Ah, the first class on the first day of school since '04...
We jumped into the world of health communications straight away by discussing our initial perceptions of the field and then going through types and functions of h.c.
The influence of pop culture and the entertainment industry roared to the forefront as we watched a CDC video reviewing landmarks of the first 50 years of public health (1946-96). Health campaigns from my childhood rushed across the screen…
As we began to discuss what the next 50 years will entail, the discussion ran towards obesity, diabetes, and health issues associated with those problems… sitting there quietly, I couldn’t help but think: cancer.
Cancer rates seem to be on the rise amongst low-income and minority populations. In part due to poor environmental living conditions, and also due to lack of screening.
That’s not even mentioning skin cancer, and the number of young adults who will be showing up with malignant spots due to their consistent use of tanning beds. This will greatly increase the number of cases each year, and bring the average age down by decades.
Then, there’s the quest for the cure to cancer… I think they’re actually getting there!
Needless to say, the next century will be crucial in developing/maintaining healthy living environments and enticing all populations to live healthy lifestyles.
1 comment:
I agree that cancer is a big concern for the future, but we should also turn our attention to the rising rates of autism. Nobody really knows the cause of autism yet, but perhaps all of the chemicals we have no option to be exposed to on a daily basis have something to do with. One way of combating this could be to encourage people to eat organics, avoid plastics, and use natural medicines when possible.
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