TO GET PEOPLE TO EAT THEIR FRUIT AND VEG, MAKE THEM CHEAPER
“Eat your fruits and veggies!” is one of the simplest and possibly most futile messages in public health. Mass marketing campaigns could help, but to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, the cost of these nutritious foods has to decrease. Policies that reduce prices of fruits and vegetables by 30% have the potential to increase consumption by 42% and save over 450,000 lives between 2015 and 2030.
CIVIL UNREST AND MATERNAL DEPRESSION
The 2015 civil unrest in Baltimore after Freddie Gray’s death resulted in an increase in depressive symptoms among mothers raising young families close to the site of Gray’s arrest. Of the 1095 mothers surveyed, 50% of those living in nearby neighborhoods had acute and significant depression following the state of emergency in the city. Depression symptoms remained high for five months. Civil unrest stresses the daily function of mothers and young children who are not directly involved in neighborhood disturbances. Community outreach and mental health resources are critical following such events.
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A DROWSY NATION
A report from the United Health Foundation shows that 50 to 70 million adults in the United States are not getting enough sleep. The Healthy People 2020 goal is to increase the percentage of adults who receive adequate sleep to 70.8% by 2020 (up from 69.6% in 2008). So far, Americans are heading in the wrong direction. As of 2015, 66.5% of adults were getting the sleep required to keep them happy and healthy.
According to the report, getting the recommended amount of sleep is associated with better physical and mental health. Individuals earning more than $75,000 had better sleep patterns than those earning less than $25,000. Adults older than 65 also tend to sleep better than those under 65. As the map above shows, people living in the Midwest and West slept more than those living in the East.
For college students, graduation does not guarantee more sleep. Less than 30% of college grads get adequate sleep, compared with 37.1% of those with a high school diploma alone.
Sleep disorders, sleep deprivation, and sleepiness cost the United States around $15.9 billion per year due to accidents, lost productivity, and health problems ranging from obesity and diabetes to cancer and depression.
Map from America's Health Rankings Annual Report, 2017, p. 95
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