Tagged: health

From NPR: In an interview with ABC News, President Obama declared his support for gay marriage. This marks a departure from the president's previous stance, which has repeatedly been described as "evolving."

From the Four Rivers Region:

Hopkinsville’s mayor says he thinks it’s time to join other major Kentucky cities in banning smoking indoors in public bulidings. Mayor Dan Kemp says he’ll introduce his proposal at tomorrow’s city council meeting. He says he wants to give time for people to voice their opposition to the ban, but so far residents’ opinions have been overwhelmingly positive. He says,

“Our health department ran a survey and our chamber of commerce ran a survey of businesses and about 80% of those responding to the surveys thought we needed a smoke-free law in Hopkinsville.”

A proposal to crack down on the tattooing of minors is headed for a vote on the Tennessee House floor.  The measure sponsored by Democratic Representative Antonio Parkinson was unanimously approved in the House Finance Committee Tuesday. The companion bill is awaiting a vote by the full Senate.  The proposal makes it illegal for anyone without a license to possess tattooing paraphernalia. The measure also encourages underage tattooing incidents be reported to the Health Department.

Kentucky education officials are adding a requirement to school health screenings to combat growing childhood obesity problems. The Board of Education recently approved a proposal requiring schools to record a child's body mass index, the relation of body fat to height and weight. Pediatricians say early intervention can prevent life-threatening adult conditions like Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. The proposal also eliminates a decades-long practice of checking middle-school students for signs of the spine condition scoliosis.