May is Physical Fitness & Sports Month
Regular physical activity is good for everyone’s health and everyone can find a way to get moving no matter your age or shape! Adults need 2.5 hours a week of physical activity, and children need 60 minutes a day.
To learn more about the simple things you can do to stay healthy, visit the Health Promotion page.
Becoming active is a lifestyle change! Check out the Health Department’s Twitter and Facebook page.
Healthy and Safe Swimming Week is May 21-29
Healthy and Safe Swimming Week focuses on simple steps swimmers and parents of young swimmers can take to help ensure healthy and safe swimming experiences for everyone.
Staying Healthy in the Water:
Here are some tips swimmers should take to help protect themselves, their friends, and their family, this summer and year round.
- Don’t swim or let your kids swim when sick with diarrhea.
- Don’t swallow the water.
- Take kids on bathroom breaks every 60 minutes.
- Check diapers every 30–60 minutes and change them in a bathroom or diaper-changing area–not waterside–to keep germs away from the water.
- Shower before you get in the water. Rinsing off in the shower for just 1 minute helps get rid of most stuff that might be on swimmer’s body.
For more information about healthy and safe water, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Healthy and Safe Swimming Week webpage
While you're outside in the water, remember to "Protect All the Skin You're In"
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. The most preventable cause of skin cancer is overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, either from the sun or from artificial sources like tanning beds.
To lower your skin cancer risk, protrect your skin from the sun and indoor tanning by:
- Stay in the shade, especially during late morning through mid-afternoon.
- Wear clothing that covers your arms and legs.
- Wear sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays.
- Use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher and both UVA and UVB (broad spectrum) protection.
- Avoid indoor tanning.
For more information about being safe in the sun, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's webpage at www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin
Howard County Health Department is Accepting Submissions for a Teen STD Awareness Video Contest
We're looking for Howard County students in grades 8-12 interested in creating a video that focuses on STI (sexually transmitted infection)
prevention, promotes STI screening and increases awareness among teens in Howard County.
Videos should be:
Student directed, produced and edited
30-90 seconds long
Appropriate for family viewing
In order to enter, teens should:
Upload the video to their own YouTube Channel
Complete an electronic contest submission form at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HCHD_STD_Contest18
Top 3 videos win a $100.00 Amazon Gift Card!
Contest Deadline is May 31, 2018.
Featured Video
Howard County native, David Nix, talks about his experience with substance misuse.