physical health

[El Rojo]

defined as "The ability to function efficiently and effectively, to enjoy leisure, to be healthy, to resist disease, and to cope with emergency situations."

Has physical health increased or decreased in the First World under capitalism? Granted our life expectancy has risen (at the cost of the rest of the world's) but that isnt necessarily the same of physical fitness. one could live for over a century, but be a cripple.

[Pogue]

i guess if you read the stats and believe the papers we're all getting fatter.

i suppose theres mroe food about these days? i guess people do eat more, snacks etc, people have more money for grub and all. but obviously it varies from person to person!

[Jazzratt]

We are far more resistant to disease, there can be absolutely no denial of this. I do not know about the rest but, as Pogue pointed out (sort of), we are leading more sedantry lives and eating much richer diets than we ever have before. Add to this the amount of alcohol, tobacco and other harmful substances consumed and it wouldn't surprise me if we were all much unhealthier.

I for example don't exercise much, eat junkfood quite often, go some days without food, smoke and drink an alarming amount; it would not surprise me if I was much more unhealthy than a pre-capital couterpart (even if I am likely to outlive them).

[Vanguard1917]

Granted our life expectancy has risen (at the cost of the rest of the world's)


Actually, life expectancies have increased throughout much of the world, not just in the West.


it wouldn't surprise me if we were all much unhealthier

The facts would not back that up. They show that the opposite is true. People in the West are living longer and healthier lives than ever before.

Behind a lot of these seemingly radical allegations about modern life making people more ill than ever is a backward (usually environmentalist) reaction to progress. There is the idea that we were somehow better off prior to the radical advances in mass production which enabled many to escape from the worst kinds of poverty previously seen.

Yes, being too fat can be a health problem. But lacking enough to eat is a far, far greater problem -- and it is a serious social problem. You can't find your next meal by going for a jog in the park.

[Die Rote Fahne]

defined as "The ability to function efficiently and effectively, to enjoy leisure, to be healthy, to resist disease, and to cope with emergency situations."

Has physical health increased or decreased in the First World under capitalism? Granted our life expectancy has risen (at the cost of the rest of the world's) but that isnt necessarily the same of physical fitness. one could live for over a century, but be a cripple.

The majority of discoveries and innovations in medicine have been state sponsored.

[Invincible Summer]

defined as "The ability to function efficiently and effectively, to enjoy leisure, to be healthy, to resist disease, and to cope with emergency situations."

Has physical health increased or decreased in the First World under capitalism? Granted our life expectancy has risen (at the cost of the rest of the world's) but that isnt necessarily the same of physical fitness. one could live for over a century, but be a cripple.

I don't have any stats on this (although I'm sure I've read it somewhere), but as for leisure, I would think that there is less of this with advanced capitalism; you've got e-mail, Blackberrys, etc to keep workers more accountable and more available, therefore reducing the number of hours to enjoy leisure and exercise.

Also, here's a webpage and chart that I've posted several times on RevLeft: http://agonist.org/ian_welsh/20071101/why_eating_healthy_costs_more_than_eating_unhealth ily

http://agonist.org/files/active/1/agricultural%20subsidies.jpg

Gov't subsidies makes it more profitable to subsidize the production of meat and dairy (including corn for feed) - all the stuff that we don't need a lot of, but Westerners tend to eat a lot of. That could explain the increase in Western obesity and such.

Without a profit motive, and I suppose with a planned economy, in communism it would be ensured that food was produced in accordance to need, not just what's cheaper to make.

[MarxSchmarx]

Has physical health increased or decreased in the First World under capitalism? Granted our life expectancy has risen (at the cost of the rest of the world's) but that isnt necessarily the same of physical fitness. one could live for over a century, but be a cripple.

Just out of curiosity, what observations made you wonder whether we are better off?

[khetancorn]

physical health is the overall condition of a living organism at a given time, the soundness of the body,and the condition of optimal well being.the main concern in health is preventing injury and healing damage caused by injuries and biological attacks.