Improving Health

Education and Prevention

MedlinePlus

The NIH MedlinePlus website is a free and trusted source of easy-to-understand health information in English and Spanish, which is accessed by over 1 million members of the public each day to help them make informed decisions about their health.

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  • In 2021, 418 million users viewed MedlinePlus almost 900 million times.
  • MedlinePlus covers a broad range of topics from medical conditions such as high blood pressure, cancer, and diabetes, to important public health issues including COVID-19, bullying, opioid misuse and addiction, mental health, and HIV/AIDS.Ìý
  • MedlinePlus Connect is a free service that allows health organizations and IT providers to link their patient portals and electronic health record systems automatically to patient education materials from MedlinePlus and other NIH resources.
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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

NIH research on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has informed recommendations for safe infant sleep, including the initiation of the NIH-led Back to Sleep® campaign in 1994 (now Safe to Sleep®). Following its launch, deaths due to SIDS declined considerably from 130.3 to 35.4 deaths per 100,000 live births between 1990 and 2017.

Image credit: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH

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  • SIDS—the sudden, unexplained death of an infant under 1 year old—is the leading cause of death in children between 1 month and 1 year of age.Ìý
  • Although there is no sure way to prevent SIDS, NIH-funded research has informed recommendations for safe infant sleep, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines initially published in 1992 and subsequently updated every 4-5 years.Ìý
  • The AAP guidelines form the basis of messages from the NIH-led Safe to Sleep® campaign, which launched as Back to Sleep® in 1994.
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Asbestos Ban

Results of NIH-supported research showing the cancer-causing properties of asbestos led to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and EPA banning asbestos in many products in the U.S. since the 1970s. As a result, asbestos-linked cancers are down in the U.S.—with the incidence of mesothelioma dropping 3.3% between 2009 and 2018.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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  • NIH-funded research linked asbestos exposure to lung tumors and mesothelioma and supported the CPSC and EPA banning the use of asbestos in some products during the late 1970s.
  • In the U.S., use of asbestos dropped from around 803,000 metric tons per year in 1973, to 360 metric tons per year by 2015.
  • Replacement over time of old, asbestos-containing products, such as insulation in homes, will further reduce the potential for asbestos exposure.
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Lead Exposure

NIH-supported research demonstrated that children exposed to lead suffer irreversible brain damage, leading to significant regulatory action to reduce lead exposures. From 1988-2014, the percentage of children aged 1-5 years with lead exposure declined from 25.6% to 1.9%.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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  • Research shows that lead exposure early in life irreversibly disrupts brain development and blood lead levels are associated with adverse neurological effects in children.
  • This knowledge led to significant action to reduce lead exposures, primarily through removal of lead from gasoline, paint, toys, and other consumer products, and water systems.
  • These actions have led to blood lead levels falling dramatically for all racial and ethnic groups, and CDC recently updated their guidance so that children exposed to lead can get interventions sooner.
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Air Pollution and Health

NIH-supported research found an association between air pollution and mortality, which ultimately led to new Clean Air Act regulations in 1997 that are estimated to have prevented more than 230,000 early deaths by 2020.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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  • The NIH-funded Harvard Six Cities Study found a strong association between exposure to fine particle air pollution and mortality in communities where air quality was within the EPA standards.
  • These findings led to other studies on the effects of air pollution on health, culminating in 1997 with new Clean Air Act regulations on fine particle pollution.
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Disease Prevention

Because of NIH-supported research, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has the scientific evidence base needed to make the recommendations used by primary care clinicians, patients, and families to guide decisions on preventive services such as screenings, behavioral counseling, and preventive medications.Ìý

Image credit: Rhoda Baer/NCI

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  • Clinical preventive services can identify diseases at earlier stages when they are more treatable or may reduce a person’s risk for developing a disease.
  • Between 2010 and 2019, USPSTF used new scientific evidence to update the status of several preventive services that had previously had insufficient evidence supporting them, leading to these recommendations being upgraded to definitive clinical recommendations.
  • NIH-supported research contributed new evidence for 11 of these upgraded USPSTF recommendations, including those focused on prevention of diabetes, hepatitis C, preeclampsia, skin cancer, obesity, and tobacco use in children and adolescents.
  • Infographic: NIH Stories of Success in Disease Prevention
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References

MedlinePlus

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  2. MedlinePlus Connect: 
  3. Health Education Materials Assessment Tool: 
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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

  1. The Science Of SIDS And Safe Infant Sleep: 
  2. Key Moments in Safe to Sleep® History: 1994–2003: 
  3. Data Resources for SUID and SIDS: 
  4. Timely Advice on Safe Infant Sleep: Research on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). 2010: 

Asbestos Ban

  1. Selikoff IJ, et al.ÌýJAMA. 1968;204(2):106-12. PMID: .
  2. Asbestos Exposure and Cancer Risk: .
  3. Mesothelioma: Recent Trends in SEER Age-Adjusted Incidence Rates, 2000-2019: .
  4. Mesothelioma: Long-Term Trends in SEER Age-Adjusted Incidence Rates, 1975-2019: 
  5. EPA Regulatory History: 
  6. EPA Asbestos Laws and Regulations: 

Lead Exposure

  1. Needleman HL, et al.ÌýNature. 1972;235(5333):111-2. PMID: .
  2. National Toxicology Program. NTP Monograph Health Effects of Low-Level Lead. 2012.Ìý
  3. Toxicological Profile for Lead: 
  4. Health Effects of Lead Exposure: 
  5. Gasoline and the environment: Leaded Gasoline: 
  6. EPA Lead Laws and Regulations: 
  7. Blood Lead Reference Value: 

Air Pollution and Health

  1. Environmental Protection Agency. Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act 1990-2020, the Second Prospective Study. 2022.Ìý
  2. Dockery DW, et al.ÌýN Engl J Med. 1993;329(24):1753-9. PMID: .

Disease Prevention

  1. Klabunde CN, et al.ÌýAm J Prev Med. 2022;62(2):e77-e86. PMID: .Ìý
  2. Villani J, et al.ÌýJAMA. 2018;319(20):2132-2133. PMID: .
  3. 2021 USPSTF Annual Report to Congress - II. Background: 
  4. Maciosek MV, et al.ÌýAnn Fam Med. 2017;15(1):14-22. PMID: .Ìý
  5. Office of Disease Prevention. Spotlight on 2019 Annual Report: Closing Evidence Gaps and Informing Clinical Practice with NIH Prevention Research: 

This page last reviewed on March 1, 2023