Moving Americans Toward Better Health Habits

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) hosted “Beyond More Health Insurance Coverage, toward Better Health Outcomes” last Wednesday to discuss health-related issues ranging from health education to disease treatment and prevention.

Panelist Michael McGinnis of the Institute of Medicine discussed the option of utilizing prevention strategies to improve health and save lives. McGinnis addressed many of the leading killers of Americans including heart disease and tobacco addiction. “Diet and physical inactivity” lead to the deaths of 350,000 people per year, according to his presentation.

Another speaker addressed the importance of enforcing healthy habits during an individual’s childhood years.

“Good health habits begin at childhood,” said Edward Hill of the World Medical Association. “Health education works, but it needs to be sequential, age appropriate, and taught by trained health professionals.”

Hill believes that Americans need to make health a priority in their lives.

“America needs to wake up,” Hill said. “We as a society have to be much more proactive and not just reactive when it comes to health.”

Audra Taylor is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.