Black leaders in Orlando, Fla., and across the nation are attempting to help black men and women “rethink the way they eat and exercise” in an effort to address growing obesity in the black community, the Orlando Sentinel reports. According to a 2004 survey by the

The Ugandan chapter of the Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders on HIV/AIDS in Africa recently called for increased action to address violence against women and girls in the country, the Monitor/AllAfrica.com reports.

Summaries of recent news about Medicaid programs in Georgia, Illinois and South Carolina appear below.Georgia: Gov. Sonny Perdue’s (R) proposed fiscal year 2009 state budget would increase physician payments for Medicaid and PeachCare, the state’s version of SCHIP, by $154.8 million, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

United Nations Population Fund Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid last week in Accra, Ghana, called on governments to commit to ending genital cutting — sometimes referred to as female circumcision or female genital mutilation — and protect the rights of women and girls, the Accra Mail/AllAfrica.com reports (Accra Mail/AllAfrica.com, 2/11).

The Boston Globe on Monday examined the debate over California’s human embryonic stem cell research initiative and its effect on other state proposals. California voters in 2004

HIV prevention and treatment programs do not consider the sexual needs of or desire to have children among women living with the virus, HIV-positive women attending the third Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in Abuja, Nigeria, said recently, IPS/AllAfrica.com reports.Beatrice Were of the

The percentage of U.S. adults taking prescription drugs to treat health conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, depression and hypertension increased significantly between 2000 and 2006, according to a study released on Tuesday by Express Scripts, USA Today reports.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday examined a fiscal year 2009 budget proposal from Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) that would increase reimbursements for physicians and hospitals treating beneficiaries of Medicaid and PeachCare — the state’s version of SCHIP — including those that perform obstetric care.

Singapore’s focused transformation into a scientific powerhouse in the biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering will stage a presence this week in Boston at the annual meetings of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) and the Fulbright Academy of Science and Technology.At the AAAS conference, Singapore scientists will speak at a Friday morning, Feb.

Asthma UK Cymru and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy are holding ‘A Breath of Fresh Air’ fringe events at all four party political conferences during February and March 2008, to highlight the new Welsh Assembly Government document ‘Service Development and Commissioning Directives for Chronic Respiratory Conditions in Wales’ and discuss key concerns.