yo all,
Relating to my work in population health ethics, I thought I'd share a fun quotation with everyone. It's from Howard M. Leichter, Free to be Foolish:
"There is now widespread agreement among both the general population and health professionals that a good deal of disease is self-inflicted, the product of our own imprudent behavior. The premise that individuals contribute significantly to their own ill health or premature death appears unassailable in view of the mounting evidence relating various personal habits and lifestyle choices, such as poor nutrition, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, failure to wear seat belts, and unsafe sexual practices, to major causes of morbidity and mortality.
While it is generally accepted that each of us is, to a certain extent, "dangerous to our own health," there is far less agreement on what can or should be done about making people less foolish. In particular, there is the question of how far government should go in fashioning lifestyles to minimize the physical and mental harm we inflict upon ourselves and others in society through risky personal choices. Where does personal choice and collective responsibility begin? How we reconcile two of our most prized social values, personal freedom and good health?"
Fun thought for today - enjoy!
Nicholas
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Should unhealthy lifestyles in general be illegal? Some unhealthy lifestyle choices are already, such as using particular drugs and not wearing a seatbelt. I don't think we'll ever get to the point where someone will be fined for eating too many cheeseburgers, but maybe tighter food restrictions for fast food restaurants could help.
The number of people who smoke daily is shrinking (according to Statistics Canada), probably because of better awareness and higher taxes.
Still, an individual has to want to be healthy. I believe the most effective means of attacking the problem is education. We all learn in school that smoking is unhealthy. What about laziness and inactivity though? After grade 9, there is no gym class - at least at my old school. With obesity reaching all-time highs, should we as a society not focus on this as we have with smoking?
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