Halloween the Healthy Way
Learn tips for a safe and healthy Halloween.
It's the Halloween season and the ghosts and goblins are near. They come to steal healthy living habits, but have no fear!
Have a safe and healthy Halloween.
Make Halloween festivities fun, safe, and healthy for trick-or-treaters and party guests.
Halloween Health and Safety Tips
Take steps to prevent the flu.
It's Halloween and flu season is here! The best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year in the fall. Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every year. Always remember to cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands often with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand rubs are also effective. Stay home if you get sick.
Flu Season Is Here - Vaccinate to Protect You and Your Loved Ones from Flu
Wash your hands.
Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. It's best to wash your hands with soap and clean running water for 20 seconds. If that's not possible, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Hand sanitizers are not effective when hands are visibly dirty.
Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives
Develop, maintain, and keep good sleep habits.
Don't look a fright this Halloween! Sufficient sleep is not a luxury--it is a necessity--and should be thought of as a "vital sign" of good health. Sufficient sleep is being recognized as an important aspect to help prevent some chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart conditions, obesity, and depression.
Eat your fruits and vegetables.
Healthy diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling. Fruits and vegetables are a great healthy snack to serve for your Halloween events.
Need some new ideas for adding more fruits and vegetables to your daily diet? Check out Fruits & Veggies Matter for tips, recipes, and more!
Nutrition for Everyone. Fruits and Vegetables
Quitting smoking can have long-term benefits for you and your loved ones.
Smoking is very harmful to the body causing many diseases and affecting the health of smokers in general. Even brief exposure to second-hand smoke can be harmful to your health. Make your Halloween party a smoke and tobacco-free event.
Prevent Injuries
Be safe this Halloween and all year long. Every year, 9.2 million babies, children, and teens are injured severely enough to need treatment in emergency departments. These injuries are commonly from burns, drowning, falls, poisoning, and motor vehicle crashes.
Check out the new CDC resource coloring book, Color Me Safe! This book tells the rhyming story of the "Safe Family" who take steps to protect themselves at home, on the road, and at play.
Keep your teeth healthy.
Brush with fluoride toothpaste, floss every day, and drink fluoridated tap water to prevent tooth decay. Bacteria (germs) that naturally live in our mouths use sugar in food to make acids. Those acids can destroy the outside layer of the teeth and cause cavities that can lead to other oral problems. Cut down on sugary treats and drinks this Halloween.
Get smart about antibiotics.
Colds and many other upper respiratory infections, as well as some ear infections, are caused by viruses, not bacteria. If antibiotics are used too often for things they can't treat--like colds or other viral infections--they can stop working effectively against bacteria when you or your child really needs them. Check with your doctor or nurse to find out if your illness is bacterial or viral.
Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work
Be prepared for cold weather.
As you dress-up in your finest Halloween costumes, remember that exposure to cold temperatures can cause serious health problems. Be sure to dress warmly. Infants and the elderly are particularly at risk, but anyone can be affected. Know how to prevent health problems and what to do if a cold-weather emergency arises. Remember that using space heaters and fireplaces can increase the risk of household fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
This site contains documents in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader
to access the file. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader, you may download a
free copy from the Adobe Web site.
Content Source: CDC Office
of Women’s Health
Page last modified:
October 24, 2011
Page last reviewed: October 24, 2011
