The Lifestyle Chronicles - Think Global And Act Local
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded an Institute of Medicine Report entitled "Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up?" They conclude that many promising efforts across the country are fragmented and small in scale. More people are aware of obesity, and the associated health problems, but national leadership is lacking.
How about that? Leadership still counts. And, I was beginning to think it didn't matter. Silly me.
Hmm, hospitals billed $740 billion and collected $470 billion in 2004, but they don't seem right for this job. The Administration, Congress and Medicare were busy providing drugs to seniors, so their attention was directed to that crucial job. However, an interesting viewpoint on the need for a costly drug program is posted on September 26th in Slate by Darshak Sanghavi. Turns out that the 31 percent reduction in risk of heart attack among men taking the statin pravastatin means taking the drug every day for five years reduced the incidence of heart attacks from 7.5 percent to 5.3 percent. In other words, 100 people with elevated cholesterol needed to be treated to avoid two heart attacks.
Childhood obesity is a multifaceted problem. It might be best approached in the community at multipe levels to determine what works. National leadership might be helpful but at this stage community commitment is essential.
Technorati Tags: Lifestyle, Health, Prevention
How about that? Leadership still counts. And, I was beginning to think it didn't matter. Silly me.
Hmm, hospitals billed $740 billion and collected $470 billion in 2004, but they don't seem right for this job. The Administration, Congress and Medicare were busy providing drugs to seniors, so their attention was directed to that crucial job. However, an interesting viewpoint on the need for a costly drug program is posted on September 26th in Slate by Darshak Sanghavi. Turns out that the 31 percent reduction in risk of heart attack among men taking the statin pravastatin means taking the drug every day for five years reduced the incidence of heart attacks from 7.5 percent to 5.3 percent. In other words, 100 people with elevated cholesterol needed to be treated to avoid two heart attacks.
Childhood obesity is a multifaceted problem. It might be best approached in the community at multipe levels to determine what works. National leadership might be helpful but at this stage community commitment is essential.
Technorati Tags: Lifestyle, Health, Prevention
posted by marcus at
7:12 PM
