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Healthy Living ~ Orange County Healthy Living Information -- Orange County Register

State HMO rankings released

February 9th, 2010, 11:40 am by Courtney Perkes

kaiserpermanenteKaiser Permanente in Southern California has received the highest ranking based on national standards of quality care and patient satisfaction, according to data released Tuesday by the California Office of the Patient Advocate.

About 21 million Californians belong to HMOs and the state office rated the nine largest plans using indicators of good care — such as screenings for cancer or blood sugar control for diabetics — along with feedback from consumers.

The state compared data from patient medical records to national quality standards for the treatment of asthma, heart care and proper use of antibiotics. On the consumer side, the state looked at customer service, complaints and satisfaction with doctors.

Here’s how the plans offering coverage in Orange County fared:

Aetna: ranked good for meeting national standards and good by members

Anthem Blue Cross: ranked good for meeting national standards and good by members

Blue Shield: ranked good for meeting national standards and fair by members

Cigna: ranked good for meeting national standards and fair by members

Health Net: ranked good for meeting national standards and good by members

Kaiser Permanente Southern California: ranked excellent for meeting national standards and excellent by members

Pacificare: ranked good for meeting national standards and excellent by members

“Overall, performance is improving, albeit slowly,” said Sandra Perez, director of the  state office, in a conference call.

Kaiser Permanente, which is Orange County’s largest HMO, said its quality score was the highest of any plan in the nine years they have been ranked.

“Prevention of illness is the hallmark of Kaiser Permanente,” Dr. Jeffrey Weisz, executive medical director for the doctors who treat Kaiser patients, said in a statement. “We want to keep our patients healthy by encouraging them to quit smoking, to exercise and to eat well. Our aggressive screening program also helps discover cancer and other diseases at early stages when they are more easily treated. We know this saves lives.”

To look at rankings for local medical groups that treat HMO patients, click here.

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Posted in: health insurance • • • | 15 Comments »

Study finds junk food ads, not TV, make kids fat

February 9th, 2010, 6:00 am by Courtney Perkes

kidswatchingtvThe sedentary hours kids spent watching television have often been blamed for America’s growing obesity problem, but new research from UCLA says the real culprit is  junk food advertising.

The study compared children who watched DVDs or commercial-free programs, such as Sesame Street, and kids who watch regular TV and commercials. TV viewing contributed to childhood obesity only among the kids who watched commercials, which predominantly market unhealthy food and drinks.

The study was based on the viewing habits and body mass indexes of  more than 3,500 children from infancy to age 12. The study used controls for activity level and to ensure that it wasn’t simply that overweight kids watch more TV with commercials.

The study rings true to Adrienne Hedger, a San Clemente mother of two. She said her daughters, who are 6 and 4, go wild whenever they see the commercial for Cinnamon Toast Crunch where a piece of cereal eats itself because it tastes so good.

“They actually rewind the DVR and replay it,” Hedger said. “Anytime I take them to the store, they go crazy. To them it’s like sort of a thrill to see something in the supermarket that they saw on TV.”

Hedger bought the cereal only once and served  it as a dessert. Even though the girls often request Cinnamon Toast Crunch, she said they have no complaints when they’re eating their normal breakfast of corn flakes or Trader Joe’s Os.

“We don’t even watch a lot of ads,” Hedger said. “I normally will fast forward them if I can. We watch a lot of DVDs.”

During Saturday morning cartoons, children see an average of one food ad every five minutes, according to UCLA. As many as 95 percent of them advertise foods with poor nutritional value. The food industry spends $10 billion a year marketing to children.

“Commercial television pushes children to eat a large quantity of those foods they should consume least: sugary cereals, snacks, fast food and soda pop,” said Frederick Zimmerman, lead author and a public health professor.

Dr. Dan Cooper, a pediatrician and obesity researcher at UCI, said there’s more at work than clever marketing.

“The bottom line is that there’s too much availability of low-cost, high-fat food and not enough opportunities for exercise,” Cooper said. “You can yell at TV or yell at this or that. I can’t imagine that if you got rid of those commercials that kids are watching that there wouldn’t still be a problem if you didn’t change anything else. There are no quick fixes.”

Posted in: obesity • • • | 17 Comments »

Blue Cross premiums called out by Kathleen Sebelius

February 8th, 2010, 1:26 pm by Courtney Perkes

anthembluecrossKathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services,  is adding her voice to the growing list of consumer complaints about Anthem Blue Cross hiking insurance rates in California by as much as 39 percent for individual policy holders.

“Your company’s strong financial position makes these rate increases even more difficult to understand,” Sebelius wrote Monday. “As you know, your parent company, WellPoint Incorporated, has seen its profits soar, earning $2.7 billion in the last quarter of 2009 alone. I believe Anthem Blue Cross has a responsibility to provide a detailed justification for these rate increases to the public.”

State insurance commissioner Steve Poizner has called for an audit.

“State law requires that insurers spend at least 70 cents of every dollar of premium on medical care,” Poizner said in a statement.  “I have instructed my department to hire an outside actuary to examine their rates line by line to ensure they are complying with this state law. If we find that their rates are excessive, I will use the full power of my office to bring these rates down.”

Blue Cross did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Check out a story here on how Orange County residents have coped with soaring individual premiums.

Posted in: Blue Cross • • | 46 Comments »

What the Tebows didn’t say in their ad

February 8th, 2010, 6:00 am by Landon Hall
YouTube Preview Image

So much for the controversy surrounding the Tebow family’s Super Bowl ad.

For two weeks, pro-choice advocates had expressed concern about the commercial featuring star University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother Pam. CBS was roundly criticized for breaking with longstanding tradition by airing an ad about a divisive social and political issue, in this case abortion (others, including The New York Times op-ed page, welcomed the debate). The Tebows filmed the ad for the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, which paid the going rate of $2.5 million to $2.8 million for the 30-second spot.

Despite all the hype, the word “abortion” wasn’t even mentioned in the lighthearted ad, which aired during the first quarter. In fact, the Tebows went for laughs: At one point Tim tackles his mom, slapstick-style (which some people aren’t happy about). Then they hug. In another version that aired four times before the game, the tackle was omitted.

According to USA Today, CBS had objected to the original version of the ad, in which Pam Tebow alludes to the pregnancy complication that had put both her life and that of the unborn Tim in jeopardy. Pam has said she refused a doctor’s recommendation that she have an abortion.

The details of that complication haven’t been discussed much, so here’s what happened, according to an account Pam Tebow gave to The Gainesville Sun in 2007:

Pam and her husband Bob, devout Christians, were working as missionaries in the Philippines in 1986 when Pam, who already had four children, became pregnant at age 37. It was a difficult pregnancy, She was diagnosed with placental abruption, in which the placenta becomes partially or completely detached from the uterine wall, depriving the fetus of oxygen and nutrients. The condition affects less than 1 percent of all pregnancies, but it can be fatal for both the fetus and the mother. Because of their religious faith, the Tebows went ahead with the pregnancy.

None of this is hinted at in the Super Bowl ad. The ad begins with Pam holding a baby picture of Tim and saying: “I call him my miracle baby. He almost didn’t’ make it into this world. … I can remember so many times when I almost lost him. It was so hard.”

At the end of the ad there’s a tagline for Focus on the Family — “Celebrate family. Celebrate life” — and an offer for the viewer to visit the group’s Web site to get the “full Tebow story.” Click “watch now” and you’ll find a video in which Pam and Bob are interviewed, and they go into more detail: Pam acknowledges that “we lived in an area that didn’t have great medical care,” but says the doctor was clear about her condition: An abortion was needed “immediately if I were going to save my life.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: pregnancy • • • • | 38 Comments »

Healthy tips for Super Bowl munching

February 5th, 2010, 6:00 am by Landon Hall

My love affair with the Super Bowl extends back to SBXII on Jan. 15, 1978, when Butch Johnson made every 8-year-old NFL junkie’s eyes bug out of their heads with his diving catch that helped the Dallas Cowboys beat the Denver Broncos 27-10.

My love affair with the Buffalo wing and the spinach-and-mayo-dip bread bowl goes back nearly as far. But now I’m 40, and so are many people who remember when the game’s Roman numerals were easy to remember. We can no longer pig out on Super Bowl Sunday, or any other national holiday, without feeling guilty.

foodbowl_blogWithout coming off as the kind of scolding ref who throws a flag to nullify a 106-yard kickoff return for TD, here are a few tips to ensure you won’t need an IV to recover from SBXLIV:

  • Avoid those creamy dips that are loaded with fat, says Kardena Pauza, a personal trainer for SoCal Workout and other gyms. Mix yogurt with avocado and herbs for a healthier dip. And instead of greasy chips, offer pita or baked chips. (Saints fans, here are some recipes for creole. Colts fans … um, still looking for that site devoted to Indianapolis cuisine.)
  • Eat before you go to the party, or the bar, advises Anne Marie Coppen, a family nurse practitioner at Lindora, which runs 45 weight-loss centers in Southern California. If you’re going to a potluck, bring a vegetarian dish. Click here for some more Lindora recipes.
  • Work out during the hours leading up to the game. Pauza is going mountain biking. Exercise “sets the tone for the whole day,” she said. “You don’t want to ruin that good feeling and hard work. It makes you more cautious about what you eat the rest of the day.”
  • Get up and do something during breaks in the game. Really, do you need to stay seated for more of Dan Marino’s halftime blather?
  • If you’re hosting a party, offer water and iced tea in addition to booze or caffeinated soda.
  • Throw in some air-popped popcorn, which has only about 90 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per serving.
  • Put the food in a room where the TV is not. And make the end-of-third-quarter break your last call, not the two-minute warning.

For some legitimately good advice on avoiding foodborne illnesses on Sunday, as well as some amusing government-written football puns (I count 14; see how many you can find), consult the USDA’s  ”Referee a Safe Super Bowl Party” press release. For instance, use a different cutting board for meat than veggies. And if you don’t refrigerate or freeze food that’s been sitting out for more than two hours, toss it out.

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Posted in: Food • • • | 2 Comments »

Seeking inspirational breast cancer survivors

February 4th, 2010, 6:00 am by Courtney Perkes

suzannerobertThe Orange County Susan G. Komen affiliate is seeking nominations for three breast cancer awards to be given March 5.

To get an idea for what kind of people Komen looks for, check out this profile of Suzanne Robert, who won in 2008. She’s pictured at left.

Here’s how Komen describes the awards:

Most Inspirational Breast Cancer Survivor:
Since 1995, the Komen Orange County Affiliate has honored a breast cancer survivor in the community who has turned his/her battle into a positive experience by inspiring, assisting, or educating others. The individual has demonstrated an understanding and awareness of issues related to breast cancer and survivorship. His/her volunteer efforts have demonstrated a commitment to educating the public with life-saving messages about the importance of early detection and/or making healthy lifestyle choices to help prevent the disease.

Most Inspirational Breast Cancer Co-Survivor:
The affiliate has developed a new award to honor an outstanding co-survivor in the community. Co-survivors are family, friends, health care providers or colleagues who are there to lend support from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. Many different co-survivors may enter the patient’s life over time, lending support in big or small ways. The Most Inspirational Co-Survivor is an individual who has turned his/her co-survivorship into a positive experience by inspiring assisting and/or educating and empowering others.

Outstanding Breast Health Advocate:
The Komen Orange County Affiliate honors a breast health advocate, who is a non-survivor who has gone above and beyond his/her job description. This is someone who also volunteers his/her time outside the workplace to make a difference in the lives of breast cancer survivors, to educate women in the community on early detection, healthy lifestyle choices, treatment options and/or clinical trials.

To nominate, visit www.komenoc.org to download a nomination form. Submit nominations to Cindy Brenneman at cbrenneman@komenoc.org or fax them to 714-957-9155. Call 714-957-9157 for more information. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 5.
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Posted in: breast cancer • | Post a Comment »

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