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Health & Medicine
Americans Continue to Struggle in the Battle to Change Unhealthy Behaviors
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
48 kbps |
96 kbps
(79 seconds)
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(OPEN):
ACCORDING TO THE JUST-RELEASED "20TH-ANNIVERSARY EDITION" OF
"AMERICA'S HEALTH RANKINGS", THE NATION'S HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM HAS
BECOME EXTREMELY ADEPT AT DISEASE-TREATMENT--BUT NOT PREVENTION:
AMERICANS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE IN THE BATTLE TO CHANGE UNHEALTHY
BEHAVIORS--SUCH AS SMOKING, POOR EATING-HABITS, AND LACK OF
EXERCISE--THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING TRILLIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF
CHRONIC, PREVENTABLE DISEASES. DOCTOR REED TUCKSON, OF
UNITED HEALTH FOUNDATION, EXPLAINS HOW THE FINDINGS ARE
ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT, AS THE DEBATE OVER HEALTH-CARE REFORM CONTINUES...
(TUCKSON):
"WHAT 'AMERICA'S HEALTH RANKINGS' HAS SEEN, OVER THE LAST 20
YEARS, IS--NUMBER ONE--THAT TOBACCO CONTINUES TO BE THE NUMBER-ONE
PREVENTABLE RISK-FACTOR, FOR DEATH AND DISEASE, IN THIS
COUNTRY--EXHORTING AN EXTRAORDINARY TOLL, IN MISERY, SUFFERING, BUT ALSO
ASSOCIATED HEALTH-CARE COSTS. WHAT WE ARE NOW SEEING IS THAT
OBESITY IS QUICKLY EMERGING TO BE CO-EQUAL, TO TOBACCO, IN CONCERN
AROUND PRODUCING PREVENTABLE-DISEASE. IN 10 YEARS’ TIME, IT IS OUR
ESTIMATION THAT THERE'LL BE 100-MILLION AMERICAN ADULTS WHO WILL
BE OBESE. AND, WE KNOW THAT THE DIRECT MEDICAL-COST ASSOCIATED
WITH THOSE FOLKS' INCIDENCE OF OBESITY WILL APPROXIMATE 340-BILLION
DOLLARS."
(CLOSE):
FOR MORE INFORMATION, SPECIFIC TO YOUR STATE--AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO BE
HEALTHY--VISIT
W-W-W-DOT-"AMERICA'S-HEALTH-RANKINGS"-DOT-ORG.
