1. The National Center for Heath Statistics (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/)
is the U.S. government's principal vital and health statistics agency. Go to
the center's website and link to Fast Facts A TO Z. Select arthritis and answer
the following questions: - How many Americans have arthritis?
- How many Americans over the age of 45 have arthritis?
- In what region of the country is arthritis most prevalent?
2. The National Institute on Aging (http://www.nih.gov/nia/)
is one of the leading agencies that studies aging, including diseases that affect
the elderly. Go to its website and type "osteoporosis" in the search
bar; then select Osteoporosis – Age Page – Health Information. Read the first
three paragraphs of the document and answer the following questions: - Why is osteoporosis called the "silent disease"?
- What does the inside of a normal bone look like? What does a bone with osteoporosis
look like?
- What are the causes of osteoporosis?
- How many men and women over age 50 will sustain an osteoporosis-related fracture
at some time in their lives?
- Why are men at lower risk for osteoporosis than women?
3. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (http://www.nof.org/)
is the leading nonprofit health organization dedicated to promoting bone health
while working to find a cure for osteoporosis. From the homepage, click on "Osteoporosis"
and read about the disease. Then answer the following questions. - How is osteoporosis defined?
- What does osteoporosis do to the bones in the body?
- Who is more likely to develop osteoporosis, men or women?
Click on "Disease Facts" and answer the following questions: - How many people are affected by osteoporosis?
- List three facts that you found interesting about osteoporosis.
4. The Glaucoma Foundation (http://www.glaucoma-foundation.org/)
is a not-for-profit organization that researches glaucoma and educates the public
about the disease. Go to its website and link to About Glaucoma. Select "What
is Glaucoma?" and answer the following questions: - Explain what glaucoma is.
- Why is glaucoma called the "sneak thief of sight"?
Now go to the National Institutes of Health website (http://www.nih.gov/).
Under Search the NIH Web Site, type in "glaucoma statistics" and
link to MEDLINEplus Glaucoma. Select "Statistics" and answer the
following questions: - List those groups who are at risk of developing glaucoma. Do you belong
to any of those groups?
- When should testing for glaucoma be done?
- How many Americans over age 40 are estimated to have glaucoma?
Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness for what racial/ethnic group? |