National Health Awareness Weeks in March

March is filled with national health awareness campaigns and I never realized how many there were before now! Some of these national awareness weeks and days are rather interesting that occur each year. See how many of these health awareness weeks you never knew existed!

National Patient Safety Awareness Week

The National Patient Safety Awareness Week is a national education and awareness campaign focused on improving patient safety through their local hospitals, physicians' offices and other local health-related organizations.

Hospitals and medical organizations all over the United States are asked to take part in planning events for their local citizens to educate patients to become involved in their own health care.

The National Safety Patient Foundation has a list of suggested activities for the medical community as well as for patients, media and marketing.

National Sleep Awareness Week

The goal of National Sleep Awareness Week is to make Americans aware of the health benefits of getting proper and adequate sleep and also the dangers and health risks when we do not.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, "National Sleep Awareness Week is a public education, information and awareness campaign that coincides with the return of Daylight Savings Time." This is the time of year where Americans lose an hour of sleep each night.

The National Sleep Foundation provides some excellent resources on their website on how to get proper sleep, how sleep works and information for children and sleep as well.

NationalSchool Breakfast Week

National School Breakfast Week raises awareness yearly to educate parents and students on the importance of eating breakfast and the benefits of eating breakfast at school. The campaign runs every year from November through March, finishing up as a national awareness week in March.

National School Breakfast Week was made official in 1989 to raise awareness for the school breakfast programs that became available. Each year, the School Nutrition Association creates a fun and interesting theme to excite children to get involved.

National Problem Gambling Awareness Week

The goal of National Problem Gambling Awareness Week is to educate the public and health care professionals on issues surrounding gambling addictions. The campaign also raises awareness on local support that is available for those who have a gambling problem and their families.

The National Council on Problem Gambling states that in any given year 2% to 3% of the population will have a gambling problem. This percentage equals 6 million to 9 million people who have gambling addictions but only a small percentage will seek help.

Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has designated one week in March each year to raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness and share knowledge for Multiple Sclerosis patients, their families and the medical community.

Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. This includes the brain, optic nerves and the spinal cord. MS affects women more than men, but the disease does not discriminate when it comes to sex. Most patients will find that their MS begins between the ages of 20 and 50.

Brain Awareness Week

Brain Awareness Week is an awareness campaign organized yearly by the Dana Foundation. The campaign is to provide the public with information on brain injury, nervous system research, brain research and the benefits of research for these patients.

During Brain Awareness Week, there are events held worldwide to educate and increase awareness in an effort to raise donations, understanding and compassion for patients with brain injury and other medical conditions related to the brain.

National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week

According to the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, "one out of five students in the United States has used an inhalant to get high by the time he or she reaches the eighth grade." These cheap inhalants, which are legal and accessible, are as popular among middle school children as marijuana.

The National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week is one that all parents should be aware of and should be doing something to help spread the word. This is scary when you think about how many of our children can be permanently damaged or killed because they are inhaling things like White-Out.

The purpose of this awareness campaign is to educate parents and children on this popular form of substance abuse. The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition says that this yearly awareness campaign has proven to be an effective means of decreasing inhalant use in children. The program is geared to parents, students, the medical community, schools, the media, police departments and civic groups.

National Poison Prevention Week

The mission of National Poison Prevention Week is to educate and provide useful information on how to prevent accidental poisonings and tips for community involvement in poison prevention.

The Poison Prevention website states that each year over 2 million poisonings are reported to the more than 60 Poison Control Centers across the United States. What you may find shocking is that over 90% of these poisonings occur in the home. The majority of poisonings that are non-fatal occur in children who are under six years of age. One of the leading causes of death among adults is poisoning.

National Poison Prevention Week was established by Congress in 1961 and is annually held on the third week in March.

Root Canal Awareness Week

Root Canal Awareness Week is geared around children and teaching them the proper methods of brushing, flossing, and preventing damage to their teeth through sporting activities. The campaign also raises the awareness and educates the public on endodontics.

The AAE.org website states that research has proven that children who do not wear a mouth guard are 60 times more likely to have experience trauma to their mouth and teeth if they participate in a high-impact sport.

The AAE website has a lot of resources for those who are interested in getting involved in Root Canal Awareness Week.