Assignment #3

We were given an article to read that expressed the effectiveness of United States to take care of different healthcare measures; these measures were compared to twenty-nine other nations. The healthcare measures include health resources, health spending, healthcare activities, and risk factors.

There were a couple of health measures that I find to be very surprising. The first is one the listed risk factors, “tobacco consumption as a percentage of population 15 and over who are daily smokers.” In this category, the United States registers as the lowest. Even though the public health programs in the United States have employed many different forms of awareness, attempted the early prevention of smoking, and have had success in these endeavors, it is still difficult to fathom that out of the twenty-nine countries involved, the United States has the lowest rating. I think my shock in this matter has to do with the general connotation of extreme overindulgence being rampant in America. Though we are a prosperous nation, we have many vices, and because of that one might naturally expect the United States to rate highest in the negative categories that have to do with harmful indulgences.

The other health measure category result I found surprising was the fact that United States rates below average in “doctor consultants per capita” as compared with Japan having the highest rating. Japan and United States are around the same level of medical cognition and capabilities, that is if Japan is not a bit higher to due to its steady progression in technology. Because of this I would think that the doctor consultants per capita for the two countries would be almost even. Does this mean that the overall population in the United States is healthier and does not have as much need to consult a doctor. Or is it the result of lack of healthcare for all in the United States that may prohibit some individuals from seeking medical assistance?

There was one particular risk factor that I did not find surprising at all; this being the category about obesity in which the United States was rated the highest. For the past few years public health programs have been stressing the fact that this nation is undergoing an obesity epidemic. It has even been emphasized in our Introduction to Public Health lectures how large of an issue obesity has become in the United States.

If I were a public health professional working for the CDC, looking at the aforementioned health measures, I would think that population obesity would have the greatest potential future effect on the public's health. I believe this because its risk factor is increasing as the years go on, and obesity leads to so many dangerous health issues such as heart disease and immobility in the case of extreme morbid obesity. If populations keep spiraling down in this negative direction by letting the obesity rate grow, costs will rise in insurance, medical costs and many other areas. I propose that, to avoid this detriment, the FDA be given the authority to impose stricter policies. Canned foods should be prohibited from adding unnecessary amounts of salt in their contents just as an increased preservative. The first interest should be that of the consumer. In the same light, I believe the government should the give FDA the power to require the calorie amounts of every item in restaurants world wide. This has been employed in select places around the country, but there is no reason why it should not be mandated everywhere.