Minnesota medicine
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During the last 10 years, the prevalence rate of elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs) in the general population in the United States has decreased, while the rate of EBLLs among refugee children in this country has remained high. Because of this, national guidelines recommend both an initial and a repeat screening of refugee children. ⋯ Our results showed that approximately 6% of refugee children in Minnesota had an EBLL and fewer than half of all refugee children in the sample received a repeat test. For that reason, primary care providers should be periodically reminded of the importance of repeat lead screening for refugee children.
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Minnesota's rising number of obese and overweight residents prompted the Minnesota Department of Health in 2008 to create a plan to reduce obesity and its associated health consequences. The plan attacks the problem from both an individual and a public health perspective. This article describes Minnesota's obesity plan and reports on progress that has been made to date.