A study done by the University of Chicago included 578 middle-aged adults - average age 40. A team measured their blood pressure and how long they slept. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend 7 to 9 hours of sleep. On average the volunteers slept 6 hours, with only 1% sleeping 8 hours or more. According to the study, missing an average of 1 hour of sleep a night over 5 years increases the risk of high blood pressure 37%. Because high blood pressure affects one-third of Americans and contributes to 7 million deaths yearly, this information shouldn't be considered a sleeper.
A study done by "Trust for America's Health" found more than 25% of adults are obese in 31 states. Adult obesity rates rose in 23 states and no state experienced a significant decline. At 32.5% Mississippi has the highest obesity rate; but in every state the rate of obesity is higher among 55 to 64-year-olds, causing Medicare to spend $ 1,400 to $6,000 more annually on health care for obese seniors. In 1991 no state had more than a 20% obesity rate. In 2009 Colorado is the only state that doesn't exceed that percentage. Americans need to understand fat can become "fat-al".
A study published in the "American Journal of Preventative Medicine" said when the health risks of smoking became well-known in the 1970's and 1980's, the tobacco industry spent millions studying social smokers. Because social smokers don't smoke on a daily basis, they don't consider themselves smokers. Smoking in the U.S. has declined for a decade, but social smoking is rising. Between 1996 and 2001 social smokers went from 16% of smokers to 24%. Until social smokers admit they are smokers, campaigns to help them quit are likely to go up in smoke.
Social smokers are one reason smoking remains the leading, preventable cause of death in the U.S., causing 20% of deaths. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in 2008 the percentage of smokers was under 20% for the first time, a survey of 2,375 adults found the failing economy is making 17% of men and 31% of women smoke more. When cigarettes were hit in 2008 with the largest federal tax ever put on them, experts said the increased cost of smoking would be a major inducement for smokers to quit. Smokers seem unwilling to consider the cost to their health.
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