Despite all the progress we’ve made on the health front, the statistics for women are discouraging. in fact, heart disease is still the no. 1 killer of women in the U.S., according to the CDC, despite the fact that it is largely preventable though the lifestyle choices we make every day.
Over 25% of female deaths are caused by heart disease alone. on the flip side, less than one-third of women say they exercise regularly, and almost one in five women over 18 still smoke. Worse, 36% of women are medically obese, and almost as many have high blood pressure.
What’s going on here?
For all we’ve learned about the relative simplicity of what contributes to health (exercise, healthy eating and having good social support systems in place), it’s not being translated into practice. is there a disconnect in how health information gets translated from lab to layperson through public health campaigns and the media?
For example, some studies have shown that health campaigns may be terribly ineffective, by alienating rather than motivating their audiences into action. Plus, studies about such things as how dark chocolate is “as good” for you as exercise (which isn’t actually what the study found!) get huge press, while other, potentially more valuable research about how even small exercises help the heart receive much less publicity.
Where do we go from here? perhaps it’s time to go back to basics, while still keeping an eye on reliable new research, rather than jumping on the latest media-driven bandwagon. Being as active as you can, eating a largely plant-based diet, being engaged in your community/job and having good social support networks are the key ways in which we can promote good health. these are the things that stand the test of time.
The other stuff – the fad diets and the super workouts – tend to flicker out soon after they arrive.
Click on the image above to see the most common causes of death for women and the breakdown of our health habits in the U.S. Thanks to GOOD.is for sharing the graphic.
What would you change about how the public learns about health and how health information is disseminated? please share your thoughts!
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