Anti-smoking losing out to anti-obesity campaigns
Here's a look at some of the top health news being talked about around the U.S. and the world today:
• Anti-smoking campaigns are losing out as the wars against obesity suck attention and public health dollars away, the New York Times reported.
• A healthy bit of socialization in a person's life can do a body good, Time is reporting. According to a new study published Tuesday in the journal PLoS Medicine, researchers found those with poor social ties had 50 percent higher odds of death in follow-ups than those with stronger social lives - a comparable difference to that seen in smokers and non-smokers.
• Could the Internet help you lose weight? According to a study publisehd in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, long-term weight loss from interactive website partipation is possible.
Tina Reed covers health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.
Comments
amlive
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 7:13 a.m.
Good to hear. Smoking is certainly disgusting, unhealthy, and costs our society a great deal. It makes for an easy target as a public villain because it is such an obvious blight, and that's convenient for launching a campaign against it. That's a good thing. Still, obesity is by far a greater problem and challenge to our society today, and its costs far outweigh those linked to smoking. We've spent a good deal of money in public anti-smoking campaigns, and I think have effectively reached a great number of people. Hopefully a trend has been set in motion that will continue naturally by social pressures without so much public funding. I think it's a good time to switch focus from beating down the 800 pound tobacco gorilla to tackling the 1-ton obesity one.