This issue of Family & Community Health discusses several key health concerns in the United States. Two articles deal with the health issues of Latinos who are the fastest-growing minority population in the nation. Other articles address the health issues related to hypertension, obesity including childhood obesity, adolescent sexual beliefs, preschool physical activity, and what youth in one school would like to see improved. Interestingly, the youth in the school that was surveyed for what they needed from the school cited 4 main areas. Two of them, more sports and better after school activities and better school lunches correlate well with the themes in other articles in this issue.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a program related to Healthy Communities that deals with preventing chronic disease.1 The Healthy Communities program is based on the belief that the burden of chronic illness in the United States is reaching crisis proportions. Currently, 7 of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States are from chronic illness, and 50% of our population has at least 1 chronic disease. Two areas that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discusses as ways in which we can address the goal of reducing the onset of chronic diseases are to increase exercise and reduce obesity. Engaging in exercise and eating appropriate amounts and choices of food should begin early in life. While many of us began exercising as adults when we realized the hazards to our health of not doing so, we know that the earlier children learn the importance and enjoyment of exercise and physical activity the healthier they are likely to be in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends community action by developing healthy communities as a beneficial way to reduce the possibility of chronic disease. See their Web site http://www.cdc.gov and scroll through the many offerings related to healthy communities and chronic disease. Then ask yourself what practices you observe in your communities. Look at what goes on in your schools, worksites, and neighborhoods. Is the community safe and comfortable for walking, jogging, biking, and playing in the park, or are there dangers present? What do you know about the school lunches in your community? Do the students have healthy choices? If yes, do they tend to choose those healthy choices? What rewards do the teachers use for desired student behavior? Hopefully, they use rewards other than food, especially foods that are filled with sugar. What kinds of foods, activities, and so forth do parents bring to the school for special occasions? Do they bring fruit, cookies, and games to play, or do they bring heavily iced cupcakes?
It is becoming more "fashionable" in the United States to eat healthy foods and engage regularly in physical activity among many groups of people. Many Americans have access to information that says that eating healthy foods and exercising or being active is good for health and that drinking in moderation, avoiding smoking and other substances, and behaving maturely and responsibly in sexual practices are a good thing. What keeps us from doing what we have heard is good for us? Some factors include our perception of lack of time, energy, or money to behave more responsibly. Perhaps peer pressure is an issue. We say that purchasing healthy foods is more costly than the less healthy options. Is that always true? Are there local markets nearby that provide reasonably priced food? Could we walk to work, to shop, and to visit friends rather than driving? And the list goes on. What we need to appreciate is that our most precious asset is our health and keeping our health is easier, and less painful than trying to regain it once lost.
I hope that you will get some ideas for your own health and that of your family from the articles in this issue.
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