Introduction
United States continue to suffer from poor health despite the many progresses made in other spheres. Citizens are dying younger and facing more illnesses and injuries than other developed nations in the world. The irony of the poor health crisis is that the government is spending a lot of money in the annual budget trying to alleviate the situation, but the positive impacts of these efforts are hardly felt (Schneider & Squires, 2017). These startling statistics have further been confirmed true through the reports made by the Institute of Medicine and the United States National Research Council (Peacock et al., 2017). Instead of highly focusing on the high-tech treatment methods, the healthcare system should look at the basic needs that have failed to be met making poor health a national issue of concern.
Causes of Poor Health in the American Population
In addressing the causes of the poor health of the American Population, several researches have and are currently conducted. The government is much concerned about improving the standards of living to match the level of other developed nations in the world. Some of the reasons reported include lack of a holistic program or approach that focusses on prevention, ineffective childcare programs, poor lifestyle and social isolation (Peacock et al., 2017). Stress has also been a major factor causing poor lifestyle because of lacking mechanisms to offer counseling services for those who are depressed or with an anxiety.
Failures of Prevention Measures
Prevention measures have failed to guarantee good healthcare to the American citizens. Proposals made to improve healthcare are often politicized unlike in other nations where such matters are taken seriously for the benefit of all. The large number of citizens without an insurance policy makes them be at risk in case they fall sick and have to pay huge medical bills (Blank & Kuhlmann, 2017). During past presidential campaigns, candidates have been looking into the issue of healthcare and the possible measures to make medical services accessible to all. However, it is worth noting that improving the health of all citizens through reforms and policies calls for the involvement of all stakeholders involved. Such a measure will guarantee the program’s success and enhance their legitimacy.
Importance of Childcare
In addressing the causes of poor healthcare, the focus should first be placed on matters like childcare. A good foundation in the prenatal care is one of the earliest measures to be underscored in the American healthcare system (Tovar et al., 2017). It is important for the government also to guarantee a paid off work policy especially for mothers on maternity leave to take care of the newborns. The policy of having mothers and even fathers entitled to a salary to improve childcare has been approved in other developed nations in the world. The presence of the parents enables the children to enjoy a watchful environment that makes the child healthier and safe from risks such as obesity. Investing in childcare is a long-term solution to save the country from financial costs of dealing with associated problems later in life.
The Impact of Poor Lifestyle
Poor lifestyle, lack of a proper diet and unhealthy work patterns continue to make many Americans suffer. Citizens are often too much concerned about working and improving their economic status thus forgetting to observe good lifestyle and dietary habits. There is too much freedom without effective mechanisms in place to advice people on what to eat, how to exercise and the best recommended hours for sleeping. The freedom to choose what to consume has made some citizens turn alcoholic and smoking substances that have negative long-term effects on health. It is, however, worth appreciating the efforts made by the American Marketing system in trying to reduce the sale of and the promotion of unhealthy foods. The standards of the products in the market should be investigated to avoid misinformation that arises from the indication of ingredients that are absent to lore more customers through labeling.
Work-Life Imbalance and Stress
Compared to the Europeans, Americans spend much of their hours working and shorter hours relaxing or resting. The resultant effect of this tradition is the accumulation of stress. There is also no time to prepare meals hence increasing the chances of purchasing ready-made food that has a negative impact on the consumers’ lives. More time at work reduces the time that should be dedicated to growing the social life, a factor that makes more stress to accumulate. The tight schedules, overtime work hours and the resultant accumulating pressure has been draining a majority of the Americans, and it is increasingly becoming impossible to guarantee good health.
Economic Stress and Social Isolation
Stress among the citizens is further made worse by to the competitive nature of the economic system. The lower and the middle-class Americans are trying to reduce the rich-poor divide by all means hence subjecting people to higher levels of stress. The challenges that the US social safety suffered made many citizens’ job security being negatively impacted and worse than most of the developed countries (Blank & Kuhlmann, 2017). These feelings of job insecurity cause anxiety and stress threatening to cause long-term health problems like mental illnesses. The government should, therefore, enact legislation aimed at tackling short and long-term challenges of stress hence creating a promising environment satisfying all citizens regardless of their status.
Social Isolation
Americans’ poor health is further caused by social isolation. The concept implies that there is an increasing problem in strengthening the social connections hence causing loneliness that often leads to depression (Schraeder & Reid, 2017). The emphasis on a healthy social life will help in improving the Americans’ immune system making them less vulnerable to diseases. A large number of citizens have completely cut ties with friends in a bid to concentrate more on work rather. The effect of failing to share life challenges makes one be isolated unlike in the European countries where social life is relatively emphasized and exercise as part of the overall well-being.
Conclusion
Conclusively, Americans are currently in a serious situation calling for an intervention to improve the poor health. The solutions to these problems causing poor health among the citizens of one of the most developed nations in the world lie on the government although individuals have an active role to play. Expanding the medical insurance is one of the effective long-term solutions for all the Americans. Pre-natal care should be improved, encourage healthy eating habits and instill the value of health living even to the young ones. Narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor through considerate tax policies will make people work on reducing their social isolation and hence reduce stress. Although there are costs to be incurred in the short run, the government, through the healthcare system, should get the bigger picture of the future and conduct a cost-benefit analysis to make informed decisions.
References
Blank, R., Burau, V., & Kuhlmann, E. (2017). Comparative health policy. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Peacock, S., Reddy, A., Leveille, S. G., Walker, J., Payne, T. H., Oster, N. V., & Elmore, J. G. (2017). Patient portals and personal health information online: perception, access, and use by US adults. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 24(e1), e173 e177.
Schneider, E. C., & Squires, D. (2017). From last to first—could the US health care system become the best in the world? New England Journal of Medicine, 377(10), 901-904.
Schraeder, K. E., & Reid, G. J. (2017). Who should transition? Defining a target population of youth with depression and anxiety that will require adult mental health care. The journal of behavioral health services & research, 44(2), 316-330.
Tovar, A., Vaughn, A. E., Grummon, A., Burney, R., Erinosho, T., Østbye, T., & Ward, D. S. (2017). Family child care home providers as role models for children: Cause for concern? Preventive medicine reports, 5, 308-313.
