Did you know?

17.5 million adults (7.7%) in the US have asthma. 7.1 million children (9.6%) in the US have asthma. (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asthma.htm)

Asthma can be triggered by environmental tobacco smoke (secondhand smoke), dust mites, outdoor air pollution, cockroaches, pets, mold, colds, allergies, strenuous physical exercise, bad weather, strong emotional states, and some foods. By learning and preventing your triggers, you can decrease the chance of an attack. (http://cdc.gov/asthma/triggers.html)

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US. (http://cdc.gov/diabetes/consumer/learn.htm)

Some possible symptoms of diabetes include frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss, extreme hunger, sudden vision changes, tingling or numbness in hands or feet, feeling very tired much of the time, very dry skin, sores that are slow to heal, or more infections than usual, but those with diabetes can have some or none of these symptoms. (http://cdc.gov/diabetes/consumer/learn.htm)

African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes. (http://cdc.gov/diabetes/consumer/learn.htm)

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the US. (http://cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm)

About 47% of sudden cardiac deaths happen outside of a hospital- many people do not act on the signs and symptoms of heart attack. (http://cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm)

In 2003, 37% of US adults had two or more heart disease risk factors, including inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, and diabetes. (http://cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm)

There are five major symptoms of a heart attack: pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back, feeling weak, light-headed or faint, chest pain or discomfort, pain or discomfort in arms or shoulder, and shortness of breath. If you think someone is having a heart attack, call 911 immediately. (http://cdc.gov/heartdisease/signs_symptoms.htm)

A calorie is equal to the amount of energy used to raise one  kilogram of water by one degree Celsius at sea level. The calories we see on food packaging are actually kilocalories- 1,000 calories. To measure how many calories are in food items, manufacturers used to burn the food and measure how much it heated a water sample. Today, they just add up the known calories in the component parts. (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-do-food-manufacturers)

Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Obesity can increase the risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, osteoarthritis, and gynecological problems. (http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/health.html)

Children and teens have a different BMI calculation than adults. For a children’s BMI calculator, see: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/