Healthcare spending in the United States is expected to reach $1.9 trillion during 2005. One out of every six to seven dollars is spent on healthcare. But all that money hasn't done much to increase the health of Americans.
According to the Institute of Medicine, as much as 95 percent of the healthcare spending in the United States is directed toward medical care and biomedical research, leaving only five percent for investments that preserve health. Yet, the origins of heart disease and stroke, cancer, and diabetes are grounded in lifestyles people engage in for years before the actual onset of disease.
"There isn't a single measure in which the U.S. excels in the health arena. We spend half of the world's healthcare bill and we are less healthy than all the other rich countries," says Dr. Stephen Bezruchka of the School of Public Health at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Behaviors like tobacco use, poor diet, obesity, and lack of physical activity in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood put people at increased risk for chronic diseases and disabilities. These preventable causes of death and disability rob too many adults of productive days and years of life, and rob their friends and families of their contribution.
20- to 49-year-olds
- In 2004, approximately five million Americans ages 20 to 49 were unable to work due to health problems. Poor health limited the work of another three million.
- Nearly 800,000 people in this age group had health problems so severe they needed help with daily activities like bathing, eating, and dressing.
- Poor eating habits, combined with a lack of exercise, result in nearly 17 percent of all deaths in the United States among this age group.
- Twelve million years of productive life were lost in this age group due to premature death.
Age 50 and Older
- More than 22 million Americans in this age group are limited in their ability to perform daily tasks such as bathing, eating, and dressing. A shocking 96 percent are restricted because of one or more chronic conditions.
- Nearly 90 percent of people age 65 and older - roughly 32 million Americans - have at least one chronic health condition.
How to Resist Disease
Nearly 40 percent of all deaths in the United States result from heart disease and stroke - which are linked to smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet, or alcohol misuse. You don't have to be a statistic for poor health and disease. Adopting healthy behaviors such as eating nutritious foods, being physically active regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding tobacco use, and developing good mental health habits can prevent or control the devastating effects of many of this country's leading causes of death.
It's never too late to pay attention to your health and live a healthy lifestyle. Put more effort into health and wellness, and you'll likely spend less money on sickness care. |
