Editorial: Simple steps will make us healthier–Cox News Service

January 27, 2010  

Middletown Journal

Much more can be done to prevent heart disease and extend lives if better attention is paid to battling the disease, which is by far the No. 1 killer of both men and women in Ohio.

A new comprehensive report by the Ohio Department of Health drives home an important message: While Ohio has improved its heart health considerably over the last two decades (along with most of the country, thanks in large part to better medical treatment), the state is still ranked too high for heart-related deaths at 14th in the U.S.

Much can be done — by individuals, state and local government, schools, businesses and others. Ohio could change its numbers by:

Continuing the fight against smoking. Banning smoking in restaurants and other public spaces was among the best moves Ohio has ever made to improve public health.

Heart disease is just one of many ailments that result from smoking, and secondhand smoke affects even those who never pick up the habit.

States that were ahead of Ohio in banning smoking on a wide scale have already seen improvement in heart attack trends, the authors note in discussing the report.

Public officials must resist pressure to weaken the ban, which voters approved strongly in 2006.

(The conservative Buckeye Institute filed suit in September seeking to block certain state efforts to collect fines from businesses that violate the ban. At the same time, though, anti-smoking activists have complained that enforcement is not aggressive enough.)

Additionally, Ohio should consider raising its cigarette tax to at least the level of neighboring states and extending the tax to smokeless tobacco products. A higher tax would help discourage smoking and would bring the state needed revenue.

Making healthier lifestyles easier. Many communities in the area are ahead of the curve on this front, extending bike and walking paths and adding other recreational amenities.

Attacking childhood obesity head-on. Far too many kids graduate from high school badly handicapped for healthy living. One in eight Ohio kids is overweight by age 8. This is a true crisis.

Late last year, bipartisan bills introduced in the Ohio House and Senate proposed many good ideas to counter that trend through school-based programs.

Schools can replace sugar-heavy processed lunches and drinks with more natural foods. The school day can include more opportunities for kids to be physically active. Gym class can be reshaped to teach personal training techniques instead of kick ball.

Body mass index tests can be added to routine screenings for eyesight and hearing.

Keeping cost savings in mind. Heart procedures are very expensive. In 2003, the statewide cost was $11.4 billion, the study says. About 8 percent of Ohio cardiovascular patients have no health insurance. Their unpaid costs raise everyone else’s insurance premiums.

In some measure, diseases are in competition with each other for money and attention. But these proposals don’t require taking money or attention from cancer or anything else.

Some controversies still swirl around heart disease, such as which pills and diets work best. But so much is already known. Much depends on how fully that knowledge is embraced by people and institutions. Ohio need not be toward the bottom on that score.

Cox News Service

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