Discover how making positive life choices can lead to better health. Learn how NIH is working to ensure all populations have an equal opportunity to live long, healthy, and productive lives.

Activities

Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know (ODS)

Many people in the United States take one or more dietary supplements. They come in many forms including tablets, capsules, gummies, and powders, as well as drinks and energy bars. Learn about the science of supplement ingredients, including vitamins D and E; minerals such as calcium and iron; herbs such as echinacea and garlic; and other products like probiotics and fish oils.

Discover the Bitter Truth about Yourself (SEPA)

Test your taste receptors and measure your UV-fighting skin melanin. DNA influences health behaviors through proteins that shape the ways our bodies function.  Explore the genetics of bitter taste percepion and taste preferences. Measure your skin melanin and estimate your sensitivity to the sun's rays with a cool, non-invasive testing devices. Meet the next generation of scientists who are conducting this research.

Healthy Aging: You Can Make a Difference! (NIA)

Did you know your nose and handshake can tell a lot about your health as you grow older? Visitors will take tests of grip strength, ability to detect smells, and reaction time, just like the tests being given to participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Learn how scientists at the National Institute on Aging measure changes in these abilities over time and how such tests provide clues to living a long, healthy life. Scientists will share what they have learned so far.

Health Equity and Me: We are More the Same than Different (NIMHD, SGMRO, EDI)

Teaching health equity starts by simply raising awareness to differences and reminding us that we are all the same. Learn about heath equity, bedazzle a message about what diversity means to you, and create a DNA sequence bracelet. You will see how similar we really are! This activity will help participants to envision a world where all populations have an equal opportunity to live long, healthy, and productive lives. The booth is sponsored by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office, and the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Investigating a Public Health Puzzle: Vaping and Your Health (ECHO, ODP, NHLBI, NIDA, TRSP)

Curious about the health effects of vaping? NIH scientists are too! Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the tools that teams of researchers use to find out more about vaping, addiction, and their impacts on health. Talk to scientists and test your knowledge for a chance to win prizes!

Lung Capacity Measurement: How Much "Hot Air" Do You Have? (NIEHS)

Come see how much air you can exhale! Each person will have the opportunity to measure their forced vital capacity (FVC) of their lungs. FVC is the amount of air that can be forcibly exhaled from the lungs after taking the deepest breath possible. Huff and puff and show us what you can do. Chart the results and learn how air pollution, vaping, and asthma affects lung health. The U.S. Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General Prevention through Active Community Engagement (known as "PACE") will share information on vaping. You will have the edge when you stop next door to the "Vaping and Your Health" table and win prizes.

Yoga Demonstrations (NCCIH)

As part of the NIH theme focusing on Diet, Disparities, and Lifestyles, NCCIH will have certified yoga instructor(s) available at the NCCIH booth at designated times to offer impromptu demos of yoga poses with children and people of all ages. In addition, NCCIH will offer evidence-based information resources on complementary and integrative health approaches and staff will answer questions about NCCIH research efforts.