NEW ORLEANS - For the first time, each parish in Louisiana has been rated for its overall health. Many factors have been examined in each parish, such as smoking, obesity, binge drinking, access to primary care, high school graduation rates, violent crime, air pollution, liquor store density, unemployment and children living in poverty.
On the top of the list is St. Tammany, the healthiest parish in the state. Jefferson was number 16 and Orleans and St. Bernard came in near the bottom at 59 for Orleans and 62 out of 64 for St. Bernard.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute say the rankings show that people who live in healthier areas tend to have higher education levels, are more See the full report.
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Can exercise during pregnancy change your baby's weight at birth? A new study out of Norway finds that while exercise is good for both the mother and unborn baby, it won't have much of an effect on the baby's birth weight. But the study did confirm previous findings that if a women is heavy, before getting pregnant, she will more likely have a heavier baby and that can be associated with health problems later in life. Researchers say doctors should council women on losing weight during their childbearing years.
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And finally, the Tulane Cancer Center invites you to a free one-hour workshop on liver cancer at 3 o'clock on Friday afternoon at the clinic downtown on South Liberty St. This is for cancer patients and their families to learn more about treatment and coping with stress. To register call 504-988-3068 or e-mail kguillo@tulane.edu
