We have to get the info out... this is all extremely preventable. It's a health epidemic largely caused by bad information.
DavidAlGregory said: Not a diabetic, but deal with Diabetics in the Hospital where I work every day. It is not as cut and dried for everyone. Someone making an Upper MIddle Class income and living in an affluent area and great insurance has very different options from the poor, elderly and disabled. We do not see many people with Professional Degrees and high incomes coming in with CV disease and Diabetes- they come in with sports injuries and such. The poor smoke too much, weigh too much, eat poorly, drink too much, tend to not see the Doctor regularly, do not exercise, do not get enough sleep and many times do not take their medicine properly or at all.
The big problem with many with Metabolic Syndrome (essentially pre-diabetes), is that eating healthy generally costs more and can be (logistically) more difficult. Food Deserts are for real in many poor communities and getting to a store where you can buy healthier food is a problem. Stores stock what sells- not what is good for you, so if you live in an area where most eat poorly, your choices can be very slim.
Also, eating health usually involves more preparation compared to the processed stuff you can slap in the oven- which is also heavily laced with sodium.
I eat a fairly healthy diet, but it costs more in time and money than what many would or could afford to pay.
The same is true of exercise, which helps Diabetics by taking off weight. There are countless people far from a gym, pool, or safe park where they can exercise. In some cases dropping weight and keeping it off can reverse diabetes, but you have to have a place to go. Again, I have access to a full gym with indoor swimming pool from 5AM -10 PM 363 days a year (closed Christmas and Easter) but it cost me $53 a month and many cannot ford that or do not even have the option where they live.
Finally, most low or fixed income people who this would benefit the most do not have $300 for a watch and $1000 for an iPhone that it tethers to. A lot of them are living paycheck to paycheck and many retired people have nothing income wise other than a Social Security Check- otherwise not much. It is easy to generalize about personal behavior and choices, but we all do not walk the same path and most do not start out advantaged. My Dad was an Electrical Engineer, but not everyone starts that way.
I somewhat agree, but the biggest problem is information. Yes, buying better ingredients and cooking yourself does cost in terms of money and/or time, but so does being unhealthy. And, it isn't like all the pre-packaged, processed, etc. is really all that cheap, especially when considering what you're getting (in lack of good ingredients, and bad impact on your health and well-being, even productivity, mood, etc.).
That said, it isn't all that expensive to foundational fix one's diet. It does get expensive then, when you go a step farther, and start buying organic versions of things or supplementing, etc. But, a HUGE improvement can be made before that. And, after you get your diet and sleep somewhat back in line, you'll be more productive, think better, etc. which *might* lead to opportunities to move up the financial chain (along with some good info on getting out of the debt cycle... cf. Dave Ramsey, etc.) which can lead to the ability to afford the said organics and supplements. (And, it is well worth considering if you can cut a few hundred/month somewhere else in the budget to put towards better food, as you'll likely save it on the health-spending side, or gain it in productivity).
As for exercise, all you need to do is a bit more walking and better, some body-weight based exercise you can easily do at home in 15 minutes a few times each week. And, an Apple watch isn't going to really help you aside from prompting you or 'gamifying' the process. There are a bunch of cheap ways to do that, if you find it helps.
The main problem (in regards to information) is that most of the doctors these people see (if they do), are going to give them meds instead of good nutritional information so they can self-fix the problem. Or, they'll guilt them by telling them 'lose weight' when the whole system is stacked against their doing so (as you say, store offerings, advertising, and even gov't health and nutrition info).
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We have to get the info out... this is all extremely preventable. It's a health epidemic largely caused by bad information.
I somewhat agree, but the biggest problem is information. Yes, buying better ingredients and cooking yourself does cost in terms of money and/or time, but so does being unhealthy. And, it isn't like all the pre-packaged, processed, etc. is really all that cheap, especially when considering what you're getting (in lack of good ingredients, and bad impact on your health and well-being, even productivity, mood, etc.).
That said, it isn't all that expensive to foundational fix one's diet. It does get expensive then, when you go a step farther, and start buying organic versions of things or supplementing, etc. But, a HUGE improvement can be made before that. And, after you get your diet and sleep somewhat back in line, you'll be more productive, think better, etc. which *might* lead to opportunities to move up the financial chain (along with some good info on getting out of the debt cycle... cf. Dave Ramsey, etc.) which can lead to the ability to afford the said organics and supplements. (And, it is well worth considering if you can cut a few hundred/month somewhere else in the budget to put towards better food, as you'll likely save it on the health-spending side, or gain it in productivity).
As for exercise, all you need to do is a bit more walking and better, some body-weight based exercise you can easily do at home in 15 minutes a few times each week. And, an Apple watch isn't going to really help you aside from prompting you or 'gamifying' the process. There are a bunch of cheap ways to do that, if you find it helps.
The main problem (in regards to information) is that most of the doctors these people see (if they do), are going to give them meds instead of good nutritional information so they can self-fix the problem. Or, they'll guilt them by telling them 'lose weight' when the whole system is stacked against their doing so (as you say, store offerings, advertising, and even gov't health and nutrition info).