Public Health Issues

Aging Driver -- As experienced drivers grow older, changes in vision, attention and physical abilities may cause them to drive less safely than they used to. The documents provide patient-oriented tips for safe driving.

Americans In Motion (AIM) -- AIM is designed to improve the health of all Americans by implementing a multifaceted fitness program addressing physical activity, nutrition and emotional well-being in the individual, family and community.

Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention in Family Medicine -- Screening for alcohol problems can be accomplished quickly and, for both patients and physicians, comfortably.

Breastfeeding -- By projecting a positive attitude toward breastfeeding in the office and the community, family physicians can strongly affect patients' decision to breastfeed.

Cultural Proficiency Resources -- Cultural proficiency is defined as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes/beliefs that enable people to work well with, respond effectively to, and be supportive of people in cross-cultural settings.

Domestic Violence -- Family violence permeates our society and affects us as individuals, family physicians, parents, spouses, educators and citizens.

Firearm Violence -- The American Academy of Family Physicians urges support of legislation that requires utilization of operative trigger locks and that requires storing firearms locked away and unloaded.

Health Disparities -- As defined in a 2002 report by the Institute of Medicine, healthcare disparities are racial and ethnic differences in the quality of health care that are not due to access-related factors (e.g., patient income, education, insurance status), clinical needs (e.g., genetic predisposition, stage of disease), or patient preferences (e.g., choices based on cultural norms).

Infectious Diseases -- These pages include important, timely resources from the AAFP, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations.

Mental Health -- The AAFP supports parity of health insurance coverage for patients, regardless of medical or mental health diagnosis. Health care plans should cover mental health care under the same terms and conditions as that provided for other medical care.

Nutrition -- Information from the U.S.D.A. and other sources about optimal nutrition.

Pandemic Flu -- Information and resources for health care providers about pandemic flu.

Prevention -- Information about disease prevention from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and others.

Rural Health

Safety -- Links to resources on safety issues relating to firearms, recreation and driving.

Special Olympics -- Special Olympics and the American Academy of Family Physicians have created a unique partnership, combining their special expertise and access to people who have intellectual disabilities.

Sports Medicine -- Pre-participation and return-to-play considerations for family physicians practicing sports medicine.

Substance Abuse -- These pages link to AAFP policies and resources regarding substance abuse and addiction.

TarWars -- Tobacco-free education program and poster contest, supported by AAFP and targeted at fourth- and fifth-grade students.

Tobacco Cessation -- Information, CME and practice resources physicians and their practice teams can use to help patients quit using tobacco.