Health Psychology of Preventable Diseases

A small handful of deadly health issues have made national headlines over recent years and have steadily reached the forefront of public health and safety concern. While it seems reasonable to assume that the leading causes of mortality in the United States might be triggered by ailments that we have no control over, the sad reality is, we do. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, killing one in four Americans. Two major causes of heart disease are obesity and cigarette smoking--both highly preventable. Those pursuing a public health career or health psychology have the biggest and perhaps most important challenge ahead of them: saving Americans from themselves.

Master in Public Health

With heart disease being such a threat to public health and safety, tackling the epidemic with health psychology research is the only way to increase prevention. Pursuing a master in public health allows students to learn about cardiovascular disease (CVD)and how to help people suffering from these illnesses through a public health career. Some important points:

Proper nutrition.

Reducing saturated fat in a diet and increasing fruits and vegetables can decrease risk of heart disease.

Exercise.

An hour of cardiovascular exercise five to seven days a week helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Quit Smoking.

Smoking doubles the possibility of heart attack and kills more than 400,000 Americans each year

Increasing Quality of Life

A master in public health incorporates courses that investigate the physiological and sociological components of preventable disease, giving you the tools to begin a public health career. Exploring the inadequate nutritional and physical decisions that so many Americans are making can illuminate ways of improving these statistics. With the stakes at their highest, a public health career holds much-needed hope.


Sources:
Harvard School of Public Health
Chronic Disease Prevention
Heart Disease Facts
MMWR
Healthlink Medical College of Wisconsin


About the Author
Marianne Salina is a freelance writer in Spokane, Washington. She has a B.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from UC Santa Cruz and writes about various educational pursuits as a First Stop Online Degree Columnist.