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Showing posts with label HEALTH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HEALTH. Show all posts
19 January 2018
3 March 2017
TAXING JUNK FOOD
A tax on junk food is
the way to fight the childhood obesity crisis
Foods high in salt, sugar and fat should be
taxed to discourage unhealthy eating and slow rates of childhood obesity.
It is well established that children growing up
in the UK are much more likely to be overweight or obese than those in other
European countries. As a result they are much more likely to grow up suffering
a catalogue of health problems linked to being overweight. Many of the next
generations will be vulnerable to conditions like type II diabetes, heart
disease and high blood pressure, along with associated implications such as
poor sleep quality, painful knees and backs, and higher infertility rates.
If we are to change these trends we
must ensure that interventions for tackling the obesity crisis are concentrated
in those areas where they are most needed, making healthy choices – whether
through nutrition or exercise – easy.
Specific taxation on foods high in salt, sugar
and fat is one way to help fight the obesity epidemic.
Worrying data
The latest statistics from the Health and
Social Care Information Centre showed that children in the UK are continuing to
get fatter, with one-fifth of children aged between four and five and one-third
of children aged between 10 and 11 now overweight or obese. Furthermore,
children from lower income families were identified as being most at risk. A
quarter of all children aged 10 or 11 in the most deprived areas of England are
overweight compared with one in eight in the wealthiest parts of the country.
Cheap as chips
Although some grocery prices have recently gone
down in the UK, healthy, fresh food is often more expensive to buy than fast
food. For example, 2kg of potatoes are priced at £2 compared with 82p for
stored-brand chips at one supermarket chain. A pack of two fresh chicken breasts
at the same supermarket costs approximately £3 before the cost of spices or
sauces used to cook with it, compared with a pre-prepared and ready-to-heat
curry at just 95p. Many 2-for-1 offers and multi-buy options in supermarkets
are for unhealthy products such as cakes, sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks, so
for low-income families, healthy food is a difficult option. This dilemma has
been clearly demonstrated by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, an independent
microeconomic research institute, whose analysis showed families reducing their
expenditure on food purchase cheaper and less nutritious alternatives.
So why, in a country where obesity is estimated
to cost the NHS £5bn a year, does most junk food remain cheaper than healthier
alternatives?
For too long the UK’s coalition government has
been gently “nudging” people to make healthier choices through traditional
campaigns such as Change4Life and “5-a-day”, but reviews of these approaches
indicate a consistent problem relating to the funds available to families to
spend on food.
Hard-line measures
required
If we are to get to grips with the obesity
crisis, policy initiatives are required to make the healthy choice a more
affordable choice. One such measure is to tax foods high in salt, sugar and
fat.
Some countries including Hungary, for example,
already do this. The strategy is not always popular and some research suggests
it isn’t immediately effective. But there is considerable evidence that fiscal
measures such as taxation not only lower the consumption of unhealthy foods,
but are also cost-effective over the longer term.
For many people, such a food tax is seen as hitting
those least able to afford it, but there are a number of ways this kind of tax
could be implemented, rather than just a VAT-type tax on individual
ingredients. One method incentivises manufacturers to adjust their prices to
promote healthier alternatives and smaller portion sizes. To do this,
government would need to excise a ‘SASS’ (salt, alcohol, sugar, saturated fat)
tax on each gram of saturated fat, salt and sugar.
To illustrate, taxes on tobacco have certainly
had an impact on behaviour. According to campaigning charity Action on Smoking
and Health the price of tobacco has increased by 80.2% between 2003-2013,
making it 22.1% less affordable. The proportion of household expenditure on
tobacco has decreased from 3.6% 1980 to 1.8% in 2013.
The UK Government could also look to New York,
Mexico, Hungary and France, where authorities have introduced a tax on
high-sugar carbonated soft drinks to much acclaim.
Soft drinks, causing obesity and tooth decay,
are the biggest source of sugar for children. The latest NHS figures show that
about 25,800 children aged between five and nine are admitted to hospital with
tooth decay each year. This has rocketed by 14% in just three years. It is
therefore logical to tax this food ingredient first.
Beyond taxation
Of course, fiscal measures alone are unlikely
to prevent obesity. Collective action is required from many groups, including
healthcare professionals, the government, parents, food manufacturers,
supermarkets and advertisers.
If we want to get it right, data suggest we
need to begin early in a child’s life. We must educate children on what
constitutes a healthy meal and teach them how and what to cook at a much
younger age. We also need to ensure all school meals, regardless of whether
they are served in an academy, free school or state school, meet strict
nutritional standards. It is encouraging that this policy is now in place for
newly established free schools and academies, but we must make sure that those
existing schools that have not yet made the transition to a healthier school
menu catch up quickly.
Outside the classroom,
we need to look at other factors that affect children’s food choices.
Advertising has a powerful influence on
children’s food choices, parents’ purchase behaviour and, ultimately,
consumption. This effect means we need a ban on fast-food advertising before
the 9pm watershed in addition to a restriction on new fast-food outlets being
established within short distances of schools and colleges. Local authorities
must consider the impact on health and well-being when they are planning new
developments so that children have safe places to play and exercise.
A concerted and collaborative effort is needed
if we are to reduce the UK’s obesity rates. Interventions must target greatest
need; healthy choices must become easier choices facilitated by policies such
as fat and sugar taxes. There must be an expansion of work with young children
to teach them the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. Only by
taking all these actions will we be able to slow the UK’s obesity rate.
source: http://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/opinion/comment/a-tax-on-junk-food-is-the-way-to-fight-the-childhood-obesity-crisis/20067771.article
FURTHER READING: Debate: Should higher taxes be placed on junk food?
FURTHER READING: Debate: Should higher taxes be placed on junk food?
27 January 2016
Is fast food killing off Spain’s famed Mediterranean diet?
http://elpais.com/elpais/2015/07/14/inenglish/1436884922_083159.html
22 November 2015
9 November 2014
Nursing assistant who contracted Ebola speaks after doctors discharge her
Medical team admits they can’t pinpoint what cured Teresa Romero. ELENA G. SEVILLANO / EL PAÍS Madrid 5 NOV 2014
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Teresa Romero is kissed by husband Javier Limón during a press conference on Wednesday.
The Spanish nursing assistant who became the first person outside of West Africa to contract Ebola appeared before the press on Wednesday morning after being discharged from hospital. After more than a month of treatment, Teresa Romero has been given the definitive all-clear by her medical team.
An emotional but at all times in control Romero appeared before a press scrum at Carlos III Hospital in Madrid, where she spent nearly the whole of October in isolation. Also present at the press conference was her husband Javier Limón.
“I’m here to give you my thanks, but I’m still very weak,” Romero said, before reading a statement in which she thanked her doctors, her family and the public for their messages and letters of support.
“I don’t know what went wrong,” she said in reference to her infection. “I don’t even know if something did go wrong. All I know is that I’m not bitter and I’m not blaming anyone.”
Romero was PART of the medical team at Carlos III Hospital who treated two Spanish missionaries who had been repatriated from western Africa after contracting Ebola. It is still not known exactly how she became infected with the virus.
The 44-year-old also requested to be “left in peace” as she continues her recovery, and said that she hoped her contagion had “served some purpose” with regard to “research of the disease.” “If my blood can be used to cure other people, here I am,” she said, her statements prompting regular outbreaks of applause.
PART of Romero’s treatment involved transfusions of blood plasma taken from a missionary who had survived the virus, to whom she also offered thanks.
After concluding her brief statement, her husband Javier Limón continued to speak on her behalf, reading a text prepared by Romero regarding their dog, Excalibur. The pet was put down by regional authorities because of the risk that it may have been infected with Ebola, despite conflicting medical opinions as to whether that was possible, and an international outcry among animal rights groups and the general public over the decision.
Limón criticized the decision to destroy the pet, pointing out that the dog of an Ebola victim in the United States was not destroyed, and has since been reunited with its owner.
“Complicated month for everyone”
The doctors who treated Romero at Carlos III spoke earlier on Wednesday morning of her “great professionalism” and the interest she took in the more than 100 medical staff who took care of her. During a press conference, the general director of the hospital, Rafael Pérez-Santamarina, celebrated the “great news” that Romero’s release from care represented, after a “complicated month for everyone.”
José Ramón Arribas, the head of the infectious diseases unit, stressed the fact that the 44-year-old nursing assistant was being released with “no risk of contagion.” She can, he continued, “lead a perfectly normal life,” but underlined that she had not entirely recovered from her ordeal. “We need to give her time so that she can completely recover from such a dramatic event,” he said.
The specialist went on to explain that the treatment of the patient had provided the doctors with some “very important lessons.” Arribas confirmed that Romero was treated with the antiviral drug Favipiravir and serum from a cured patient.
But another member of the team, Doctor Marta Arsuaga, explained that it was difficult to pinpoint exactly which treatment had worked in the case of Romero, and stressed that her immune system had “a lot to do” with her recovery. “We cannot say what has cured Teresa,” she concluded.
Migrants with fever kept on beach for five hours over Ebola concerns
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TXEMA SANTANA Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 6 NOV 2014
A group of masked police officers watch the immigrants on Maspalomas beach.
A group of 23 undocumented migrants spent nearly five hours on a beach in Maspalomas, on the Canary Island of Gran Canaria, on Wednesday while Spanish authorities decided whether to activate Ebola protocols.
Regional and national health authorities are blaming each other for the delay, alleging it was the other’s responsibility to deal with the situation.
The African migrants had arrived on a small boat shortly before 9am, and were promptly assisted by Red Cross volunteers, who took their temperature and saw that six of them were running a high fever.
The non-profit organization decided to activate its own Ebola protocol and asked for help from the regional health department. During the four hours that doctors took to arrive, volunteers left face masks, food and water bottles on the sand for the immigrants.
Meanwhile, local police made sure nobody got closer than 20 meters to the migrants. The officers themselves wore face masks and gloves but short sleeves.
When public health service doctors showed up, they questioned the migrants to find out whether they had recently been in Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea, the countries most directly affected by Ebola, and gave them the all-clear.
The four weakest individuals were taken away for medical treatment in a Red Cross jeep. The rest were loaded on to the back of a truck used for beach cleaning and driven to the local police precinct for identification prior to the beginning of deportation proceedings.
Red Cross coordinator José Antonio Rodríguez complained that a garbage truck was no way to transport human beings, while the mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Marco Aurelio Pérez, said no other four-wheel-drive vehicle large enough to carry so many people over the sandy terrain had been available.
“We had to get those men off the beach quickly, they’d been there five hours,” he said.
A similar case took place on October 1 at the holding center in Aluche, Madrid, where undocumented migrants were isolated for 19 hours without food on suspicion that some of them might have Ebola.
24 October 2014
EBOLA AND PETS (ARTICLE AND VIDEO WITH SCRIPT)
Dog of Dallas nurse raises questions about Ebola and pets (click on the link to watch the video)
The Dallas Morning News is reporting that Bentley, Nina Pham's dog, has tested negative for Ebola. The dog will continue to be monitored for the full 21-day period, the same as the human guidelines for those exposed to Ebola.
Texas nurse Nina Pham is the first person to contract Ebola within the U.S. She's currently being treated at a Dallas hospital — but what will happen to her pet dog?
It was the same question raised in response to a nurse who contracted Ebola in Spain. The Madrid later government made the decision to have the woman's dog euthanized, over fears it could be a carrier of the virus.
But it seems Pham's dog will avoid that same fate. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told USA Today the dog will be kept safe and quarantined in another location while Pham is treated. Her apartment is also being decontaminated.
The Dallas Police Department has even been keeping the public updated on the dog during this process.
Ebola outbreak facts
But why is there so much attention on a furry friend? Some media outlets note what happened in Spain versus the States highlights what experts don't know.
The reality is — there's not a lot of information about the risk of Ebola in animals or whether humans can even become infected by domesticated pets.
Here's what we do know — The Washington Post points out Ebola can spread to humans by way of other mammals. One possible way is by eating infected meat. But it's still unclear whether dogs transmit Ebola through bodily fluids in the same way humans do.
A medical expert tells CNN this shouldn't worry anyone. "Pets have not been a feature of Ebola spread, whether in Africa and certainly not here in the developed world."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been no reported Ebola sicknesses in dogs or cats so far. Probably because there isn't even a known test available for animals.
As for why the dog in Spain was euthanized, the International Society for Infectious Diseases says, "In some legal systems, as in the law of the European Union, the application of the precautionary principle has been made a statutory requirement in some areas of law."
Nina Pham continues to receive treatment as her dog is kept safe. She says she is currently doing well after receiving a blood transfusion.
15 October 2014
SPANISH NURSE INFECTED WITH EBOLA
Click on the link to listen to the news
SCRIPT
Spanish officer authorities are saying now that they are monitoring 3 more potential cases of Ebola in Spain today after a nurses’ assistant became the first person to contract the deadly virus outside Africa during this epidemic. Authorities say the nurse’s assistant helped treat two Ebola stricken priests after they returned to Spain from two countries at the centre of the crisis. Both patients died, in fact, other doctors and nurses say the priests were almost dead upon arrival back in the country which is in itself raising all kinds of questions about why the priests were moved in the first place.
Spanish authorities have even announced that they will put down the infected woman’s dog because some research shows there is a risk that dogs could transmit the virus to humans . CNN Isa Soares is live for us in Madrid Spain. Isa, what is the latest on this patient’s condition?
Hi Jake, yes, well, what we know is that she’s doing ok given the severity obviously of Ebola. We know from doctors here that she is on an IV drip with antibodies from other Ebola survivors. We also know that she is receiving an anti-viral drug that is being recommended by the World Health Organization. But today, Jake it hasn’t been so much about this auxiliary nurse, it has in fact been about the protests here on the streets. Perhaps the fact that this hospital behind me wasn’t ready to receive or to deal with Ebola in the first place. We have seen protests and protests yesterday, we have seen protests today, we are expecting to see protests tomorrow people from nurses to really trade unions. Unions that have come up today telling CNN that this hospital didn’t have the means, the capacity to deal with this and they basically told CNN that the equipment that they had really wasn’t up to scratch, it wasn’t up to the standard of the World Health Organisation. One trade union basically say it didn’t have a clothing that had a level 4 biological security and basically, what it means is that, it wasn’t fully water proof, it wasn’t fully impermeable. Also said they didn’t have an independent breathing apparatus. This has also come out in main newspapers here, El País, a very well-known newspaper here, where really health workers have been telling El País instead of having a level 4 equipment rather, they had a level 2, so very, very poor, substandard and in fact they had latex gloves and their gloves were bound with adhesive tape. So all these really puts into perspective why we’re seeing three more suspected cases of Ebola here. They are trying to figure out this hospital wasn’t in fact ready and nurses here tour telling CNN Jake that back in July they signed a letter and took it to court basically saying “ if anyone comes to Spain, if anyone is brought from west Africa, we will not have the means to deal with this. So the warnings signs were there Jake.
10 April 2012
SLEEP DEBT
IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP (ARTICLE)
REDUCING YOUR SLEEP DEBT (ARTICLE + VIDEO)
SLEEP DEBT TIED TO ATTENTION TROUBLE IN TEENS (ARTICLE)
SLEEP DEBT IS DANGEROUS (ARTICLE)
DANGERS OF DROWSY DRIVING (ARTICLE)
CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT DROWSY DRIVING (ARTICLE)
SLEEPY DRIVERS AS DANGEROUS AS DRUNK DRIVERS (ARTICLE)
20 February 2012
OVERWEIGHT PASSENGERS. SHOULD THEY BE CHARGED MORE?
TOO FAT TO FLY? DEALING WITH PASSENGERS OF SIZE (ARTICLE)
Discussing overweight passengers is like discussing politics or religion around the Thanksgiving dinner table with family: generally not a good idea.
When I saw the picture above, though, I felt compelled to address the issue. The picture you see was allegedly taken by an American Airlines flight attendant. Since bins are open and people are standing up, it appears it was taken during boarding.
I think we can all agree that allowing a passenger to protrude halfway into the aisle is clearly a safety violation. I also think it is safe to assume that the passenger was re-seated before takeoff to a row with an open middle seat.
Most U.S. airlines, including United and American, will not charge passengers of size (POS) for an extra seat as long as there are other open seats on the plane. I support this policy because I see no reason to castigate a POS further, especially when obesity is not always wholly dependent on lifestyle choice.
The problem arises when a flight is full and an airline is left with the choice of letting a POS literally occupy 1.5-2 Economy seats by allowing the arm rest to stay up and squeezing the other passengers in the row or having to VDB or even IDB a passenger to accommodate the POS. In such cases, I think an airline must give the POS the choice of stepping off the flight and waiting for the next one with an extra seat or paying for an extra ticket, perhaps at a lower cost.
Some posit that airline seats are too small and POS have no other alternatives. I disagree. United offers Economy Plus and First Class on most mainline domestic flights and Economy Plus, Business, and First Class on most international flights. Furthermore, it is not like airlines can easily (or even not so easily) install couches or rotund lazy boy recliners in their planes. To mandate that airlines compromise and dismantle a well-planned seating arrangements to accommodate a tiny sliver of the flying public is no more reasonable than arguing that an airline must make half-size seats available to compact people and only charge half-price for them.
Another analogy might be passenger baggage. Are bigger passengers allowed a higher weight allowance on checked bag? Of course not. They pay the same price as others and must abide by the same weight limits. Why should it be any different with onboard seating?
In some cases, like the picture above, any airplane seat (short of Singapore's A380 suites) would likely be too small for the passenger. In such cases, I believe a carrier should reserve the right to refuse passage on the grounds of passenger safety--both for the POS and others.
Am I missing something? How do you propose airlines deal with POS? Unfortunately, it is a growing problem in America. No pun intended.
9 February 2012
OBESITY (NEWS)
WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE OBESE
JOB DISCRIMINATION BY OBESITY
MORBIDLY OBESE MAY HAVE MISSING GENES
"FATSHION" BLOGS DEFIANTLY CELEBRATE PLUS-SIZE COUTURE
OBESE CHILDREN REJECT SURGERY
MICHELLE OBAMA LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN ON CHILD OBESITY
CHILD OBESITY TRENDS SUGGEST "CLASS DIVIDE IS EMERGING"
GPs STUGGLE WITH CHILD OBESITY
UK IS WARNED OVER OBESITY LEVELS
OBESITY SPREADS AMONG THE YOUNG
OBESITY NOT INDIVIDUAL'S FAULT
SURGERY TO TACKLE RISING OBESITY
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