Californians support soda warning label, new poll shows
Both Republicans and Democrats robustly support labels warning that sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay, according to a Field Poll released Thursday. Two-thirds of Republicans and 80 percent of Democrats favored adding the labels to the sugary products, as did three-quarters of independent voters. The findings, which…
Read MoreFeeling in control? It could add years to your life.
I’ve long wondered if outlook could change one’s life expectancy odds, since part of what accounts for discrepancies in life spans relates to a sense of control. That’s why those higher on the social ladder live longer, even if those just below them on the rung have safe homes, good food, medical care, etc. More…
Read MoreWhy Timeliness Confers Power
On Monday night I sat in on a community organizing action in Del Norte County in Northern California, as part of my reporting on a book project on community health. And organizing community members so they make their voices heard – effectively – is one sure way to improve a community’s well being, as collective…
Read MoreDeadly Discrimination
Beware of the small slights in life. Over a lifetime they add up to major loss of health, physical and mental, warns David R. Williams, a professor of public health, sociology and African and African-American studies at Harvard University. For decades Williams has studied the connection between racism and diminished health. Recently his work percolated…
Read MoreLifespans for Rural Americans Lagging Behind Urban Counterparts
Living in a bucolic rural area may seem like a good prescription for health, but new data shows that rural Americans are paying a price in shortened life expectancy for living in America’s hinterlands. In part it’s because only 17 percent of Americans live in rural areas, and they don’t have quite the advocacy voice…
Read MoreEnough young adults signed up for ACA to prevent “death spiral”
Gail Wilensky, PhD, an economist and Senior Fellow at Project HOPE, an international health foundation, wrote a blog today that sheds light on just who has signed up for the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). This ran in the JAMA Forum, a team of leading health economists, health policy experts and legal scholars who to provide…
Read MoreDr. Martin Luther King on health care equity. It’s related, but different from health equity.
In 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King ad-libbed a line in a speech in Chicago to the Medical Committee for Human Rights, saying, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” Almost 50 years later, as attention increasingly turns toward shrinking the gap in disease rates and life…
Read MoreDel Norte Parents Push for More Vocational Training
On a recent November evening, Del Norte County residents streamed into the Crescent City Cultural Center, a rustic-themed building with soaring wood-beamed ceilings that’s one of the Northern California city’s best gathering places. A large yellow school bus also pulled up, with “School Success Express” and images of students printed on its side. It carried…
Read MoreSleep patterns and social disparities
Only those living in neighborhoods that are part of gang territory can understand the challenge of getting a good night’s sleep. Gun shots going off at all hours aren’t uncommon, residents have told me, and after sundown road racing and squealing tires break the quiet. For many, anxiety never fully recedes that a stray bullet…
Read MoreDon’t Hammer with Facts to Shift Thinking – Share Stories
As a journalist covering climate change, I would invariably hear from skeptics of climate change. They didn’t believe the facts that virtually every credible scientist is certain of – human activity is releasing enough carbon dioxide and methane to dangerously warm the planet. And no amount of discussion really makes any difference, as we’ve seen…
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