The Potential of Prevention

There's only so much that we, as soon-to-be health officials, researchers, doctors, pharmacists, dentists, etc., can do on the prevention front. We are all well aware of the impact of smoking on lung cancer, but how effective have campaigns targeting tobacco control actually been? People haven't stopped smoking and they won't stop. So then the question becomes: Why should we invest millions upon millions of dollars into something like that when it may only turn away a small percentage of individuals?

Similarly, eating healthy and exercising is a known way to prevent obesity. When was the last time you've seen an obese individual? How many people actually take into account the preventive measures that are known to be helpful and effective in avoiding certain health outcomes? There are a few reasons that 95% of money is being spent on the treatment and just 5% on prevention: ignorance and apathy.

Americans, in particular, have become quite ignorant of known science and repeated studies that have been done to pinpoint factors relating directly to health epidemics. The facts aren't very hard to find and they are headlining the news day and night, but they tend to go unnoticed. Here's my point: How many people heard of Chris Brown's assault on his girlfriend Rihanna pre-Grammy's, resulting in both artists to cancel their performances? I'm sure everyone heard that within hours. On the other hand, how many people heard about the interview in which Papa John's founder, John Schnatter, openly said in a BBC interview that he wouldn't recommending eating more than two slices of pizza at a meal? This directly influences his business, but he is aware that even if he says that, not much will change and people will continue to devour slice after slice. Think back to Super Bowl Sunday. How many slices of pizza did you eat? How many glasses of soda? How many bottles of beer? Chips and salsa? The facts are out there. It's up to the public to decide what to do with them.

That being said, I feel that there's only so much money that can be put into preventive medicine before it all just feels like nothing but a wasted effort.