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ISN'T "EXERCISE" MEDICINE?

MIKE CAPIZZI | DECEMBER 04, 2009 | HEALTH LITERACY

7 Comments

In a brutally honest perspective, hospitals are hotels, are they not? Without sufficient volume (% capacity), they sink. Therefore, I can understand a marketing campaign focusing on how to make medicine better; great, innovation is a key staple - part of being American. However, research shows that upwards of 60% of health care costs fall in the area of "potentially avoidable complications." Much of this waste falls within the hospital setting; for reference, visit www.prometheus.org
Shouldn't more dollars, efforts and focus be contributing towards messages of the importance of exercise, physical fitness and nutrition? The ACSM, CMS, HHS etc. have recommended standards/guidelines in this area; how can we collectively best convey these messages? This route should at least be of equal emphasis to innovation/making medicine better, if not more so.
Think about the impact on health care costs if we (as a community/nation) could lower potentially avoidabile complications (through quality improvement, prevention, etc.) --- billions; not to mention improved quality of life for countless folks and families.

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	james christeck 12/04/2009 01:48:30 PM	Mike, I agree with you up to a point. There are many Diabetic patients that could bring their blood sugar level way down, if they would just get up and walk around the block. The problem is we are a convenience oriented Society and believe "There's a pill for everything" which is what I call Stinking Thinking. I have an Aunt who is 97 years old. Her secret? She walks every day. We need to change the Culture of America. That said, we have to start at grade school level. Where it goes from there is beyond me.
	Mike Capizzi 12/04/2009 02:15:13 PM	Starting with kids - yes, a must. I'm learning as I go and currently researching the following school based interventions pertaining to kids: SPARK (Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids); CATCH (Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health); M-SPAN (Middle School Physical Activity and Nutrition); Health Youth Places Project; Lifestyle Education for Activity Program (LEAP). All of these focus on increasing Physical Activity in Children! Maybe others will find this information useful.
	Jeremy Koerber 12/16/2009 10:50:34 AM	I agree with Mike's comments. Exercise is and should be much more than something suggested at check-ups; it should be a viable part of a patient's treatment plan. The American College of Sports Medicine's Exercise is Medicine campaign (http://www.exerciseismedicine.org/) is designed to do just that-promote exercise as a tool to reduce risk and prevent certain disease states from happening. We fully understand there are certain factors (genetics, etc.) that exist that exercise cannot 100% prevent but a fit, healthy person stands a better chance of preventing and recovering from health issues more so than an unfit individual. Also, in the hotly contested arena of health care reform, the personal responsibility for our own health and fitness is something that is lost in the debate. As James stated, a person who will take that daily walk to control their diabetes is taking control of their own health vs. waiting for an outside influence to control their disease. Regardless of what happens in the political realm, convincing society that good health starts with the choices you make as an individual is the first step.
	Patt Christie 12/23/2009 03:56:22 PM	BJC's School Outreach and Youth Development program (http://www.bjcschooloutreach.org/) offers numerous school programs in fitness, nutrition, safety, substance abuse and tobacco cessation to educate grade-schoolers and high-schoolers on the benefits of healthy lifestyle choices. I think this helps instill good habits early on, when they can become lifetime habits. It all starts with the individual.<BR><BR>In addition, the BJC Health Literacy Program for employees (http://www.bjchelpforyourhealth.org/) focuses on lifestyle management with gym discounts, Weight Watchers meetings at work and many other programs that stress healthy lifestyle choices. The web site also provides information about the five key health indicators (http://www.bjchelpforyourhealth.org/hfyh_content.aspx?id=3622): blood pressure, blood sugar, body mass index, tobacco use and cholesterol, and why these factors are important to your health. And, as a matter of fact, there was a BJC HealthCare public service campaign a couple years ago about the five key health indicators. It was called: "I'm Ready."
	Mike Capizzi 12/24/2009 09:25:20 AM	Patt, thanks for passing on the links pertaining to outreach, literacy and health indicators; this is great information and a solid start. However, in the total realm of this topic, I would consider this the fluff. How can we take this information and combine it with solid data to tell a story? For example, because of various programs in the school setting, what was the result? Is there a way to de-identify this information to show the level of impact this program is having to the community overall? Do these programs have a follow up plan or is the model to just provide an initial message? What is the result of BJC offering these programs? Can we make it better? What is measurable? I want to convey that this is a very positive start, I am supportive and excited that BJC is providing this information; however, I want to see more accountability, results and metrics versus general information.
	Diana Wilhold 12/30/2009 11:59:32 AM	Thanks Patt for the nice plug for BJC School Outreach and Youth Development. Mike you will be happy to know that BJC HealthCare has been very invested in showing quantitative and qualitative outcomes for health behavior changes for nearly 20 years. My department addresses the six high risk health behaviors identified by the Centers for Disease Control. We write health curriculum and implement pre-post assessment to be able to show the validity of our work. BJC HealthCare is the only healthcare provider in the Midwest that has been dedicated and consistent in working with schools and other youth run organizations to support the overall health development of school age youth. Our programs support the academic requirements of school age youth in the area of health and fulfills the Missouri and Illinois academic health standards where all youth need to be proficient. However, we do know that knowledge of a subject doesn't necessarily mean behavior change therefore BJC, through my department, invested in a statistical software system that will support the validity of changed health outcomes. We annually reach 70,000, K-12 grade youth, and currently know that our smoking cessation program called STOP (Smoke-free Teens On Purpose) has an 85% success quit rate in supporting a smoke-free lifestyle for high school youth (6 month post last session). Our safety programs have shown 100% teacher satisfaction, evidence from school administrators that report fewer office referrals, and other self-reported data from youth that reflects up to 50% reduction of violent acts occurring during school hours. I am very excited that you are interested in the efforts of BJC HealthCare and the investment we have made when adding value to the lives of our future stakeholders. As Patt had mentioned, please feel free to visit our website: www.bjcschooloutreach.org and should you be interested in hearing more about our programs feel free to call me at 314-286-0431.
	Mathias F 02/07/2010 11:04:16 PM	How true that doing physical exercises can be the best medicine to prevent sickness? Just because you want to start [url=http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2010/01/29/107-save-big-and-get-small/]losing weight[/url] doesn't mean you should be practically driven to using payday loans to float a gym membership. I know it's one of your New Years Resolutions, but that doesn't mean you can't be saving money too. For one, if there is a university in your city, especially a public one, see if they have (some do) a gym membership available for the public. Also, take advantage of trial offers, referral discounts if possible, or even incentive programs through your employer's HR department or your insurance carrier.

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