The Recession Is Making Us Sick

The Boston Globe
July 2, 2009

“Recession obesity’’ is the term du jour for the unhealthy side effects of people who lose their jobs and health insurance, then drop their gym memberships, delay medical care, and eat cheaper but less healthy meals.... Massachusetts residents are particularly vulnerable to these unhealthy trends. As the Boston Foundation and the New England Healthcare Institute pointed out in their 2007 report “The Boston Paradox: Lots of Health Care, Not Enough Health,’’ the Bay State’s population is comparatively old, with significant health disparities and weak income growth, and with more than half of all residents either overweight or obese...

...But it doesn’t have to be this way; we can do something about it, and we should start now....Several opportunities to accomplish this are outlined in a new report by the Boston Foundation and NEHI, “Healthy People in a Healthy Economy: A Blueprint for Action in Massachusetts.’’

Link to Full Article: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/07/0…