The headline says it all: "Inequality in the Built Environment Underlies Key Health Disparities in Physical Activity and Obesity." That's the bottom line from a new study in the journal Pediatrics, which finds that areas with higher socio-economic status were significantly more likely than lower-economic and high-minority blocks to have one or more recreational facilities that enable physical activity. This is the first study to look at the disparity in access to recreation sites and the activity and overweight patterns in U.S. teens.

In many rural areas, lower ratios of dentists to patients than in urban areas, and patients' lack of insurance, can make it hard to find needed dental care. Nonprofit clinics are working to fill in the gap, but many struggle to serve the large numbers of patients who need services. Dental health isn't just about fighting cavities: poor oral health and gum disease can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes, and preterm labor.

The 2006 federal budget, passed in February 2006, includes net cuts to Medicaid of $4.8 billion over the next five years and $26.1 billion over the next ten years. This six-page Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured brief looks at what areas of Medicaid will be cut and how families and states may be affected—including the introduction of co-payments and cost-sharing for low-wage families.

The largest and most comprehensive study of hunger to date contains some stunning findings. As many as 27 million people, including 9 million children, get emergency food help each year from America's Second Harvest. About 36 percent of adults served are employed. Many families who experience food insecurity say they've had to choose between buying food and paying for their utilities, rent or mortgage, or medical care. Food pantries and emergency service organizations rely heavily on volunteers to get their work done.

Data indicate the incidence of depressive symptoms in youth increases during adolescence and peaks during young adulthood. Depression affects physiological and social functioning, interpersonal relationships, employment, substance abuse, and indicates a "more dissatisfied life." Young people ages 18-24 living below the poverty line were more likely (8 percent) to report suffering from two or more symptoms of depression in the past 30 days than their peers living at or above poverty (5 percent).

More than 45 million people under age 65 lack health care coverage—but these individuals still need to take care of basic health needs for themselves and their families, and access medical care. How do they do it? This primer from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured looks at these issues, and the reasons behind recent changes in the number of uninsured Americans, and options for expanding coverage.

The purpose of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Policy Resource Guide, developed by the Washington State Department of Health, is to create a comprehensive tool for the prioritization and development of nutrition and physical activity policy options for state, local, regional and private jurisdictions. The resource guide outlines policy options, provides examples of promising and proven policies, and reviews their effectiveness. The nutrition and physical activity policy examples are divided into community, school, worksite and healthcare domains. Institutional and public policy changes are critical to achieving sustained behavioral change. Policy and environmental changes that support healthy communities, healthy organizations and healthy choices are cornerstones in the public health world. This resource provides some promising approaches for addressing obesity, inactivity and poor nutrition.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also offers a Family Guide to Systems of Care for Children with Mental Health Needs. (In English and Spanish.)

Increasingly, K-12 students can access mental health help in the place where they spend a lot of their time: school. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, one-fifth of U.S. students received some type of school-supported mental health services during the 2002-2003 school year. One-third of districts said that since 2000, they had experienced federal, state, and local funding declines for these services, even as the need for these services increased.

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has seen someone through depression—but a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health offers evidence that teens who struggle with depression are at risk of poorer school/work performance and educational attainment. The findings emphasize the importance of primary care clinicians' attention to depression and its accompanying limitations.