Prevention Matters

Americans are working harder than ever to be healthy. We have been obsessed with fitness, diet and health for many years, yet our obesity and diabetes rates are skyrocketing. Obesity related diseases include gall bladder disease, strokes, neurodegeneration, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and osteoarthritis just to name a few.Take a look at these alarming statistics, and you’ll understand why prevention matters.· The American Heart Association reports that the estimated prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults is 68.2% in the U.S. Men and women of all race/ethnic groups in the population are affected by the epidemic. 31.8% of children are overweight and obese.· The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing dramatically over time, in parallel with the increases in prevalence of overweight and obesity.· Seven out of 10 Americans will experience a heart attack, stroke or cancer by the age of 65. The average age of a heart attack, stroke or cancer is 43. Most will survive and many will go bankrupt.· The Social Security Administration reports that over 6.8 million Americans are receiving Social Security disability benefits.  Almost half are under the age of 50.Research from the Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSi) shows that from 1960 – 2010, U.S. healthcare spending grew a whopping 818% while the GDP grew 168% during the same time period. It is not clear how long our economy can continue to support the disproportionate growth in health care spending.Results from the 2012 Survey on Employer Health Benefit Plans conducted by Oliver Wyman Health & Life Sciences Practice shows that American companies know that if current trends continue, they can’t. Of more than 1300 employers that participated in the survey, nearly two-thirds believe that the cost of providing health coverage is unsustainable in the long term at current rates of medical inflation. On October 12, 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported that Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Sears will be giving vouchers to employees to shop for health insurance.With our health care system as broken as it is, the best way to get premium health care is to accept responsibility for your health. The cost benefit of preventive health care has never been so critical. Prevention is the most effective and common-sense way to improve health and reduce health care costs.
Would you rather fix a broken glass or prevent it from breaking?