Prescription for a Healthy Nation: A New Approach to Improving Our Lives by Fixing Our Everyday World

by Tom Farley, Deborah A. Cohen

Introducing a new way of thinking about health: public health experts Tom Farley and Deborah A. Cohen show us that the antidote to our ever-growing rates of obesity and chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, lies not in our medical care system or in more health education but rather in how our environment affects our behavior.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medicine, Health

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Mandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book like only a public health geek can. The premise of this book is that although Americans often think we have the free choice to exercise, smoke and drink less, and eat healthier, our environments are often set up to make these things much more difficult for us than they need to be. The authors argue that to some extent, we should try to change our environment in order to make us healthier -- for example, demanding sidewalks in our neighborhoods to allow us to walk from point A to point B, creating more space for vegetables and healthy foods in our grocery stores (seriously, does there need to be an entire aisle devoted to soda?), preventing the sale of chilled beer at gas stations in order to reduce the risk of drinking and driving. Some of their ideas are controversial, but they make the point that there are plenty of ways in which our health and safety are currently regulated that we take for granted. Anyone want to go back to the good ole' days of smoking in the office? Cars sold without seat belts, let alone airbags? No fluoride in the water supply? They argue that these small changes could make huge differences in keeping us safe and healthy. Certainly an interesting read, especially for public health folks that like to rely on the model that increasing knowledge will lead to healthier behavior. That's not always the case, of course, and this book tries to provide a few solutions to this dilemma.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a psychologist makes me more appreciative, not less, of how difficult it is to change individuals vs. their environment. People don't spend time and energy making every decision of the day - most of the time they default to the usual, the easy, or the accessible. Our current environment makes these defaults unhealthy - it takes conscious effort to opt for the healthy. This book asks, what if it were the reverse? You don't have to ban anything, just make it the option that takes conscious effort.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The discussion of prevention and cure, framed by the Greek stories of Asclepius, Hygeia, and Panacea, is told well.

The policy prescriptions are a mixed bag.

The oddest sentence is this attempted defense of television: "Television has helped Americans become one people, to whom regional and ethnic hatreds of the depths seen in the former Communist states are hard to fathom."

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book gives a good foundation on how we can improve health in the U.S. through better public health strategies. It covers what’s important, why it’s important, and how health is ultimately political (even though it shouldn’t be.) I can definitely tell it was written 20 years ago, but other than some outdated sections, it was a good read and I learned a lot.

[Ashley Grospitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Cari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book challenges public health professionals to think - and act - big. Farley and Cohen are focused on environmental-level and policy changes to "shift the curve" of major public health issues. They advocate for a new "healthscape" that encourages healthier living for all, instead of programs focused on those experiencing the worst health. For example, instead of funding programs and education to help overweight and obese people lose weight, impose taxes on sugary sodas or somehow increase the amount of shelf space in grocery stores devoted to fresh fruits and vegetables. In all, I found this book engaging and thought-provoking. I found the least convincing chapter to be the one about "when sex is lethal," which has as a major take-home point, the validity of promoting marriage as an effective way to reduce the total number of lifetime sex partners people have on average. But one of the appealing aspects of this book is that the authors do not shy away from the politically incorrect or unpopular ideas. We need innovation and they push for it in a well-considered and, in most cases, evidence-based (or evidence-supported) way. A good read for those in the field.

[Emily Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, recommended to me by a public health professor. It's written similarly to the Malcolm Gladwell/Freakonomics style. The main premise of the book is that major behavioral changes come when we change the ENVIRONMENT where people live and not try to change the people themselves through things like educational campaigns. Our society makes it easy to live an unhealthy lifestyle and hard to live a healthy lifestyle, e.g., lack of sidewalks, isles and isles of soda in the grocery store with little and expensive produce sections. As public health and health communication scholars, we try and try to change people's behavior ("eat more produce") but make it so hard to actually maintain that lifestyle.

Several times while reading the book, I actually exclaimed "yes!" outloud. Some of the chapters were a little out there -- like the "sex is lethal" -- but overall I really loved this book. Very thought-provoking.

[Eleanor]

Farley and Cohen write a lovely narrative, weaving history and scientific fact into a descriptive, informative account of how values have shaped our current culture into one geared toward a lack of health. The authors provide clear suggestions about the steps needed to shift the nation back to values that promote health (represented by the cleanliness espoused by the Greek goddess Hygeia) rather than a reactive stance based on treatment and cure (represented by the Greek goddess of remedies and cures, Panacea).

[Kylie P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am sure none of my friends would read this so I won't bore you with an overview but if you are interested into insights on how Americans and health care providers can change the health of the nation by thinking in terms of staying healthy not letting medicine fix you AFTER you let your health deteriorate. Some good thoughts in here.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Physicians Tom Farley & Deborah Cohen present a "new way" of thinking about public health issues in America today. They convincingly unite such apparently disparate topics as obesity, gun violence, alcohol abuse, &c. into one simple conceptual paradigm. Clearly & straightforwardly written. I found this book most thought-provoking.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be better read either by someone who has not taken a year and a half of public health schooling or for someone who wants to get their basics of public health down. It was presented in a digestible and basic format although I think that it had a tendency to be overly dramactic in it's leftist tendencies.

[Alec Myres · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to the future of public health, but being economically-minded, I was left wanting more. More detail, more proof, more ideas. Public health picked the low-hanging fruit long ago, and the health problems today are intricate and behavioral. The book should talk more about shifting behaviors and incentives, and spend less time outlining the "duh."

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I'm reading over x-mas break (for a class)

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to change your behavior, change your environment.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone interested in a broader perspective on the health challenges that face Americans today. Excellent insight into the issues of chronic disease and injury prevention.

[Rabia · Rating 4 out of 5]

re-reading

[Aviva]

The big boss wrote it. I should probably at least skim it.

[Jane Weier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

very deductive in helping reader understand the process of changing health disparities. had to read for a public health class and held onto it because it made so much sense to me!