How do you relate to a 60 year old grandma that being 50% overweight is a risk? Do you tell her that she’s twice at risk for heart disease, diabetes, or colon cancer?
No, I don’t think the average individual can conceptualize the above diseases. Sure we’re all aware of the illnesses, but the actual effects are hard to put into frame.
The health industry certainly doesn’t lack information; health risk assessments have well been established. What is needed is a bridge, a verbiage from which average citizens can take health information and ask "what does that mean for me and my family?"
One way to do this is to make the assessment personal. Take smoking for example; if a 55 year old grandpa is a smoker, he can expect to lose at least 5 years off of his life. If the average male lives to be 70 years old, this grandpa can only expect to live until 65. Now let’s say that grandfather has a two-year old grand-daughter. In the end, this grandfather can reasonably expect to miss his granddaughter’s high school graduation.
Lung cancer may mean nothing, missing a graduation may mean everything. We must learn to build bridges.
June 28th, 2007 at 3:51 am
Actually, studies show that being obese as an elderly person correlates to increased longevity.
Take a look at junkfoodscience.com sometime. It’s a good read.