- lifestyle factors such as smoking, EATING HABITS,
physical exercise, and occupational health risks
It also is helpful to know about the general
health histories of immediate family members
(parents, siblings, and children), particularly in
regard to health conditions that can have familial
tendencies such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovas-
cular disease.
See also HEALTH RISK FACTORS.
personal hygiene Until researchers discovered
BACTERIAand connected them withINFECTION, doc-
tors went from one patient to another without
washing their hands, and people did not bathe or
otherwise manage personal hygiene. Before the
20th century most people believed bathing caused
rather than prevented illness. Because sewage and
garbage often contaminated water supplies, this all
too frequently turned out the case. Doctors now
know that cleanliness prevents the spread of
many kinds of infection and disease. COMMUNITY
SANITATIONmeasures provide strict procedures for
managing wastes, and clean DRINKING WATER STAN-
DARDShelp maintain the purity of water that flows
from the tap.
Personal hygiene—regular bathing and cleans-
ing of the body—helps control body odor, the
result of bacterial growth on the SKIN(especially
the underarms) in interaction with perspiration
the body releases. It also can help prevent condi-
tions such as athlete’s foot and jock itch (types of
yeast infections) and reduce the risk for bacterial
infection following skin wounds such as cuts and
scrapes.
See also HAND WASHING; HYPERHIDROSIS; NOSOCO-
MIAL INFECTIONS.
poison prevention Poisoning is the third-leading
cause of ACCIDENTAL INJURIES, often affecting chil-
dren who ingest toxic plants, cleaning products,
and medications (over-the-counter as well as pre-
scription). Poisoning also may affect adults when
they consume more of a medication than is safe or
plants and other substances that are toxic.
National poison control hotline:
1-800-222-1222
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
from anywhere in the United StatesChildren especially are attracted to medications
that are brightly colored and that may have a
sweetened coating intended to make them more
palatable to swallow. Medications designed for
children are sweetened, chewable, or in other
ways made enticing. Careful storage of potentially
poisonous products could prevent many accidental
poisonings. Older adults who are not accustomed
to having children around or who have difficulty
managing child-resistant closures often keep their
medications in other containers or dispensers. This
practice is a tragically frequent source of poisoning
in children who find the containers and think
they hold candy.COMMON POISONOUS YARD AND HOUSE PLANTS
acorns azalea
buckeyes buttercups
castor bean seeds crocus bulbs
daffodil bulbs daphne berries
deadly nightshade dieffenbachia
elderberry foxglove
hyacinth bulbs jack in the pulpit
jasmine berries larkspur seeds
lily of the valley mayapple
mistletoe berries moonseed berries
mushrooms and toadstools narcissus bulbs
oleander leaves and branches poison hemlock
red sage berries rhododendron
rhubarb leaves thorn apple
wisteria yewMany decorative indoor and outdoor plants are
poisonous, presenting a hazard especially for chil-
dren young enough to put everything in their
mouths and older children who may use leaves,
berries, and branches as “play” food. Some com-
mon plants, such as oleander, are so toxic that
plant juice on the hands can cause serious and
sometimes fatal illness. Adults should teach chil-
dren to never pick and eat any kinds of berries,
fruit, leaves, mushrooms, nuts, or even sticks to
use for campfire cooking without a knowledgeable
adult’s supervision and approval.
Do notgive anything to, or induce vomiting in,
a person who may have consumed a toxic sub-
stance, unless the substance is known and its orig-
inal package or product label contains specific
instructions for poisoning. Otherwise, contactpoison prevention 41