Message Development Posts
How Healthy Is Your County?
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (a Burness client) released the 2012 County Health Rankings. The Rankings highlight the healthiest and least healthy counties in every state, as well as those factors that influence health outside of the doctor’s office
Junk Food Is Widely Available in U.S. Schools—but New Standards Are Coming Soon
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced healthier new standards for school meals. Soon, students will find more fruits, vegetables and whole grains on their cafeteria trays, and these meals will be subject to stricter limits on calories and salt.
SXSW: “Measure of a Society’s Freedom Is Its Tolerance for Satirists”
SXSW Interactive Keynote Speaker Baratunde Thurston, the director of digital at The Onion, reminded a technology-driven crowd that humanity and humor to can help us all achieve greater freedom.
Map Aims to Help Health Officials Take a Bite Out of Lyme Disease
After sizing up more than 5000 ticks, researchers have created a detailed map of the Eastern United States pinpointing where humans are at highest risk of contracting the disease.
Food and Farming at the Heart of Climate Discussion
Last week, a group of 14 international agriculture experts from around the world wrote an opinion piece in Science magazine urging the scientific community to address the importance of agriculture in the climate change debate.
Patients Want Easier Access to Their Doctors’ Notes
Would easier access to doctors’ notes improve patient health? 1 in 5 respondents to a survey in this month’s Annals of Internal Medicine said easier access would likely provoke them to take better care of themselves.
JAMA Commentary Calls on Researchers to Use Stories Strategically
Stories need to be told to make your work memorable. Those advocating without science or evidence behind their positions won’t be afraid to use stories, and this commentary demonstrates that you can use stories to deliver research in ways that aren’t misleading or dishonest.
Bedbugs’ Spread Fueled by Inbreeding, Treatment Resistance
To adapt a phrase, bed bugs don't die, they multiply. A single mated female can spawn many colonies and then mate with her offspring. The offspring can also mate with each other. That is, bed bugs can survive, and even thrive, by inbreeding.
Venomous Snakebites: A Neglected Tropical Disease
At the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), a symposium on snakebites revealed that getting bitten by a snake is a far greater problem than people have been led to believe.
Safe Farming: No More Praying for Rain
Traditional crop insurance relies on farm visits, a proposition which doesn’t add up for small farmers. Kilimo Salama uses creative, low-cost methods, such as weather stations and mobile money transfers, to remotely determine whether weather conditions justify a payout for farmers.
