http://parkinglotexpressions.com/Lifestyles/is-changing-lifestyles-the-least-costly-way-to-improve-population-health-status/ how to enjoy life regardless... Sun, 25 Sep 2011 20:43:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 http://parkinglotexpressions.com/Lifestyles/is-changing-lifestyles-the-least-costly-way-to-improve-population-health-status/comment-page-1/#comment-442 betron Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:33:45 +0000 http://parkinglotexpressions.com/Lifestyles/is-changing-lifestyles-the-least-costly-way-to-improve-population-health-status/#comment-442 A person can change from a healthy lifestyle to an unhealthy one (drinking, smoking, drug-use, promiscuity, poor diet, etc.). Such a change in lifestyle *could* cause long-run decreases in public health (car accidents, risky surgeries, clogging up emergency rooms if the unhealthy has no insurance, not paying medical bills, depriving emergency rooms the capability to purchase contemporary equipment at the expense of patients' health)... A person can change from a healthy lifestyle to an unhealthy one (drinking, smoking, drug-use, promiscuity, poor diet, etc.). Such a change in lifestyle *could* cause long-run decreases in public health (car accidents, risky surgeries, clogging up emergency rooms if the unhealthy has no insurance, not paying medical bills, depriving emergency rooms the capability to purchase contemporary equipment at the expense of patients’ health)…

]]> http://parkinglotexpressions.com/Lifestyles/is-changing-lifestyles-the-least-costly-way-to-improve-population-health-status/comment-page-1/#comment-441 kathy_is Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:58:54 +0000 http://parkinglotexpressions.com/Lifestyles/is-changing-lifestyles-the-least-costly-way-to-improve-population-health-status/#comment-441 I would agree with the sentiment. As a wellness professional for over 30 years, I can tell you that effecting significant lifestyle change on a societal level is VERY difficult. It's not just a matter of changing the behavior. It's a matter of effecting permanent changes in the work, societal, personal, and family environment that are needed to support the desired changes (versus putting up obstacles to those changes). Short of draconian legislation, i.e., MANDATING healthy behavior, how can you do that without expending significant amounts of money in advertising, education, counseling, administrative, and environmental changes? And if the changes become too heavy-handed, you have the rebound phenomenon of people who embrace the negative behaviors BECAUSE the positive behaviors are being pushed so hard. So while changing lifestyles at the population level is certainly possible in theory, the application is much more complex... and likely costly. I would agree with the sentiment. As a wellness professional for over 30 years, I can tell you that effecting significant lifestyle change on a societal level is VERY difficult. It’s not just a matter of changing the behavior. It’s a matter of effecting permanent changes in the work, societal, personal, and family environment that are needed to support the desired changes (versus putting up obstacles to those changes).
Short of draconian legislation, i.e., MANDATING healthy behavior, how can you do that without expending significant amounts of money in advertising, education, counseling, administrative, and environmental changes? And if the changes become too heavy-handed, you have the rebound phenomenon of people who embrace the negative behaviors BECAUSE the positive behaviors are being pushed so hard.
So while changing lifestyles at the population level is certainly possible in theory, the application is much more complex… and likely costly.

]]>