A Government That Works

"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works." - President Obama, Inaugural Address

Of all the rhetoric packed into today's 20 minute inaugural address, I found the passage above the most revealing, and hope that our public health community agrees. If truly acted upon, such an approach will result in a search for new solutions, first and foremost, with less regard for custom. For an industry like ours, with so much to offer, but without a long history of direct engagement with public health officials, a new approach to our nation's health problems is a wonderful opportunity.

As noted in the latest issue of Men's Fitness, our leaders could take a big, new step toward solving our nation's health problems - obesity, in particular - by passing the IHRSA-supported WHIP and PHIT bills.

- Tom Richards

Mental Health

The physical health benefits of exercise are well-documented and, relatively, well known. Less understood, however, are the mental health benefits of exercise. Intuitively, I think most people would nod along with any suggestion that exercise improves overall mood, but the science seems less understood and considered. If the public discussion included more emphasis on the mental health benefits of exercise, wouldn't that strengthen the political case for including health clubs in public health initiatives? This article tells me we are heading in the right direction.

- Tom Richards

Healthy People 2020

I spent my morning at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building, attending a meeting of the Advisory Committee charged with making recommendations for the next set of public health objectives known as Healthy People 2020. These meetings are particularly notable for the existence of two competing dynamics. On one side, you have the rather exhilarating experience of listening to extremely intelligent, qualified people discuss our nation's public health goals for the next decade. On the other, you have the bleak, rainy Monday morning, life draining vibe that permeates a federal committee meeting. Fortunately, the former is typically stronger than the latter, especially when the committee room is on the same floor as the coffee machine.

A portion of the morning's discussion focused on best practices for creating the HP2020 objectives. Of course, many of the ideas could benefit any organization looking to create objectives. For example: 1) Achieving objectives requires coordination and leadership; 2) Fewer objectives allow for greater focus; 3) An immeasurable objective isn't worth pursuing; 4) Objectives require frequent progress measurement; and 5) Objectives should be aspirational.

The meeting also impressed upon me that taxpaying health clubs are still considered, generally, outside the purview of "public health," despite their inherent value as providers of safe and healthy exercise, and, often times, bastions of fitness and nutrition expertise. Clearly, taxpaying clubs are obvious partners in any public health effort to combat the obesity epidemic, but i don't think public health officials are yet making that connection. Are any clubs working with public health officials - if so, what is the best approach?

- Tom Richards

Sanjay Gupta as the new Surgeon General?

As reported in today's issue of Capitol Report, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon and chief medical correspondent for CNN, is rumored to be the Obama Administration's top choice for Surgeon General. His appointment could be good for the fitness industry. He's a supporter of healthy lifestyles and helped to bring the issue to millions of American's through the 2008 Fit Nation series. Having someone in public health who is a proponent of exercise in a prominent public office is almost always a good thing.

Since the news broke yesterday, blogs across the web have been taking up the idea of a CNN correspondent in such a high profile government position. The New York Times Well Blog had a great round-up of some of the commentary. My favorite of the bunch: “Public health needs a rock star.” It comes from the Technology, Health & Development blog. The author makes a great point that "rock stars" such as Bono, Bill Gates and Bill Clinton have helped to shed light on the global health crisis. Maybe Dr. Gupta could do the same for public health issues here in the US while building bridges between government policy, global initiatives, and the average American.

In terms of connecting with the average American, I don't think you could do much better. He's known by the millions of people who watch CNN and CBS. To put it in simple terms, he's got street cred. Given all of the years, effort and funds that have been channeled towards public health maybe we need someone like Dr. Gupta to really help move people towards making the hard changes neccessary to break the bad (but oh so easy to pick up) habits that hinder so many from leading a healthy lifestyle. On that same level, I think having the American public witness President-Elect Obama's regular gym visits will also raise the profile of exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle.

There are clearly many changes on the horizon in Washington. Maybe a new public health rock star will be one of them.

- Breanne McGahey