Health Information:

Interactive Health Communication Applications

Do you have a cold or an allergy? Do you know your target heart rate? Would you like to learn more about how the heart functions? You’ll find answers to these questions and more by clicking on the interactive applications below. Sample topics include Diabetes, Smoking, Pregnancy, Cancer Screenings, Depression, Nutrition and many more. The applications are divided into three categories- Health Assessments, Health Calculators and Health Interactives.

Health Assessments are designed to help you learn more about your risk factors for a variety of health problems. Health Calculators can be used to learn more about the numbers that impact your life and your health. Health Interactives are tools to learn more about how your body works and your risk for illnesses.

Simply scroll down the page or click on a category to get started. Each interactive tool will open in a separate browser window.

Health Assessments | Health Calculators | Health Interactives

Health Assessments:


	Is it an Allergy or a Cold? It can be difficult to tell the difference between an allergy and a cold. But since the two are treated differently, distinguishing between them may be an important first step in helping you or your child feel better. Take our brief quiz to find out more about what separates allergies from colds.


	Are You at Risk for Diabetes? More than 6 million people have diabetes and don't realize it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And that's not so surprising. Often people don't feel sick until they have disease-related complications, such as blurry vision or heart trouble. In fact, you may have diabetes for nine to 12 years before it is diagnosed. Take a short quiz to find out if you are at risk.


	Check Your Body Mass Index Body mass index provides a general guideline for your healthy weight range. Body mass index (BMI) is the most commonly used guideline for healthy body weight in adults. It's calculated by dividing weight (in kilograms) by height (in meters squared). Everyone's BMI falls into one of four categories: underweigh t, normal, overweight or obese. These ranges are based on scientific evidence of increased health risks in people with BMIs above or below normal.


	Does Your Child Have ADHD? Only a doctor can tell you if your child has Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). But answering a few questions can help you decide whether a doctor's visit is necessary. If you're a parent, you can probably remember an instance—or two or five—when your child didn't pay attention to what you said. And maybe you don't have enough fingers to count how many times your child didn't follow through on a chore or complete a homework assignment. Then there was that visit with Aunt Edna, when you didn't think your child would ever stop fidgeting. Does that mean you should worry about ADHD?


	Do You Have a Drinking Problem? Alcohol abuse and addiction are closely related, and one can progress to the other. If alcohol is becoming a problem for you, it's best to address it as soon as possible.


	Check Your Risk for Skin Cancer Skin cancer can affect anyone. But some people are more vulnerable to the disease than others. Answering a few questions can help you see where you stand. Some people say a suntan looks attractive. They may not realize they're looking at skin cells damaged by ultraviolet (UV) rays. With time, this damage could lead to skin cancer.


	Are You Depressed? Depression is a serious but treatable illness. If you or someone you love has symptoms of depression, it’s important to seek help. Each year, nearly 10 percent of American adults—about 19 million people—experience some sort of depression. It affects people of every race, economic status and age.


	Are You at Risk for Prostate Cancer? Several factors can increase your risk of prostate cancer. But knowing your risk can help you and your doctor make a plan to protect you. After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in American men. It affects roughly 189,000 men every year and is responsible for about 32,000 deaths, according to the American Urological Association.

Health Calculators:


	Learn Your Target Heart Rate Pacing yourself properly by staying within your target heart rate can help you safely get the benefits of exercise. If you're trying to increase your fitness level, aerobic exercise is just the ticket. In addition to strengthening your heart and lungs, aerobic exercise can help control cholesterol levels, diabetes and obesity. In some cases, it can also help lower blood pressure, says the American Heart Association.


	Calculate Your Due Date Use this calculator to get an estimate of your baby's arrival date. When you find out you're pregnant, one of the first questions that will undoubtedly pop into your mind is "When will my baby be born?" Though there's no sure way to predict your exact delivery date, you can get a close estimate.


	The Cost of Smoking How much money do you spend on cigarettes? The total costs of smoking are nearly impossible to pin down—physically or financially. Every year, this habit claims hundreds of thousands of American lives and costs billions of dollars in health care expenses. Inside every smoker's body, the heart, lungs, arteries, teeth and other organs pay the price every time he or she inhales.


	Exercise Burns Calories Exercise is a great way to burn calories and lose weight. Calculate how many calories you're burning with daily activities and exercises. Physical activity is an important part of a healthful lifestyle. Among its many benefits, staying active can help you lose weight or maintain your current weight.


	Count Your Heartbeat and Breaths Your heart and lungs work around the clock to keep oxygen levels up. With every breath, your lungs draw in more life-sustaining oxygen. With every beat, your heart sends blood surging out into your lungs to collect this oxygen and out into your body to nourish cells, organs and tissues. Use this tool to get an estimate of how much work your heart and lungs have done for you.


	Calculate Your Fiber Intake Tracking your fiber intake is fairly simple, and it can have a big impact on your health. The recommended amount for adults is between 21 and 38 grams a day according to the Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board. Determine how much fiber you’re eating or add more fiber to your diet using this simple calculator.

Health Interactives:


	Anatomy of the Heart The heart helps nourish every cell and tissue in the body. About 100,000 times a day, at precisely timed intervals, a small electrical charge races from one end of your heart to the other. In response, the heart muscles spasm and squeeze blood from one chamber to the next. To learn more about the heart's structure and function, visit our interactive guide to the heart.


	How High Blood Pressure Affects the Body When it’s too high, blood pressure poses a risk for your heart, brain, eyes and other parts of your body. Most of us know high blood pressure can harm the heart. But it can hurt other parts of the body too. Along with heart attacks, having blood pressure that’s too high poses a risk for stroke, kidney disease and blindness.


	Anatomy of a Heartbeat Learn what happens during each heartbeat. Your heart is a strong, muscular organ that is always working to pump blood through your body. To see what happens during each heartbeat, click on the icon.


	How Your Baby Develops in the Womb Every month, your unborn baby reaches another milestone. To get an idea of what's happening during each month of pregnancy, click on the icon.


	Preparing for Your Baby: An Interactive Shopping List Stock up on essential items before bringing your baby home. For a list of items you might want to purchase, view our interactive shopping list by clicking on the icon.


	How Diabetes Affects the Body An interactive look at the damage uncontrolled diabetes can cause. Diabetes is a disease centered on insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas that helps the body turn food into energy. Lack of insulin or problems with the way it's used can cause glucose, or sugar, to build up in the blood. This can damage the body, literally from head to toe. Controlling diabetes may prevent or lessen the severity of these problems. Use the icon below to learn more about how diabetes can affect the body.


	A Guide to Choosing and Storing Produce How to get the most out of the fruits and veggies you buy. You’ve heard the reports and have seen the ads urging you to eat “5 A Day.” Well, help is on the way—with this guide to buying and storing fresh fruits and vegetables.


	How to Read a Food Label Wrapped around almost every packaged food you buy is your guide to finding the healthiest foods possible for you and your family: a food label. If you're willing to spend just a few moments reading the label, you'll be rewarded with both important and reliable information.


	Making Sense of Supplement Labels The label on a dietary supplement is the key to understanding what’s inside the bottle and how to properly use it. This interactive guide can help you make sense of your supplement labels.


	Anatomy of the Back The back is a complex structure of bones, muscles, nerves and other tissues. Think of your back as a carefully balanced structure that gives you strength, support and flexibility. Use the link at right to take an interactive look at the back and the parts that make it work.


	How Alcohol Damages the Body Alcohol abuse can affect every tissue and organ in the body. Using alcohol can hurt your health in a variety of ways, both in the short-term and over a long period of time. Take an interactive look at the consequences of alcohol abuse on the human body.


	How Tobacco Damages the Body If you use any form of tobacco, you run the risk of damaging nearly every organ in your body. Tobacco comes in many different packages. But no matter how it’s wrapped, smoking or chewing tobacco is harmful to your health. To learn more about some of the consequences of tobacco use on the body, click on the icon.


	Instant Gratification: The Rewards of Quitting Smoking Start Right Away The benefits of going smoke-free begin minutes after you put out your last cigarette. They say good things come to those who wait. But good things happen right away when you quit smoking: Within minutes, your body starts to heal. Take an interactive look at some of the ways quitting will help your body.