How the bad economy is encouraging bad habits - and how health officials are fighting back
By Elizabeth Cooney, Globe Correspondent | July 20, 2009
As if it wasn’t hard enough to lose weight, along comes this relentless recession to make it even more challenging.
Fattening foods are cheaper and easier to find than healthier fare. People are working longer hours for less pay, taking second jobs to make up lost earnings, and struggling to maintain a gym membership - or all three. Worrying about work translates into wider waistlines, it turns out, mostly for people who are already overweight. Oh, and losing sleep, too? That’ll add on the pounds, as well.
While it’s giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “the weight of the recession,’’ it has also presented doctors and health officials with an opportunity to remind people that healthy choices can be made in boom times and in bad times.
State and national health experts say it’s too soon to tell if the anemic economy is boosting obesity. But healthcare providers and exercise experts are seeing changes they tie to tighter times, for better or worse. Whether people turn to fast food because it’s what they can afford or skip exercise because they’re starved for time, the result can be unhealthy weight gain.
“There certainly are dangers during these difficult economic times,’’ John Auerbach, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, said. “It becomes more challenging for people to try to eat the healthiest foods or exercise regularly. It is an issue we are concerned about.’’ Click here to read more.
No comments:
Post a Comment