuss coping mechanisms, make a plan for who to contact if issues arise while abroad, and tell your health care provider about any existing mental health issues..."
    Study abroad

10 Reasons to Get Moving Today!

"Sure, you’ve heard that physical activity might help keep the weight off, but are you familiar with the other reasons physical activity is so important? Here’s a look at 10 benefits of physical activity and why you should get moving today!

1. Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes or Diabetes ComplicationsMore than 30 million Americans have diabetes, and another 84 million US adults have a condition called prediabetes, which puts them at risk of type 2 diabetes. Regular physical activity helps prevent type 2 diabetes. If you already have diabetes (type 1 or type 2), you can help control your blood sugar levels by staying active.

2. Better Brain FunctionRegular physical activity can keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp and delay the decline of these skills as you age.

3. More Money in Your Wallet$117 billion – That’s how much our country spends each year in health care costs associated with levels of physical activity that are too low. Not getting enough physical activity can increase your risk of developing a chronic disease, which comes with higher health care costs. Staying active is good for your health and your wallet, too.

4. Lower Risk of Some CancersGetting the recommended amount of physical activity can lower the risk of many cancers.  These include cancers of the bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, lung, and stomach..."
   Health and exercise

A Child’s Health is the Public’s Health

"Preparing for unexpected events is an important part of keeping children safe and healthy all year long. Events like the spread of a serious infection, an explosion, an earthquake, or a weather event, such as a hurricane, may cause health problems for large numbers of people, and especially for children.

Children make up one in four people in the United States and they have special needs during and after emergencies. Although younger children are often more affected than adults during disasters, there are concerns for children of all ages during emergencies because

• Children may not be able to follow directions or make decisions to keep them away from danger during a disaster.
• Children’s bodies use energy quicker than adults’ do, and they need food and water more often. This means that they will absorb poisons or dangerous chemicals faster than adults will.
• Children have thinner skin and breathe faster than adults do, making them more likely to take in harmful substances through the skin or breathe them in.."
  Children's health

Healthy Schools, Successful Students

"Schools, health agencies, parents, and communities share a common goal of supporting the link between healthy eating, physical activity, and improved academic achievement of children and adolescents. Academic achievement includes, academic performance (class grades, standardized tests, and graduation rates), education behavior (attendance, dropout rates, and behavioral problems in schools), and students' cognitive skills and attitudes (concentration, memory, and mood). Evidence shows that the health of students is linked to their success in school, so by working together, we can ensure that young people are healthy and ready to learn..."
Healthy schools

LGB Student Health Risks

"New data published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report offers insight into the health risks of LGB high school students. The report, “Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-related Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9-12—United States and Selected Sites, 2015,” includes the first national estimates of more than 100 health risk behaviors— including sexual risk behaviors; violence; and tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use—that put LGB teens at risk. Findings from the report show that LGB students experience substantially higher levels of physical and sexual violence and bullying than non-LGB students. The report is available on the Healthy Youth Web site..."
LGB student health