write an essay on the importance of helping the sick

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The impact of helping others – a deep dive into the benefits of providing support to those in need.

Compassion is a virtue that ignites the flames of kindness and empathy in our hearts. It is an innate human quality that has the power to bring light into the lives of those in need. When we extend a helping hand to others, we not only uplift their spirits but also nourish our own souls. The act of kindness and compassion resonates in the depths of our being, reminding us of the interconnectedness and shared humanity we all possess.

In a world that can sometimes be filled with hardships and struggles, the power of compassion shines like a beacon of hope. It is through offering a listening ear, a comforting embrace, or a simple gesture of kindness that we can make a profound impact on someone else’s life. The ripple effect of compassion is endless, as the seeds of love and understanding we sow in others’ hearts continue to grow and flourish, spreading positivity and light wherever they go.

The Significance of Compassionate Acts

Compassionate acts have a profound impact on both the giver and the receiver. When we extend a helping hand to others in need, we not only alleviate their suffering but also experience a sense of fulfillment and purpose. Compassion fosters a sense of connection and empathy, strengthening our bonds with others and creating a more caring and supportive community.

Moreover, compassionate acts have a ripple effect, inspiring others to pay it forward and perpetuate kindness. One small act of compassion can set off a chain reaction of positive deeds, influencing the world in ways we may never fully realize. By showing compassion to others, we contribute to a more compassionate and understanding society, one that values empathy and kindness above all else.

Understanding the Impact

Helping others can have a profound impact not only on those receiving assistance but also on the individuals providing help. When we lend a hand to someone in need, we are not just offering material support; we are also showing compassion and empathy . This act of kindness can strengthen bonds between individuals and foster a sense of community .

Furthermore, helping others can boost our own well-being . Studies have shown that acts of kindness and generosity can reduce stress , improve mood , and enhance overall happiness . By giving back , we not only make a positive impact on the lives of others but also nourish our own souls .

Benefits of Helping Others

There are numerous benefits to helping others, both for the recipient and for the giver. Here are some of the key advantages:

• Increased feelings of happiness and fulfilment
• Improved mental health and well-being
• Building stronger connections and relationships with others
• Reduced stress levels and improved self-esteem
• Promoting a sense of purpose and meaning in life
• Contributing to a more compassionate and caring society

By helping others, we not only make a positive impact on the world around us but also experience personal growth and benefits that can enhance our overall happiness and well-being.

Empathy and Connection

Empathy plays a crucial role in our ability to connect with others and understand their experiences. When we practice empathy, we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and try to see the world from their perspective. This act of compassion allows us to build a connection based on understanding and mutual respect.

By cultivating empathy, we can bridge the gap between different individuals and communities, fostering a sense of unity and solidarity. Empathy helps us recognize the humanity in others, regardless of their background or circumstances, and promotes a culture of kindness and inclusivity.

Through empathy, we not only show compassion towards those in need but also create a supportive environment where everyone feels valued and understood. It is through empathy that we can truly make a difference in the lives of others and build a more compassionate society.

Spreading Positivity Through Kindness

One of the most powerful ways to help others is by spreading positivity through acts of kindness. Kindness has the remarkable ability to brighten someone’s day, lift their spirits, and create a ripple effect of happiness in the world.

Simple gestures like giving a compliment, lending a helping hand, or sharing a smile can make a significant impact on someone’s life. These acts of kindness not only benefit the recipient but also bring a sense of fulfillment and joy to the giver.

When we choose to spread positivity through kindness, we contribute to building a more compassionate and caring society. By showing empathy and understanding towards others, we create a supportive environment where people feel valued and respected.

Kindness is contagious and has the power to inspire others to pay it forward, creating a chain reaction of goodwill and compassion. By incorporating acts of kindness into our daily lives, we can make a positive difference and help create a better world for all.

Creating a Ripple Effect

When we extend a helping hand to others, we set off a chain reaction that can have a profound impact on the world around us. Just like a stone thrown into a calm pond creates ripples that spread outward, our acts of compassion can touch the lives of many, inspiring them to do the same.

By showing kindness and empathy, we not only make a difference in the lives of those we help but also create a ripple effect that can lead to positive change in our communities and beyond. A small gesture of kindness can ignite a spark of hope in someone’s heart, motivating them to pay it forward and spread compassion to others.

Each act of generosity and care has the power to create a ripple effect that can ripple outwards, reaching far beyond our immediate circles. As more and more people join in this chain of kindness, the impact multiplies, creating a wave of positivity that can transform the world one small act of kindness at a time.

Building a Stronger Community

One of the key benefits of helping others is the positive impact it can have on building a stronger community. When individuals come together to support one another, whether it’s through acts of kindness, volunteering, or simply being there for someone in need, it fosters a sense of unity and connection. This sense of community helps to create a supportive and caring environment where people feel valued and respected.

By helping others, we also set an example for those around us, inspiring others to also lend a hand and contribute to the well-being of the community. This ripple effect can lead to a chain reaction of kindness and generosity that can ultimately make the community a better place for everyone.

Furthermore, when people feel supported and cared for by their community, they are more likely to be happier and healthier, both mentally and physically. This sense of belonging and connection can help to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, and can improve overall well-being.

In conclusion, building a stronger community through helping others is essential for creating a more positive and caring society. By coming together and supporting one another, we can create a community that is resilient, compassionate, and unified.

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What Chronic Illness Taught Me About Life

This essay was originally published in the Johns Hopkins News-Letter on August 26, 2020.

Life has a funny way of teaching you a lesson sometimes.

When I was little, I was solely focused on being the best: the best student, the best friend, the best daughter, the best everything. I would do whatever it took to meet that goal. Sleepless nights, high levels of stress and infinite hours of overcommitment became my life.

I did reach those goals though. I was at the top of my graduating class, I had a great group of friends (whom I still talk to today), I was on as many club executive boards as possible, and I got into Hopkins. In my eyes, I was successful, and I wanted to keep it that way. And so, I did.

Within my first year at Hopkins, I already had my sights set on grad school, on a PhD, on a big salary with multiple zeroes in it. I dreamt of being well known for my research — of doing something incredibly groundbreaking. So I applied the same formula that got me into Hopkins: work hard, no matter the cost.

Then, in August of last year, on the very first day of my junior year, the first of a series of 104 degree fevers that would last until the end of November hit. I would wake up in a cold sweat, with rashes and swelling, every morning. Still I tried my best to go to class, attend research and produce results at work. The Baltimore cold did not help, and I felt like a bad student and research assistant, calling out sick from commitments every week. There were days I could not get out of bed due to joint pain, lightheadedness or just plain hopelessness at what had become my “new normal.”

After multiple hospital visits that ended with 80 pages worth of negative test results and no diagnosis, I thought myself a lost cause and a burden to my roommates. They would take care of me, wipe my tears away and on the worst days, make me breakfast and feed it to me. I was worrying everyone I cared about, and the guilt I felt ate at me. I kept thinking this nightmare was just never going to end.

When I traveled home to Miami for Thanksgiving break, my parents took me to the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, where I would stay for three weeks. The doctors there literally saved my life. I was diagnosed with lupus nephritis, an autoimmune disease with no known cure that attacks the kidneys, among other organs.

At first, I was furious. I would look back, thinking if my first doctors hadn’t been so careless, maybe my lupus would not have affected my kidneys. I thought I would never go back to my normal life, that others would always see me as “sick” or “helpless.” I saw chronic illness as an obstacle, blocking me from my goals, from my success.

It took being sick to realize that the stress and pressure that I was putting on myself was essentially killing me. With my diagnosis, I realized the value of self-care. I finally understood what one of my closest friends means when she says, “Thoughts become words, words become actions.” My internal conversation was toxic, constantly putting myself down when I didn’t complete a task to perfection. I needed to reintroduce myself to me, to be gentle with my body while it recovers from months of physical trauma.

Prior to my diagnosis, my definition of success was always a destination, far into my future that I inched closer to with every effort I made. But I was wrong: Success is not in a place, out of reach and far from today. Success is in the every day. It’s in getting out of bed, in making my friends smile, in being patient with myself and my body. I feel successful when I make myself breakfast, when I meditate, when I express gratitude, when I sing off-key to my roommates’ pets, when I call my parents, when I help someone else and when I ask for help.

I don’t take care of myself because I have lupus. I take care of myself because I am human, and I deserve to rest. I still have big dreams of going to grad school and making an impact, but I now know that I can’t do that unless I take care of myself first. To reach my goals, I need to work hard, but I also need to prioritize my health, because if I don’t, who will?

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Short Essay: How I Helped My Mother When She Was Sick

A couple of short essay examples on how I helped my mother when she was sick.

Table of Contents

How I Helped My Mother When She Was Sick Essay Example 1

When a loved one falls ill, it can be a challenging and emotional time for everyone involved. In my case, when my mother fell sick, I knew that I had to step up and assist her in any way that I could. Seeing my mother in pain and discomfort was difficult, but it also gave me an opportunity to show her how much I loved and cared for her. In this essay, I will describe the ways in which I helped my mother when she was sick.

One of the first things that I did when my mother fell sick was to take on additional household chores. I knew that my mother was already feeling overwhelmed and stressed, so I wanted to ease her workload as much as possible. I took over the cooking and cleaning duties, ensuring that the house remained clean and tidy. I also made sure that my mother had a healthy and nutritious diet, preparing meals that would help her regain her strength and energy.

Accompanying my mother to doctor’s appointments and helping her follow her treatment plan was another way in which I provided support. I made sure that my mother took her medication on time and followed her doctor’s instructions to the letter. I also helped her keep track of her appointments and made sure that she didn’t miss any follow-up visits. Being there for my mother during her medical appointments was not only helpful for her, but it also gave me a chance to learn more about her condition and how I could best support her.

Perhaps the most important way in which I helped my mother during her illness was by providing emotional support and encouragement. I knew that my mother was feeling scared and uncertain about her health, and I wanted to be there for her as much as possible. I listened to her concerns and fears, offering words of comfort and reassurance whenever she needed them. I also encouraged her to stay positive and hopeful, reminding her that she was strong and capable of overcoming any obstacles that came her way.

Helping my mother during her illness was a challenging but rewarding experience. It allowed me to show my mother how much she meant to me and how much I was willing to do for her. Through taking on additional household chores, accompanying her to doctor’s appointments, and providing emotional support and encouragement, I was able to help my mother through a difficult time and strengthen our bond.

How I Helped My Mother When She Was Sick Essay Example 2

When my mother fell ill, I knew that I had to step up and help her in any way I could. As her child, it was my responsibility to be there for her during this difficult time. Over the course of her illness, I provided her with physical, emotional, and mental support. In this essay, I will describe how I helped my mother when she was sick. I will outline the various tasks I undertook, the medical assistance I provided, and the emotional care I gave her.

During my mother’s illness, I took on many household tasks that she could not manage. I cooked meals for her, cleaned the house, and did the laundry. I ensured that the house was kept clean and tidy to provide a comfortable environment for her to rest and recover. I made sure that all the household chores were completed efficiently and effectively, allowing my mother to focus on her recovery. I also made sure to stock up on groceries and other essential supplies to ensure that she had everything she needed.

Accompanying my mother to doctor’s appointments was another way I helped her during her illness. I made sure that she never missed an appointment and that she always followed her medication regimen. I took care of her medication schedule, ensuring that she took her medicines on time and in the right doses. I also made sure that she had all the necessary medical supplies, such as oxygen tanks, so that she could manage her symptoms at home.

Emotional support was crucial during my mother’s illness. I spent time with her, listening to her concerns, and offering encouragement. I made sure that she did not feel alone during this time and that she knew she had someone to rely on. I tried to keep her spirits up by watching her favorite TV shows with her, playing board games, and reading books aloud to her. I also made sure to stay positive and optimistic, encouraging her to focus on her recovery.

In conclusion, helping my mother during her illness was a challenging yet rewarding experience. I assisted her with household chores, accompanied her to doctor’s appointments, and provided emotional support. The experience taught me the importance of being there for loved ones during difficult times. I am grateful for the opportunity to have helped my mother when she needed me the most.

How I Helped My Mother When She Was Sick Essay Example 3

My mother has always been my rock, providing unwavering support and love throughout my life. However, when she fell ill, it was my turn to step up and take care of her. I wanted to make sure she felt loved and supported, and that her recovery was as smooth as possible. In this essay, I will describe how I helped my mother when she was sick.

The first thing I did when my mother fell ill was to take care of the household chores. I knew that she would not be able to manage them on her own, so I took charge of cooking, cleaning, and laundry. I ensured that the house was neat and tidy, and that my mother had access to healthy and nutritious meals. I also made sure that she was comfortable by adjusting the temperature, providing extra blankets, and fluffing her pillows. By taking care of these chores, I was able to ease her burden and allow her to focus on her recovery.

In addition to taking care of household chores, I accompanied my mother to doctor’s appointments and made sure she took her medication on time. I knew that it was essential for her to receive proper medical care, so I made sure she did not miss any appointments. I also kept track of her medication schedule and reminded her when it was time to take her pills. By doing so, I made sure that she was receiving the best possible care and that her recovery was on track.

Finally, I provided emotional support to my mother throughout her illness. I spent time with her, listening to her concerns, and offering words of encouragement. I knew that she was going through a tough time, and I wanted to make sure that she felt loved and supported. I would often sit with her, talk to her about her worries, and offer her a shoulder to lean on. I also tried to keep her spirits up by sharing funny stories and making her laugh. By providing emotional support, I was able to help my mother feel less alone and more hopeful about her recovery.

In conclusion, helping my mother when she was sick was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life. By taking care of household chores, accompanying her to doctor’s appointments, and providing emotional support, I was able to help her feel loved and supported during her illness. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been there for her when she needed me the most, and I will always cherish the memories of our time together during her recovery.

About Mr. Greg

Mr. Greg is an English teacher from Edinburgh, Scotland, currently based in Hong Kong. He has over 5 years teaching experience and recently completed his PGCE at the University of Essex Online. In 2013, he graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with a BEng(Hons) in Computing, with a focus on social media.

Mr. Greg’s English Cloud was created in 2020 during the pandemic, aiming to provide students and parents with resources to help facilitate their learning at home.

Whatsapp: +85259609792

[email protected]

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Practical Help on a Practical Issue: Visiting the Sick

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Thabiti Anyabwile (MS, North Carolina State University) is a pastor at Anacostia River Church in southeast Washington, DC. He’s the author of several books, including What Is a Healthy Church Member? , Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons , Reviving the Black Church , and others . He and his wife, Kristie, have three children.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Childhood Obesity — Importance Of Good Health

Importance of Good Health

• Categories: Childhood Obesity

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Published: Mar 14, 2024

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The philosophical role of illness – and how it can teach us to live reflectively

Professor of Philosophy, University of Bristol

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Havi Carel receives funding from the Wellcome Trust (Senior Investigator Award 103340).

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Serious illness is a great calamity. It is unwelcome, violent, frightening and painful. If it is life threatening, it requires the ill person and their loved ones to confront death. Illness causes pain, anxiety, incapacitation; it limits what the ill person can do. It can cut a life short, stop plans in their tracks, and detach people from life, suspending the previous flow of everyday activity. In short, illness is almost always unwelcome but must be endured, as it is also unavoidable. We “each owe nature a death”, as Freud put it.

But illness also has revelatory power. It pushes the ill person to the limit and reveals a great deal about us, how we live, and the values and assumptions that underpin our lives. Illness can also provide both philosophical motivation and instruction, by pointing to our habits and assumptions and putting them into question. So we should consider illness as a legitimate and useful philosophical tool.

What kind of a philosophical tool is illness? First, illness uncovers aspects of embodied experience with tremendous force. It shows us the frailty and failure of the flesh, revealing dimensions of human existence that are both tacit and surprising. Illness is therefore an opportunity for us to reflect on the nature of such bodily existence, its limits, and how it conditions our lives.

Second, illness is (at present) an integral part of biological life and so must be taken into account when considering human life, values, meaning and social arrangements. We are all destined to die, and most of us will fall ill (or are ill) in the process. This is a significant fact about human life that both structures and delimits it.

Third, illness has what I call a ‘distancing effect’ . It withdraws us from previous habits, routines and practices, which become impossible in illness, and forces us to reflect on those habits and practices. Illness can destroy the expectations we have about our life, such as assumptions about how long we might live and how independent we should be, and in this way reveals the values we take for granted, many of which are only articulated explicitly when one falls ill.

Reflective living

In short, illness leads us to question how we live, why we live as we do, and how we might continue to do some things within the constraints of illness. Illness is a challenge, a demand, that requires a reflective response. Illness radically changes our relationship to our body, environment, and social world.

It changes our attitude towards time and the future. It often forces us to consider what is important and what is trivial. It can furnish us with new clarity and focus, and it can lead us to appreciate things we were previously too busy to notice. As such, illness can awaken reflection in the ill person simply by forcing change on that person. This reflection is, simply put, philosophising .

So, for me, illness is a unique form of philosophising . We normally think of philosophising as a chosen activity, not something that can be forced on someone. But in the case of illness, the ill person is thrust into great uncertainty, anguish, incapacity, and anxiety and these may lead that person to ask philosophical questions about justice, luck and misfortune, autonomy and dependence, and about the meaning of their life.

Illness is a violent invitation to philosophise. It arrives, unwelcome, wreaking havoc on a previously ordered life, and throws into the air many of our assumptions and ideas about what our life could and should be like. As such, it may be an effective philosophical tool that can yield important insights. Illness can call for more radical and personal methods of doing philosophy. It can affect the philosophical concerns of the ill person. It triggers reflection on finitude, disability, suffering and injustice. It can also change the urgency and salience of particular philosophical topics.

Of course, illness won’t do this in every case. If the illness is too painful or debilitating, there is no room for reflection. If the sorrow and trauma are too great, there can be no “post-traumatic growth”, as psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls it. But in other cases, illness can be a transformative experience, as philosopher L.A. Paul defines it. It can alter what we know and what we value in ways that are deeply life changing.

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Essays About Health: Top 5 Examples and 7 Prompts

Almost everyone would agree that health is the most important thing in life. Check out our guide on writing essays about health.

The concept of health is simple. It is the condition where you are well and free from disease or illness. When we are healthy, we are happier, more productive, and able to live a full life. There are many types of health, each helping us to survive and excel in different areas of our life, including physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health.

In the same ways, there are different ways to stay healthy, such as exercise, socialization, and self-care. These areas of health may not all be equally important, but each of them plays a vital role in making us the best versions of ourselves we can be. You might also find our medical words list helpful.

5 Top Essay Examples

1. essay on how to keep healthy by diwakar sharma, 2. what it’s like living with depression: a personal essay by nadine dirks, 3. the advantages of eating healthy food by lindsay boyers.

• 4.  A Helping Hand: An Essay On The Importance Of Mental Health Parity by Sydney Waltner

5. ​​Stop Trying to be Happy: Improving Your Emotional Health by Jacquelynn Lyon

7 prompts for essays about health, 1. what is the most important type of health, 2. do television and video games negatively impact mental , 3. freedom and public health, 4. how can you live a healthier life, 5. what causes depression, 6. mental health and eating disorders, 7. is “spiritual health” really necessary.

“I think there is no use in earning money in such a way that denies our health. Money is not important than health as it cannot return health and fitness back once we are ill. Thus health is always preferred over money as good health keeps us happy and free from various health issues. If we are healthy we can earn whole life but can’t earn if the health gets deteriorated.”

Sharma discusses the importance of health and ways to stay healthy, including eating nutritious food, drinking water, keeping a good sleep schedule, and exercising. In addition, he notes that it is essential to prioritize your health; do not work too hard or chase money to the extent that it affects your health negatively. You can also check out these articles about cancer .

“I was pleasantly surprised when—after around three weeks—I started feeling results. My intense feeling of overwhelming sadness and hopelessness slowly started to lift and the fears I had about not feeling like myself dissipated. I had worried I would feel less like myself on fluoxetine, but instead for the first time, in a long time—I felt more like myself and able to function throughout the day. Receiving treatment and building healthy coping mechanisms has allowed me to continue to function, even when a depressive episode hits.”

Depression is one of the first things people think of concerning mental health. In her essay, Dirks reflects on her experiences with depression, recalling her feelings of hopelessness and sadness, putting her in a dull, lethargic mood. However, she got help by going to a doctor and starting medication and therapy. Dirks also lists down a few symptoms of depression, warning readers to get help if they are experiencing a number of them.

“A healthful diet is just as good for your brain as the rest of your body. Unhealthy foods are linked to a range of neurological problems. Certain nutrient deficiencies increasing the risk of depression. Other nutrients, like potassium, actually involved in brain cell function. A varied, healthful diet keeps your brain functioning properly, and it can promote good mental health as well.”

Boyers discusses some benefits of healthy eating, such as weight control, reduced risk of diabetes and cancer, and better brain function- an unhealthy diet is linked to neurological problems. She gives readers tips on what they should and should not eat in huge quantities, saying to avoid sugary foods and drinks while eating lean meat, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You might also be interested in these essays about nursing and essays about obesity .

4.   A Helping Hand: An Essay On The Importance Of Mental Health Parity by Sydney Waltner

“For three years I was one of those people hiding my illness. I was quietly suffering from depression and an eating disorder. My whole day revolved around my eating disorder and hiding it from everyone. This caused a lot of sadness, anger, and loneliness. I not only hid it from others, but I also tried to hide it from myself. I tried to convince myself that nothing was wrong because I did not fully understand what was happening.  I did not know what was making me hurt myself and why I could not stop.”

Waltner writes her essay about the importance of mental health and how it can also affect one’s physical health. She recalls her experiences with hiding her depression and eating disorder; they led to her immense suffering, but her parents discovered her illness before it was too late. She is grateful for how her life is now and encourages others to break the stigma around mental health issues and speak up if something is wrong with them. 

“Beautiful people, smart people, funny people, leaders, lawyers, engineers, professional clowns, everyone you’ve ever looked up to — they have suffered in their lives, and probably will continue to suffer at some point.”

The obsession with making yourself happy will forever have you either not valuing the present or will lead to despair when you do find it — and it’s still not enough. This cycle of self-abuse, dissatisfaction, and emotional isolation can paralyze us, hinder our actions, and mar our self-perception.

Lyon reflects on something she discovered in her first year of college: that it’s fine if you’re not always happy. She says that society’s pressure for everyone to be positive and happy 100% of the time is detrimental to many people’s emotional and mental health. As a result, she gives readers tips on being happy in a “healthier” way: happiness should not be forced, and you should not constantly compare yourself to others. 

There are many types of health, each playing an essential role in helping us live well. If you were to pick one, which do you believe is the most important? You can choose mental well-being, physical well-being, or spiritual well-being. Use your personal experiences in defending your choice; be sure to support your stance with sufficient details. 

For a strong argumentative essay, write about the correlation between “screen time” or video games and television with mental health. Are they that bad for people’s mental health? Perhaps they are good for the mental health of some people. Research this topic and support your response with credible sources- there is no wrong answer as long as it is well-defended. For an interesting piece, conduct interviews to gather information.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many argue that some freedoms must be given up for the greater good. These include mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and stay-at-home orders. Write about whether or not public health should be prioritized over “individual liberty” and why. If so, to what extent? Answer this question in your own words for a compelling argument.

Like many of our cited essay examples above, you can write your essay on how to stay healthy. Give your readers some mental, physical, or social guidelines for being healthier, and explain why they are important. You can even do a more well-rounded guide; give a few tips for each type of health if you wish. 

As stated previously, a prevalent health issue is depression, which can stem from various factors. Look into the different causes of depression and explain how they lead to depression. In this essay, you can share your research on social factors, economic factors, and health conditions that can make a person more susceptible to depression. As this is a medical-related topic, use credible sources for your research. 

Many believe there is a correlation between mental health and obesity, anorexia, and bulimia—research how mental health issues can cause these issues or vice versa, depending on what you find. In your essay, explain the link between mental health issues and eating disorders and how they can affect each other.

A type of health commonly listed is spiritual health, which many religious people value. Should it be classified as something different? Many believe the components of “spiritual health” already fall under mental, social, emotional, and social health, so there is no need to classify it as something different. Reflect on this issue and discuss your stance. 

For help with this topic, read our guide explaining “what is persuasive writing ?”

If you’re stuck picking an essay topic, check out our guide on how to write essays about depression .

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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How to build a better health system: 8 expert essays

We need to focus on keeping people healthy, not just treating them when they're sick Image:  REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Global Future Council on Health and Healthcare

Introduction

By Francesca Colombo , Head, Health Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Helen E. Clark , Prime Minister of New Zealand (1999-2008), The Helen Clark Foundation

Our healthy future cannot be achieved without putting the health and wellbeing of populations at the centre of public policy.

Ill health worsens an individual’s economic prospects throughout the lifecycle. For young infants and children, ill health affects their capacity to acumulate human capital; for adults, ill health lowers quality of life and labour market outcomes, and disadvantage compounds over the course of a lifetime.

And, yet, with all the robust evidence available that good health is beneficial to economies and societies, it is striking to see how health systems across the globe struggled to maximise the health of populations even before the COVID-19 pandemic – a crisis that has further exposed the stresses and weaknesses of our health systems. These must be addressed to make populations healthier and more resilient to future shocks.

Each one of us, at least once in our lives, is likely to have been frustrated with care that was inflexible, impersonal and bureaucratic. At the system level, these individual experiences add up to poor safety, poor care coordination and inefficiencies – costing millions of lives and enormous expense to societies.

This state of affairs contributes to slowing down the progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals to which all societies, regardless of their level of economic development, have committed.

Many of the conditions that can make change possible are in place. For example, ample evidence exists that investing in public health and primary prevention delivers significant health and economic dividends. Likewise, digital technology has made many services and products across different sectors safe, fast and seamless. There is no reason why, with the right policies, this should not happen in health systems as well. Think, for example, of the opportunities to bring high quality and specialised care to previously underserved populations. COVID-19 has accelerated the development and use of digital health technologies. There are opportunities to further nurture their use to improve public health and disease surveillance, clinical care, research and innovation.

To encourage reform towards health systems that are more resilient, better centred around what people need and sustainable over time, the Global Future Council on Health and Health Care has developed a series of stories illustrating why change must happen, and why this is eminently possible today. While the COVID-19 crisis is severally challenging health systems today, our healthy future is – with the right investments – within reach.

1. Five changes for sustainable health systems that put people first

The COVID-19 crisis has affected more than 188 countries and regions worldwide, causing large-scale loss of life and severe human suffering. The crisis poses a major threat to the global economy, with drops in activity, employment, and consumption worse than those seen during the 2008 financial crisis . COVID-19 has also exposed weaknesses in our health systems that must be addressed. How?

For a start, greater investment in population health would make people, particularly vulnerable population groups, more resilient to health risks. The health and socio-economic consequences of the virus are felt more acutely among disadvantaged populations, stretching a social fabric already challenged by high levels of inequalities. The crisis demonstrates the consequences of poor investment in addressing wider social determinants of health, including poverty, low education and unhealthy lifestyles. Despite much talk of the importance of health promotion, even across the richer OECD countries barely 3% of total health spending is devoted to prevention . Building resilience for populations also requires a greater focus on solidarity and redistribution in social protection systems to address underlying structural inequalities and poverty.

Beyond creating greater resilience in populations, health systems must be strengthened.

High-quality universal health coverage (UHC) is paramount. High levels of household out-of-pocket payments for health goods and services deter people from seeking early diagnosis and treatment at the very moment they need it most. Facing the COVID-19 crisis, many countries have strengthened access to health care, including coverage for diagnostic testing. Yet others do not have strong UHC arrangements. The pandemic reinforced the importance of commitments made in international fora, such as the 2019 High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage , that well-functioning health systems require a deliberate focus on high-quality UHC. Such systems protect people from health threats, impoverishing health spending, and unexpected surges in demand for care.

Second, primary and elder care must be reinforced. COVID-19 presents a double threat for people with chronic conditions. Not only are they at greater risk of severe complications and death due to COVID-19; but also the crisis creates unintended health harm if they forgo usual care, whether because of disruption in services, fear of infections, or worries about burdening the health system. Strong primary health care maintains care continuity for these groups. With some 94% of deaths caused by COVID-19 among people aged over 60 in high-income countries, the elder care sector is also particularly vulnerable, calling for efforts to enhance control of infections, support and protect care workers and better coordinate medical and social care for frail elderly.

Third, the crisis demonstrates the importance of equipping health systems with both reserve capacity and agility. There is an historic underinvestment in the health workforce, with estimated global shortages of 18 million health professionals worldwide , mostly in low- and middle-income countries. Beyond sheer numbers, rigid health labour markets make it difficult to respond rapidly to demand and supply shocks. One way to address this is by creating a “reserve army” of health professionals that can be quickly mobilised. Some countries have allowed medical students in their last year of training to start working immediately, fast-tracked licenses and provided exceptional training. Others have mobilised pharmacists and care assistants. Storing a reserve capacity of supplies such as personal protection equipment, and maintaining care beds that can be quickly transformed into critical care beds, is similarly important.

Fourth, stronger health data systems are needed. The crisis has accelerated innovative digital solutions and uses of digital data, smartphone applications to monitor quarantine, robotic devices, and artificial intelligence to track the virus and predict where it may appear next. Access to telemedicine has been made easier. Yet more can be done to leverage standardised national electronic health records to extract routine data for real-time disease surveillance, clinical trials, and health system management. Barriers to full deployment of telemedicine, the lack of real-time data, of interoperable clinical record data, of data linkage capability and sharing within health and with other sectors remain to be addressed.

Fifth, an effective vaccine and successful vaccination of populations around the globe will provide the only real exit strategy. Success is not guaranteed and there are many policy issues yet to be resolved. International cooperation is vital. Multilateral commitments to pay for successful candidates would give manufacturers certainty so that they can scale production and have vaccine doses ready as quickly as possible following marketing authorisation, but could also help ensure that vaccines go first to where they are most effective in ending the pandemic. Whilst leaders face political pressure to put the health of their citizens first, it is more effective to allocate vaccines based on need. More support is needed for multilateral access mechanisms that contain licensing commitments and ensure that intellectual property is no barrier to access, commitments to technology transfer for local production, and allocation of scarce doses based on need.

The pandemic offers huge opportunities to learn lessons for health system preparedness and resilience. Greater focus on anticipating responses, solidarity within and across countries, agility in managing responses, and renewed efforts for collaborative actions will be a better normal for the future.

OECD Economic Outlook 2020 , Volume 2020 Issue 1, No. 107, OECD Publishing, Paris

OECD Employment Outlook 2020 : Worker Security and the COVID-19 Crisis, OECD Publishing, Paris

OECD Health at a Glance 2019, OECD Publishing, Paris

https://www.un.org/pga/73/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2019/07/FINAL-draft-UHC-Political-Declaration.pdf

OECD (2020), Who Cares? Attracting and Retaining Care Workers for the Elderly, OECD Health Policy Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris

Working for Health and Growth: investing in the health workforce . Report of the High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth, Geneva.

Colombo F., Oderkirk J., Slawomirski L. (2020) Health Information Systems, Electronic Medical Records, and Big Data in Global Healthcare: Progress and Challenges in OECD Countries . In: Haring R., Kickbusch I., Ganten D., Moeti M. (eds) Handbook of Global Health. Springer, Cham.

2. Improving population health and building healthy societies in times of COVID-19

By Helena Legido-Quigley , Associate Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a stark reminder of the fragility of population health worldwide; at time of writing, more than 1 million people have died from the disease. The pandemic has already made evident that those suffering most from COVID-19 belong to disadvantaged populations and marginalised communities. Deep-rooted inequalities have contributed adversely to the health status of different populations within and between countries. Besides the direct and indirect health impacts of COVID-19 and the decimation of health systems, restrictions on population movement and lockdowns introduced to combat the pandemic are expected to have economic and social consequences on an unprecedented scale .

Population health – and addressing the consequences of COVID-19 – is about improving the physical and mental health outcomes and wellbeing of populations locally, regionally and nationally, while reducing health inequalities.¹ Moreover, there is an increasing recognition that societal and environmental factors, such as climate change and food insecurity, can also influence population health outcomes.

The experiences of Maria, David, and Ruben – as told by Spanish public broadcaster RTVE – exemplify the real challenges that people living in densely populated urban areas have faced when being exposed to COVID-19.¹

Maria is a Mexican migrant who has just returned from Connecticut to the Bronx. Her partner Jorge died in Connecticut from COVID-19. She now has no income and is looking for an apartment for herself and her three children. When Jorge became ill, she took him to the hospital, but they would not admit him and he was sent away to be cared for by Maria at home with their children. When an ambulance eventually took him to hospital, it was too late. He died that same night, alone in hospital. She thinks he had diabetes, but he was never diagnosed. They only had enough income to pay the basic bills. Maria is depressed, she is alone, but she knows she must carry on for her children. Her 10-year old child says that if he could help her, he would work. After three months, she finds an apartment.

David works as a hairdresser and takes an overcrowded train every day from Leganés to Chamberi in the centre of Madrid. He lives in a small flat in San Nicasio, one of the poorest working-class areas of Madrid with one of the largest ageing populations in Spain. The apartments are very small, making it difficult to be in confinement, and all of David’s neighbours know somebody who has been a victim of COVID-19. His father was also a hairdresser. David's father was not feeling well; he was taken to hospital by ambulance, and he died three days later. David was not able to say goodbye to his father. Unemployment has increased in that area; small local shops are losing their customers, and many more people are expecting to lose their jobs.

Ruben lives in Iztapalapa in Mexico City with three children, a daughter-in-law and five grandchildren. Their small apartment has few amenities, and no running water during the evening. At three o’clock every morning, he walks 45 minutes with his mobile stall to sell fruit juices near the hospital. His daily earnings keep the family. He goes to the central market to buy fruit, taking a packed dirty bus. He thinks the city's central market was contaminated at the beginning of the pandemic, but it could not be closed as it is the main source of food in the country. He has no health insurance, and he knows that as a diabetic he is at risk, but medication for his condition is too expensive. He has no alternative but to go to work every day: "We die of hunger or we die of COVID."

These real stories highlight the issues that must be addressed to reduce persistent health inequalities and achieve health outcomes focusing on population health. The examples of Maria, David and Ruben show the terrible outcomes COVID-19 has had for people living in poverty and social deprivation, older people, and those with co-morbidities and/or pre-existing health conditions. All three live in densely populated urban areas with poor housing, and have to travel long distances in overcrowded transport. Maria’s loss of income has had consequences for her housing security and access to healthcare and health insurance, which will most likely lead to worse health conditions for her and her children. Furthermore, all three experienced high levels of stress, which is magnified in the cases of Maria and David who were unable to be present when their loved ones died.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it evident that to improve the health of the population and build healthy societies, there is a need to shift the focus from illness to health and wellness in order to address the social, political and commercial determinants of health; to promote healthy behaviours and lifestyles; and to foster universal health coverage.² Citizens all over the world are demanding that health systems be strengthened and for governments to protect the most vulnerable. A better future could be possible with leadership that is able to carefully consider the long-term health, economic and social policies that are needed.

In order to design and implement population health-friendly policies, there are three prerequisites. First, there is a need to improve understanding of the factors that influence health inequalities and the interconnections between the economic, social and health impacts. Second, broader policies should be considered not only within the health sector, but also in other sectors such as education, employment, transport and infrastructure, agriculture, water and sanitation. Third, the proposed policies need to be designed through involving the community, addressing the health of vulnerable groups, and fostering inter-sectoral action and partnerships.

Finally, within the UN's Agenda 2030 , Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 sets out a forward-looking strategy for health whose main goal is to attain healthier lives and wellbeing. The 17 interdependent SDGs offer an opportunity to contribute to healthier, fairer and more equitable societies from which both communities and the environment can benefit.

The stories of Maria, David and Ruben are real stories featured in the Documentary: The impact of COVID19 in urban outskirts, Directed by Jose A Guardiola. Available here. Permission has been granted to narrate these stories.

Buck, D., Baylis, A., Dougall, D. and Robertson, R. (2018). A vision for population health: Towards a healthier future . [online] London: The King's Fund. [Accessed 20 Sept. 2020]

Wilton Park. (2020). Healthy societies, healthy populations (WP1734). Wiston House, Steyning. Retrieved from https://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/event/wp1734/ Cohen B. E. (2006). Population health as a framework for public health practice: a Canadian perspective. American journal of public health , 96 (9), 1574–1576.

3. Imagine a 'well-care' system that invests in keeping people healthy

By Maliha Hashmi , Executive Director, Health and Well-Being and Biotech, NEOM, and Jan Kimpen , Global Chief Medical Officer, Philips

Imagine a patient named Emily. Emily is aged 32 and I’m her doctor.

Emily was 65lb (29kg) above her ideal body weight, pre-diabetic and had high cholesterol. My initial visit with Emily was taken up with counselling on lifestyle changes, mainly diet and exercise; typical advice from one’s doctor in a time-pressured 15-minute visit. I had no other additional resources, incentives or systems to support me or Emily to help her turn her lifestyle around.

I saw Emily eight months later, not in my office, but in the hospital emergency room. Her husband accompanied her – she was vomiting, very weak and confused. She was admitted to the intensive care unit, connected to an insulin drip to lower her blood sugar, and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I talked to Emily then, emphasizing that the new medications for diabetes would only control the sugars, but she still had time to reverse things if she changed her lifestyle. She received further counselling from a nutritionist.

Over the years, Emily continued to gain weight, necessitating higher doses of her diabetes medication. More emergency room visits for high blood sugars ensued, she developed infections of her skin and feet, and ultimately, she developed kidney disease because of the uncontrolled diabetes. Ten years after I met Emily, she is 78lb (35kg) above her ideal body weight; she is blind and cannot feel her feet due to nerve damage from the high blood sugars; and she will soon need dialysis for her failing kidneys. Emily’s deteriorating health has carried a high financial cost both for herself and the healthcare system. We have prevented her from dying and extended her life with our interventions, but each interaction with the medical system has come at significant cost – and those costs will only rise. But we have also failed Emily by allowing her diabetes to progress. We know how to prevent this, but neither the right investments nor incentives are in place.

Emily could have been a real patient of mine. Her sad story will be familiar to all doctors caring for chronically ill patients. Unfortunately, patients like Emily are neglected by health systems across the world today. The burden of chronic disease is increasing at alarming rates. Across the OECD nearly 33% of those over 15 years live with one or more chronic condition, rising to 60% for over-65s. Approximately 50% of chronic disease deaths are attributed to cardiovascular disease (CVD). In the coming decades, obesity, will claim 92 million lives in the OECD while obesity-related diseases will cut life expectancy by three years by 2050.

These diseases can be largely prevented by primary prevention, an approach that emphasizes vaccinations, lifestyle behaviour modification and the regulation of unhealthy substances. Preventative interventions have been efficacious. For obesity, countries have effectively employed public awareness campaigns, health professionals training, and encouragement of dietary change (for example, limits on unhealthy foods, taxes and nutrition labelling).⁴,⁵ Other interventions, such as workplace health-promotion programmes, while showing some promise, still need to demonstrate their efficacy.

The COVID-19 crisis provides the ultimate incentive to double down on the prevention of chronic disease. Most people dying from COVID-19 have one or more chronic disease, including obesity, CVD, diabetes or respiratory problems – diseases that are preventable with a healthy lifestyle. COVID-19 has highlighted structural weaknesses in our health systems such as the neglect of prevention and primary care.

While the utility of primary prevention is understood and supported by a growing evidence base, its implementation has been thwarted by chronic underinvestment, indicating a lack of societal and governmental prioritization. On average, OECD countries only invest 2.8% of health spending on public health and prevention. The underlying drivers include decreased allocation to prevention research, lack of awareness in populations, the belief that long-run prevention may be more costly than treatment, and a lack of commitment by and incentives for healthcare professionals. Furthermore, public health is often viewed in a silo separate from the overall health system rather than a foundational component.

Health benefits aside, increasing investment in primary prevention presents a strong economic imperative. For example, obesity contributes to the treatment costs of many other diseases: 70% of diabetes costs, 23% for CVD and 9% for cancers. Economic losses further extend to absenteeism and decreased productivity.

Fee-for-service models that remunerate physicians based on the number of sick patients they see, regardless the quality and outcome, dominate healthcare systems worldwide. Primary prevention mandates a payment system that reimburses healthcare professionals and patients for preventive actions. Ministries of health and governmental leaders need to challenge skepticism around preventive interventions, realign incentives towards preventive actions and those that promote healthy choices by people. Primary prevention will eventually reduce the burden of chronic diseases on the healthcare system.

As I reflect back on Emily and her life, I wonder what our healthcare system could have done differently. What if our healthcare system was a well-care system instead of a sick-care system? Imagine a different scenario: Emily, a 32 year old pre-diabetic, had access to a nutritionist, an exercise coach or health coach and nurse who followed her closely at the time of her first visit with me. Imagine if Emily joined group exercise classes, learned where to find healthy foods and how to cook them, and had access to spaces in which to exercise and be active. Imagine Emily being better educated about her diabetes and empowered in her healthcare and staying healthy. In reality, it is much more complicated than this, but if our healthcare systems began to incentivize and invest in prevention and even rewarded Emily for weight loss and healthy behavioural changes, the outcome might have been different. Imagine Emily losing weight and continuing to be an active and contributing member of society. Imagine if we invested in keeping people healthy rather than waiting for people to get sick, and then treating them. Imagine a well-care system.

Anderson, G. (2011). Responding to the growing cost and prevalence of people with multiple chronic conditions . Retrieved from OECD.

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. GBD Data Visualizations. Retrieved here.

OECD (2019), The Heavy Burden of Obesity: The Economics of Prevention, OECD Health Policy Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris.

OECD. (2017). Obesity Update . Retrieved here.

Malik, V. S., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2013). Global obesity: trends, risk factors and policy implications. Nature Reviews Endocrinology , 9 (1), 13-27.

Lang, J., Cluff, L., Payne, J., Matson-Koffman, D., & Hampton, J. (2017). The centers for disease control and prevention: findings from the national healthy worksite program. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine , 59 (7), 631.

Gmeinder, M., Morgan, D., & Mueller, M. (2017). How much do OECD countries spend on prevention? Retrieved from OECD.

Jordan RE, Adab P, Cheng KK. Covid-19: risk factors for severe disease and death. BMJ. 2020;368:m1198.

Richardson, A. K. (2012). Investing in public health: barriers and possible solutions. Journal of Public Health , 34 (3), 322-327.

Yong, P. L., Saunders, R. S., & Olsen, L. (2010). Missed Prevention Opportunities The healthcare imperative: lowering costs and improving outcomes: workshop series summary (Vol. 852): National Academies Press Washington, DC.

OECD. (2019). The Heavy Burden of Obesity: The Economics of Prevention. Retrieved here .

McDaid, D., F. Sassi and S. Merkur (Eds.) (2015a), “Promoting Health, Preventing Disease: The Economic Case ”, Open University Press, New York.

OECD. (2019). The Heavy Burden of Obesity: The Economics of Prevention. Retrieved from OECD.

4. Why e arly detection and diagnosis is critical

By Paul Murray , Head of Life and Health Products, Swiss Re, and André Goy , Chairman and Executive Director & Chief of Lymphoma, John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center

Although healthcare systems around the world follow a common and simple principle and goal – that is, access to affordable high-quality healthcare – they vary significantly, and it is becoming increasingly costly to provide this access, due to ageing populations, the increasing burden of chronic diseases and the price of new innovations.

Governments are challenged by how best to provide care to their populations and make their systems sustainable. Neither universal health, single payer systems, hybrid systems, nor the variety of systems used throughout the US have yet provided a solution. However, systems that are ranked higher in numerous studies, such as a 2017 report by the Commonwealth Fund , typically include strong prevention care and early-detection programmes. This alone does not guarantee a good outcome as measured by either high or healthy life expectancy. But there should be no doubt that prevention and early detection can contribute to a more sustainable system by reducing the risk of serious diseases or disorders, and that investing in and operationalizing earlier detection and diagnosis of key conditions can lead to better patient outcomes and lower long-term costs.

To discuss early detection in a constructive manner it makes sense to describe its activities and scope. Early detection includes pre-symptomatic screening and treatment immediately or shortly after first symptoms are diagnosed. Programmes may include searching for a specific disease (for example, HIV/AIDS or breast cancer), or be more ubiquitous. Prevention, which is not the focus of this blog, can be interpreted as any activities undertaken to avoid diseases, such as information programmes, education, immunization or health monitoring.

Expenditures for prevention and early detection vary by country and typically range between 1-5% of total health expenditures.¹ During the 2008 global financial crisis, many countries reduced preventive spending. In the past few years, however, a number of countries have introduced reforms to strengthen and promote prevention and early detection. Possibly the most prominent example in recent years was the introduction of the Affordable Care Act in the US, which placed a special focus on providing a wide range of preventive and screening services. It lists 63 distinct services that must be covered without any copayment, co-insurance or having to pay a deductible.

Whilst logic dictates that investment in early detection should be encouraged, there are a few hurdles and challenges that need to be overcome and considered. We set out a few key criteria and requirements for an efficient early detection program:

1. Accessibility The healthcare system needs to provide access to a balanced distribution of physicians, both geographically (such as accessibility in rural areas), and by specialty. Patients should be able to access the system promptly without excessive waiting times for diagnoses or elective treatments. This helps mitigate conditions or diseases that are already quite advanced or have been incubating for months or even years before a clinical diagnosis. Access to physicians varies significantly across the globe from below one to more than 60 physicians per 10,000 people.² One important innovation for mitigating access deficiencies is telehealth. This should give individuals easier access to health-related services, not only in cases of sickness but also to supplement primary care.

2. Early symptoms and initial diagnosis Inaccurate or delayed initial diagnoses present a risk to the health of patients, can lead to inappropriate or unnecessary testing and treatment, and represents a significant share of total health expenditures. A medical second opinion service, especially for serious medical diagnoses, which can occur remotely, can help improve healthcare outcomes. Moreover, studies show that early and correct diagnosis opens up a greater range of curative treatment options and can reduce costs (e.g. for colon cancer, stage-four treatment costs are a multiple of stage-one treatment costs).³

3. New technology New early detection technologies can improve the ability to identify symptoms and diseases early: i. Advances in medical monitoring devices and wearable health technology, such as ECG and blood pressure monitors and biosensors, enable patients to take control of their own health and physical condition. This is an important trend that is expected to positively contribute to early detection, for example in atrial fibrillation and Alzheimers’ disease. ii. Diagnostic tools, using new biomarkers such as liquid biopsies or volatile organic compounds, together with the implementation of machine learning, can play an increasing role in areas such as oncology or infectious diseases.⁴

4. Regulation and Intervention Government regulation and intervention will be necessary to set ranges of normality, to prohibit or discourage overdiagnosis and to reduce incentives for providers to overtreat patients or to follow patients' inappropriate requests. In some countries, such as the US, there has been some success through capitation models and value-based care. Governments might also need to intervene to de-risk the innovation paradigm, such that private providers of capital feel able to invest more in the development of new detection technologies, in addition to proven business models in novel therapeutics.

OECD Health Working Papers No. 101 "How much do OECD countries spend on prevention" , 2017

World Health Organization; Global Health Observatory (GHO) data; https://www.who.int/gho/health_workforce/physicians_density/en/

Saving lives, averting costs; A report for Cancer Research UK, by Incisive Health, September 2014

Liquid Biopsy: Market Drivers And Obstacles; by Divyaa Ravishankar, Frost & Sullivan, January 21, 2019

Liquid Biopsies Become Cheap and Easy with New Microfluidic Device; February 26, 2019

How America’s 5 Top Hospitals are Using Machine Learning Today; by Kumba Sennaar, February 19, 2019

5. The business case for private investment in healthcare for all

Pascal Fröhlicher, Primary Care Innovation Scholar, Harvard Medical School, and Ian Wijaya, Managing Director in Lazard’s Global Healthcare Group

Faith, a mother of two, has just lost another customer. Some households where she is employed to clean, in a small town in South Africa, have little understanding of her medical needs. As a type 2 diabetes patient, this Zimbabwean woman visits the public clinic regularly, sometimes on short notice. At her last visit, after spending hours in a queue, she was finally told that the doctor could not see her. To avoid losing another day of work, she went to the local general practitioner to get her script, paying more than three daily wages for consultation and medication. Sadly, this fictional person reflects a reality for many people in middle-income countries.

Achieving universal health coverage by 2030, a key UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), is at risk. The World Bank has identified a $176 billion funding gap , increasing every year due to the growing needs of an ageing population, with the health burden shifting towards non-communicable diseases (NCDs), now the major cause of death in emerging markets . Traditional sources of healthcare funding struggle to increase budgets sufficiently to cover this gap and only about 4% of private health care investments focus on diseases that primarily affect low- and middle-income countries.

In middle-income countries, private investors often focus on extending established businesses, including developing private hospital capacity, targeting consumers already benefiting from quality healthcare. As a result, an insufficient amount of private capital is invested in strengthening healthcare systems for everyone.

Why is this the case? We discussed with senior health executives investing in Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) and the following reasons emerged:

• Small market size . Scaling innovations in healthcare requires dealing with country-specific regulatory frameworks and competing interest groups, resulting in high market entry cost.
• Talent . Several LMICs are losing nurses and doctors but also business and finance professionals to European and North American markets due to the lack of local opportunities and a significant difference in salaries.
• Untested business models with relatively low gross margins. Providing healthcare requires innovative business models where consumers’ willingness to pay often needs to be demonstrated over a significant period of time. Additionally, relatively low gross margins drive the need for scale to leverage administrative costs, which increases risk.
• Government Relations. The main buyer of health-related products and services is government; yet the relationship between public and private sectors often lacks trust, creating barriers to successful collaboration. Add to that significant political risk, as contracts can be cancelled by incoming administrations after elections. Many countries also lack comprehensive technology strategies to successfully manage technological innovation.
• Complexity of donor funding. A significant portion of healthcare is funded by private donors, whose priorities might not always be congruent with the health priorities of the government.

Notwithstanding these barriers, healthcare, specifically in middle-income settings, could present an attractive value proposition for private investors:

• Economic growth rates . A growing middle class is expanding the potential market for healthcare products and services.
• Alignment of incentives . A high ratio of out-of-pocket payments for healthcare services is often associated with low quality. However, innovative business models can turn out of pocket payments into the basis for a customer-centric value proposition, as the provider is required to compete for a share of disposable income.
• Emergence of National Health Insurance Schemes . South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and others are building national health insurance schemes, increasing a population’s ability to fund healthcare services and products .
• Increased prevalence of NCDs. Given the increasing incidence of chronic diseases and the potential of using technology to address these diseases, new business opportunities for private investment exist.

Based on the context above, several areas in healthcare delivery can present compelling opportunities for private companies.

• Aggregation of existing players.
• Leveraging primary care infrastructure. Retail companies can leverage their real estate, infrastructure and supply chains to deploy primary care services at greater scale than is currently the case.
• Telemedicine . Telecommunications providers can leverage their existing infrastructure and customer base to provide payment mechanisms and telehealth services at scale. As seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, investment in telemedicine can ensure that patients receive timely and continuous care in spite of restrictions and lockdowns.
• Cost effective diagnostics . Diagnostic tools operated by frontline workers and combined with the expertise of specialists can provide timely and efficient care.

To fully realize these opportunities, government must incentivise innovation, provide clear regulatory frameworks and, most importantly, ensure that health priorities are adequately addressed.

Venture capital and private equity firms as well as large international corporations can identify the most commercially viable solutions and scale them into new markets. The ubiquity of NCDs and the requirement to reduce costs globally provides innovators with the opportunity to scale their tested solutions from LMICs to higher income environments.

Successful investment exits in LMICs and other private sector success stories will attract more private capital. Governments that enable and support private investment in their healthcare systems would, with appropriate governance and guidance, generate benefits to their populations and economies. The economic value of healthy populations has been proven repeatedly , and in the face of COVID-19, private sector investment can promote innovation and the development of responsible, sustainable solutions.

Faith – the diabetic mother we introduced at the beginning of this article - could keep her client. As a stable patient, she could measure her glucose level at home and enter the results in an app on her phone, part of her monthly diabetes programme with the company that runs the health centre. She visits the nurse-led facility at the local taxi stand on her way to work when her app suggests it. The nurse in charge of the centre treats Faith efficiently, and, if necessary, communicates with a primary care physician or even a specialist through the telemedicine functionality of her electronic health system.

Improving LMIC health systems is not only a business opportunity, but a moral imperative for public and private leaders. With the appropriate technology and political will, this can become a reality.

6. How could COVID-19 change the way we pay for health services?

John E. Ataguba, Associate Professor and Director, University of Cape Town and Matthew Guilford, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Common Health

The emergence of the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2), causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has challenged both developing and developed countries.

Countries have approached the management of infections differently. Many people are curious to understand their health system’s performance on COVID-19, both at the national level and compared to international peers. Alongside limited resources for health, many developing countries may have weak health systems that can make it challenging to respond adequately to the pandemic.

Even before COVID-19, high rates of out-of-pocket spending on health meant that every year, 800 million people faced catastrophic healthcare costs ,100 million families were pushed into poverty, and millions more simply avoided care for critical conditions because they could not afford to pay for it.

The pandemic and its economic fallout have caused household incomes to decline at the same time as healthcare risks are rising. In some countries with insurance schemes, and especially for private health insurance, the following questions have arisen: How large is the co-payment for a COVID-19 test? If my doctor’s office is closed, will the telemedicine consultation be covered by my insurance? Will my coronavirus care be paid for regardless of how I contracted the virus? These and other doubts can prevent people from seeking medical care in some countries.

In Nigeria, like many other countries in Africa, the government bears the costs associated with testing and treating COVID-19 irrespective of the individual’s insurance status. In the public health sector, where COVID-19 cases are treated, health workers are paid monthly salaries while budgets are allocated to health facilities for other services. Hospitals continue to receive budget allocations to finance all health services including the management and treatment of COVID-19. That implies that funds allocated to address other health needs are reduced and that in turn could affect the availability and quality of health services.

Although health workers providing care for COVID-19 patients in isolation and treatment centres in Nigeria are paid salaries that are augmented with a special incentive package, the degree of impact on the quality improvement of services remains unclear. The traditional and historical allocation of budgets does not always address the needs of the whole population and could result in poor health services and under-provision of health services for COVID-19 patients.

In some countries, the reliance on out-of-pocket funding is hardly better for private providers, who encounter brand risks, operational difficulties, and – in extreme cases – the risk of creating “debtor prisons” as they seek to collect payment from patients. Ironically, despite the huge demand for medical services to diagnose and treat COVID-19, large healthcare institutions and individual healthcare practitioners alike are facing financial distress.

Dependence on a steady stream of fee-for-service payments for outpatient consultations and elective procedures is leading to pay cuts for doctors in India , forfeited Eid bonuses for nurses in Indonesia , and hospital bankruptcies in the United States . In a recent McKinsey & Company survey, 77% of physicians reported that their business would suffer in 2020 , and 46% were concerned about their practice surviving the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 is exposing how fee-for-service, historical budget allocation and out-of-pocket financing methods can hinder the performance of the health system. Some providers and health systems that deployed “value-based” models prior to the pandemic have reported that these approaches have improved financial resilience during COVID-19 and may support better results for patients. Nevertheless, these types of innovations do not represent the dominant payment model in any country.

How health service providers are paid has implications for whether service users can get needed health services in a timely fashion, and at an appropriate quality and an affordable cost. By shifting from fee-for-service reimbursements to fixed "capitation" and performance-based payments, these models incentivize providers to improve quality and coordination while also guaranteeing a baseline income level, even during times of disruption.

Health service providers could be paid either in the form of salaries, a fee for services they provide, by capitation (whether adjusted or straightforward), through global budgets, or by using a case-based payment system (for example, the diagnostics-related groups), among others. Because there are different incentives to consider when adopting any of the methods, they could be combined to achieve a specific goal. For example, in some countries, health workers are paid salaries , and some specific services are paid on a fee-for-service basis.

Ideally, health services could be purchased strategically , incorporating aspects of provider performance in transferring funds to providers and accounting for the health needs of the population they serve.

In this regard, strategic purchasing for health has been advocated and should be highlighted as crucial with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to ensure value in the way health providers are paid, inter alia to increase efficiency, ensure equity, and improve access to needed health services. Value-based payment methods, although not new in many countries, provide an avenue to encourage long-term value for money, better quality, and strategic purchasing for health, helping to build a healthier, more resilient world.

7. L essons in integrated care from the COVID-19 pandemic

Sarah Ziegler, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Zurich, and Ninie Wang, Founder & CEO, Pinetree Care Group.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, people suffering non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have been at higher risk of becoming severely ill or dying. In Italy, 96.2% of people who died of COVID-19 lived with two or more chronic conditions.

Beyond the pandemic, cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes are the leading burden of disease, with 41 million annual deaths. People with multimorbidity - a number of different conditions - often experience difficulties in accessing timely and coordinated healthcare, made worse when health systems are busy fighting against the pandemic.

Here is what happened in China with Lee, aged 62, who has been living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) for the past five years.

Before the pandemic, Lee’s care manager coordinated a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses, pulmonary rehabilitation therapists, psychologists and social workers to put together a personalized care plan for her. Following the care plan, Lee stopped smoking and paid special attention to her diet, sleep and physical exercises, as well as sticking to her medication and follow-up visits. She participated in a weekly community-based physical activity program to meet other COPD patients, including short walks and exchange experiences. A mobile care team supported her with weekly cleaning and grocery shopping.

Together with her family, Lee had follow-up visits to ensure her care plan reflected her recovery and to modify the plan if needed. These integrated care services brought pieces of care together, centered around Lee’s needs, and provided a continuum of care that helped keep Lee in the community with a good quality of life for as long as possible.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, such NCD services have been disrupted by lockdowns, the cancellation of elective care and the fear of visiting care service . These factors particularly affected people living with NCDs like Lee. As such, Lee was not able to follow her care plan anymore. The mobile care team was unable to visit her weekly as they were deployed to provide COVID-19 relief. Lee couldn’t participate in her community-based program, follow up on her daily activities, or see her family or psychologists. This negatively affected Lee’s COPD management and led to poor management of her physical activity and healthy diet.

The pandemic highlights the need for a flexible and reliable integrated care system to enable healthcare delivery to all people no matter where they live, uzilizing approaches such as telemedicine and effective triaging to overcome care disruptions.

Lee’s care manager created short videos to assist her family through each step of her care and called daily to check in on the implementation of the plan and answer questions. Lee received tele-consultations, and was invited to the weekly webcast series that supported COPD patient communities. When her uncle passed away because of pneumonia complications from COVID-19 in early April, Lee’s care manager arranged a palliative care provider to support the family through the difficult time of bereavement and provided food and supplies during quarantine. Lee could even continue with her physical activity program with an online training coach. There were a total of 38 exercise videos for strengthening and stretching arms, legs and trunk, which she could complete at different levels of difficulty and with different numbers of repetitions.

Lee’s case demonstrates that early detection, prevention, and management of NCDs play a crucial role in a global pandemic response. It shows how we need to shift away from health systems designed around single diseases towards health systems designed for the multidimensional needs of individuals. As part of the pandemic responses, addressing and managing risks related to NCDs and prevention of their complications are critical to improve outcomes for vulnerable people like Lee.

How to design and deliver successful integrated care

The challenge for the successful transformation of healthcare is to tailor care system-wide to population needs. A 2016 WHO Framework on integrated people-centered health services developed a set of five general strategies for countries to progress towards people-centered and sustainable health systems, calling for a fundamental transformation not only in the way health services are delivered, but also in the way they are financed and managed . These strategies call for countries to:

• Engage and empower people / communities: an integrated care system must mobilize everyone to work together using all available resources, especially when continuity of essential health and community services for NCDs are at risk of being undermined.
• Strengthen governance and accountability, so that integration emphasizes rather than weakens leadership in every part of the system, and ensure that NCDs are included in national COVID-19 plans and future essential health services.
• Reorient the model of care to put the needs and perspectives of each person / family at the center of care planning and outcome measurement, rather than institutions.
• Coordinate services within and across sectors, for example, integrate inter-disciplinary medical care with social care, addressing wider socio-economic, environmental and behavioral determinants of health.
• Create an enabling environment, with clear objectives, supportive financing, regulations and insurance coverage for integrated care, including the development and use of systemic digital health care solutions.

Whether due to an unexpected pandemic or a gradual increase in the burden of NCDs, each person could face many health threats across the life-course.

Only systems that dynamically assess each person’s complex health needs and address them through a timely, well-coordinated and tailored mix of health and social care services will be able to deliver desired health outcomes over the longer term, ensuring an uninterrupted good quality of life for Lee and many others like her.

• Wang B, Li R, Lu Z, Huang Y. Does comorbidity increase the risk of patients with COVID-19: evidence from meta-analysis. Aging (Albany NY) 2020;12: 6049–57.
• WHO. Noncommunicable diseases in emergencies. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2016.
• WHO. COVID-19 significantly impacts health services for noncommunicable diseases. June 2020.
• Kluge HHP, Wickramasinghe K, Rippin HL, et al. Prevention and control of non-communicalbe diseases in the COVID-19 response. The Lancet. 2020. 395:1678-1680
• WHO. Framework on integrated people-centred health services. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2016.

8 . Why access to healthcare alone will not save lives

Donald Berwick, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; Nicola Bedlington, Special Adviser, European Patient Forum; and David Duong, Director, Program in Global Primary Care and Social Change, Harvard Medical School.

Joyce lies next to 10 other women in bare single beds in the post-partum recovery room at a rural hospital in Uganda. Just an hour ago, Joyce gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She is now struggling with abdominal pain. A nurse walks by, and Joyce tries to call out, but the nurse was too busy to attend to her; she was the only nurse looking after 20 patients.

Another hour passes, and Joyce is shaking and sweating profusely. Joyce’s husband runs into the corridor to find a nurse to come and evaluate her. The nurse notices Joyce’s critical condition - a high fever and a low blood pressure - and she quickly calls the doctor. The medical team rushes Joyce to the intensive care unit. Joyce has a very severe blood stream infection. It takes another hour before antibiotics are started - too late. Joyce dies, leaving behind a newborn son and a husband. Joyce, like many before her, falls victim to a pervasive global threat: poor quality of care.

Adopted by United Nations (UN) in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. SDG 3 aims to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all. The 2019 UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) reaffirmed the need for the highest level of political commitment to health care for all.

However, progress towards UHC, often measured in terms of access, not outcomes, does not guarantee better health, as we can see from Joyce’s tragedy. This is also evident with the COVID-19 response. The rapidly evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted long-term structural inefficiencies and inequities in health systems and societies trying to mitigate the contagion and loss of life.

Systems are straining under significant pressure to ensure standards of care for both COVID-19 patients and other patients that run the risk of not receiving timely and appropriate care. Although poor quality of care has been a long-standing issue, it is imperative now more than ever that systems implement high-quality services as part of their efforts toward UHC.

Poor quality healthcare remains a challenge for countries at all levels of economic development: 10% of hospitalized patients acquire an infection during their hospitalization in low-and-middle income countries (LMIC), whereas 7% do in high-income countries. Poor quality healthcare disproportionally affects the poor and those in LMICs. Of the approximately 8.6 million deaths per year in 137 LMICs, 3.6 million are people who did not access the health system, whereas 5 million are people who sought and had access to services but received poor-quality care.

Joyce’s story is all too familiar; poor quality of care results in deaths from treatable diseases and conditions. Although the causes of death are often multifactorial, deaths and increased morbidity from treatable conditions are often a reflection of defects in the quality of care.

The large number of deaths and avoidable complications are also accompanied by substantial economic costs. In 2015 alone, 130 LMICs faced US $6 trillion in economic losses. Although there is concern that implementing quality measures may be a costly endeavor, it is clear that the economic toll associated with a lack of quality of care is far more troublesome and further stunts the socio-economic development of LMICs, made apparent with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Poor-quality care not only leads to adverse outcomes in terms of high morbidity and mortality, but it also impacts patient experience and patient confidence in health systems. Less than one-quarter of people in LMICs and approximately half of people in high-income countries believe that their health systems work well.

A lack of application and availability of evidenced-based guidelines is one key driver of poor-quality care. The rapidly changing landscape of medical knowledge and guidelines requires healthcare workers to have immediate access to current clinical resources. Despite our "information age", health providers are not accessing clinical guidelines or do not have access to the latest practical, lifesaving information.

Getting information to health workers in the places where it is most needed is a delivery challenge. Indeed, adherence to clinical practice guidelines in eight LMICs was below 50%, and in OECD countries, despite being a part of national guidelines, 19-53% of women aged 50-69 years did not receive mammography screening.4 The evidence in LMICs and HICs suggest that application of evidence-based guidelines lead to reduction in mortality and improved health outcomes.

Equally, the failure to change and continually improve the processes in health systems that support the workforce takes a high toll on quality of care. During the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam, which adapted and improved their health systems after the SARS and H1N1 outbreaks, were able to rapidly mobilize a large-scale quarantine and contact tracing strategy, supported with effective and coordinated mass communication.

These countries not only mitigated the economic and mortality damage, but also prevented their health systems and workforce from enduring extreme burden and inability to maintain critical medical supplies. In all nations, investing in healthcare organizations to enable them to become true “learning health care systems,” aiming at continual quality improvement, would yield major population health and health system gains.

The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance for health systems to be learning systems. Once the dust settles, we need to focus, collectively, on learning from this experience and adapting our health systems to be more resilient for the next one. This implies a need for commitment to and investment in global health cooperation, improvement in health care leadership, and change management.

With strong political and financial commitment to UHC, and its demonstrable effect in addressing crises such as COVID-19, for the first time, the world has a viable chance of UHC becoming a reality. However, without an equally strong political, managerial, and financial commitment to continually improving, high-quality health services, UHC will remain an empty promise.

1. United Nations General Assembly. Political declaration of the high-level meeting on universal health coverage. New York, NY2019.

2. Marmot M, Allen J, Boyce T, Goldblatt P, Morrison J. Health equity in England: the Marmot review 10 years on. Institute of Health Equity;2020.

3. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Committee on Improving the Quality of Health Care Globally. Crossing the global quality chasm: Improving health care worldwide. Washington, DC: National Academies Press;2018.

4. World Health Organization, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank Group. Delivering quality health services: a global imperative for universal health coverage. World Health Organization; 2018.

5. Kruk ME, Gage AD, Arsenault C, et al. High-quality health systems in the Sustainable Development Goals era: time for a revolution. The Lancet Global Health. 2018;6(11):e1196-e1252.

6. Ricci-Cabello I, Violán C, Foguet-Boreu Q, Mounce LT, Valderas JM. Impact of multi-morbidity on quality of healthcare and its implications for health policy, research and clinical practice. A scoping review. European Journal of General Practice. 2015;21(3):192-202.

7. Valtis YK, Rosenberg J, Bhandari S, et al. Evidence-based medicine for all: what we can learn from a programme providing free access to an online clinical resource to health workers in resource-limited settings. BMJ global health. 2016;1(1).

8. Institute of Medicine. Best Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America . Washington, DC: National Academies Press 2012.

Personal Essays: The Stigma of Illness

Imagine being interviewed about your work as an AIDS activist and the reporter asks you how many men you've slept with. Or confiding in a friend that you were just diagnosed with lung cancer, only to be met with the accusatory question, "How many packs a day do you smoke?" Or working up the nerve to tell a family member that you have bipolar disorder, only to be told, "That's not a real disease."

While great strides have been made in the treatment of conditions like AIDS, lung cancer and bipolar disorder, the people who live with them face another hurdle: stigma.

For years, social scientists such as Gregory Herek, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis, have been trying to unravel why certain conditions seem to carry "marks of dishonor." Their conclusion: Whenever there's a widespread perception that something can be attributed to personal weakness or poor lifestyle or moral choices, that disease is going to be stigmatized.

Take alcoholism, for example. Though science shows that you can inherit a predisposition to it and that brain chemistry plays a role, many people believe that alcoholics simply lack willpower or good morals. As a result, alcoholics rarely get the same level of empathy and support as, say, people suffering from heart disease. Those with mental illnesses face similar problems. In fact, about 1 in 5 people surveyed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the National Depressive and Manic- Depressive Association believe people with bipolar disorder can control their illness without medication if they really want to.

When it comes to AIDS, the stigma is directly tied to the fact that HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) is most often spread through sexual contact or the use of intravenous drugs. Misinformation plays a huge role as well: In a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 37 percent of people polled thought that HIV might be spread through kissing, 22 percent believed it could be spread through sharing a glass, and 16 percent said it could be spread by touching a toilet seat—none of which is true.

Even cancer carries a stigma—especially lung cancer. Although smoking increases your risk, 1 in 5 women who develop it have never smoked. Yet about 60 percent of people believe that lung cancer patients are at least partly to blame for their diagnosis, according to a Lung Cancer Alliance survey of nearly 1,500 people.

The worst part about stigma is that patients often internalize those feelings of shame. "It's a vicious cycle," explains Bob Carolla, JD, media relations director for NAMI, who lives with bipolar disorder. "People hear the misconceptions, and they start to believe them." As a result, they feel isolated, which may prevent them from seeking help, says Carolla.

Fortunately, you can help stigmas fade. For starters, catch yourself when you're about to make a sweeping judgment. "Ask yourself, 'Am I sure that this information is 100 percent accurate?'" says Janine Gauthier, PhD, a clinical psychologist who studies the emotional aspects of illness at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Don't risk spreading misinformation. Stop yourself and learn the facts from credible sources (such as websites like mayoclinic.com and nih.gov, which are run by large mainstream medical groups). Also pay attention to your language: Avoid words like all or everyone that lump people with a disease into one category, as well as those that imply that an illness is due to a personal weakness (for example, saying it's her fault that she got sick or referring to someone with a mental illness as crazy ).

These efforts really can make a difference—as does the willingness of patients to share their stories. Not too long ago, the words breast cancer were considered unspeakable. When high-profile women like Betty Ford started talking about their disease in the 1970s, that started the movement for better treatment and more honesty.

Opening up helps educate others, and the more people know about an illness and see people in their lives facing it, the less likely they are to stigmatize it. "When you know someone's story, it's much harder to make negative generalizations," says Dr. Herek. That's why we asked the following women to share their personal accounts of living with bipolar disorder, AIDS and lung cancer. They've all risen above the stigma, the misconceptions and the prejudice, and perhaps most important of all, they're not so different from you and me.

"I'm smart, I'm straight, and I have AIDS." Rae Lewis-Thornton, 49, Chicago, Illinois

When I started taking AZT, a drug used to treat HIV and delay the onset of full-blown AIDS, I used to peel the label off the bottle and flush it down the toilet. I didn't want anyone to know I was taking the "AIDS drug."

Most people think that everyone with AIDS is promiscuous, gay, a drug user, uneducated or all of the above. They're wrong. I've never done drugs and I've never slept with anyone on the first date.

I was diagnosed with HIV when I was 23 years old and working in Washington, DC, as a political strategist. I got infected during what I thought was a monogamous heterosexual relationship. In fact, I had no idea I was sick until I donated blood and the Red Cross informed me of my HIV status.

For the first seven years, I only told five people—and swore them to secrecy. When I got sicker and started losing weight, I let people assume I was working out a lot. But keeping my condition a secret was isolating, and I got very depressed, so I finally told a few people. Soon after, a teacher at a Chicago high school asked me to talk to her students. I was reluctant, but it went so well that I started speaking to other local groups. In 1994, the editor of Essence magazine heard me speak and put me on the cover. In some small way I changed the face of AIDS for black women.

I don't regret speaking out for a second, but I admit that going public can be overwhelming. During an interview for a local TV station in Florida, the reporter had the nerve to ask me how many men I had slept with. I told her, "It doesn't matter. All it takes is one." And that's the truth.

I'd like to think that things have changed a lot since I was first diagnosed, but sometimes I doubt it. A few years ago I was talking to a group of students in Arkansas, and I reached for a girl's hand to demonstrate that because she didn't have any open wounds she was perfectly safe. But when I reached out, she recoiled her hand in disgust.

People often ask me about how my condition—and the stigma attached to it—has affected my love life. I do date, but it's been hard. One man always wanted to eat dinner at either my house or his, and he always had an excuse about why we couldn't go to a restaurant. Another always introduced me as his friend instead of his girlfriend . A few years ago I decided that if a man wasn't willing to be with me publicly, he could not be with me privately.

Today I'm no longer working in politics. Because I'm immune compromised, I'm always battling fatigue or some infection, like pneumonia. Since then, I've launched a line of HIV/AIDS awareness bracelets and I've gotten my divinity degree. I'm very proud of that; I believe that God has given me a unique gift to speak about my illness. I give talks across the country in which I'm very candid about my experience with AIDS, and I often get letters from people thanking me for sharing my story.

The most memorable ones are the letters that arrive years later and say things like, "If I hadn't heard you speak when I was 16, I would have started having sex right then. Instead, I waited until I was 21." Knowing that I might be able to help change minds and behaviors is the reason I keep doing this.

"I had lung cancer and never smoked a day in my life." Kathleen Skambis, 53, Orlando, Florida

Getting lung cancer is shocking enough, but having everyone try to figure out what you did "wrong" is almost as bad. When I was diagnosed in 1999, everyone wanted to know if I was a smoker. Even in the hospital, one of my nurses asked me, "So, how many packs a day did you smoke?"I wanted to say, "Are you kidding me?! No one deserves cancer." But I just told her the truth: I have never smoked.

You would think that would put the issue to rest, but it rarely does. A common follow-up is, "Really?" I sometimes wonder if people think I'm lying. Next, people want to know if I was exposed to secondhand smoke. Well, I grew up in the '60s and '70s. My parents didn't smoke, but cigarettes were everywhere.

No one knows why I got cancer, but most people who have breast or colon cancer don't know why they got it, either.

I was on my honeymoon when I came down with the flu, which became bronchitis. Fortunately, my husband insisted I get a chest X-ray. It showed a suspicious mass in my lung. The doctor mentioned cancer in passing, but he quickly discounted it. It wasn't until I had CT scans of my chest and throat (as well as biopsies) that we learned I had lung cancer as well as (unrelated) thyroid cancer. I ended up having multiple surgeries and chemotherapy.

Whenever I talk about my story, people often say how unfair it is, as if because I'm a nonsmoker I didn't "deserve" to get sick. But smokers and nonsmokers are in this boat together. I have close friends who smoke; they've tried absolutely everything to quit. It's not that easy.

Despite the dismal statistics (only about half of people diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer survive for at least five years), I've been cancer-free for more than a decade. I continue to practice law and I love to run, bike and travel. But I have to say, it's hard to see all the pink ribbons for breast cancer while lung cancer is fairly invisible. It's great that breast cancer patients have that support; I just wish lung cancer patients did, too.

One day, a few years ago, I walked into a Starbucks and spotted a sign for an American Lung Association (ALA) event, "Climbing Heights for Lung Cancer." Finally, a program to raise awareness and funds! That day I decided to volunteer with the ALA.

Since then, I've learned that the amount of money devoted to lung cancer research is extremely low compared to funding for other diseases. I know one of the hurdles is that people blame smokers for bringing it on themselves. That makes very little sense. Heart disease, for example, is pretty well funded, even though certain lifestyle habits may raise the risk of developing it. Rarely does anyone think, "Why should I write a check? They could just eat fewer cheeseburgers." It's not right to blame anyone for any illness—no matter what it is.

Lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually. Breast cancer, in comparison, kills about 40,000 people each year. Yet in 2009, about $685 million was spent on breast cancer research and less than $300 million on lung cancer research. Approximately 85 to 90 percent of lung cancers are due to smoking, but 1 in 5 women with lung cancer have never smoked (it's 1 in 10 for men). Other risk factors include exposure to radon or asbestos and having a family history of the disease. Famous people who battled lung cancer include Dana Reeve and opera singer Beverly Sills. Learn more at LungUSA.org , LungCancerAlliance.org and Lungevity.org .

"I have bipolar disorder, and no, I'm not crazy." Heidi Nordin, 45, St. Paul, Minnesota

Several years ago, shortly after I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I was chatting at an Easter celebration when a family member turned to me and said, "You know, I don't think mental illness is real. I don't know why you bother taking medication."

I was so dumbstruck that I just turned and walked away. I couldn't help but wonder if I had made a mistake in telling him in the first place. When I was first diagnosed in 2000, I didn't tell anyone for the first year because I was afraid they would think less of me. When I finally told my family, they initially seemed to be receptive.

For the most part, my condition is well controlled. But I have several episodes every year, and each one can last for months. (Medication does help, but I often have to change doses and switch to different ones.) When I'm severely depressed, I don't want to leave the house. Reading or even getting out of bed seems like too much effort. When I'm in a manic phase, I become very impulsive. Once I bought an $8,000 motorcycle that I didn't know how to ride. I've since taken lessons and I love it, but that was a lot of money to spend without really thinking about it.

Given how I feel when I'm experiencing an episode, I can't believe that some people don't accept that mental illness is real. Plus, research shows that chemical imbalances in the brain cause this illness. It's not something you bring on yourself; why would anyone choose to live or feel this way?

Still, I'm cautious about whom I confide in. Once when I was on the way to a restaurant with a group of friends, we passed a homeless person. One of them said something like, "Did you see that crazy guy?" In my head, I was thinking about how that person probably has a mental illness and needs help. But if I'd said anything, they probably would've thought that there was something wrong with me too.

For similar reasons, I've told very few coworkers about my condition. Most of the time I can make it through the workday OK. If I'm really depressed I'll take a sick day, though once I missed a week of work because I was hospitalized for suicidal thoughts. In the past I worried that I could lose my job if more people found out about my condition, even though I know that's illegal. I also worried that colleagues would think I was less competent, but I realized I've already proven myself. I've been at my current job (in an IT department for a large company) for about five years, and I supervise 10 people.

Many people think that everyone with mental illness is flaky or weird, but the truth is, in most respects I'm just like everyone else. I've worked since I was 18 years old, and I work really hard. I have a lot of friends, and I love going to the movies, museums and Minnesota Twins games.

Since getting involved with the mental health organization NAMI in 2005, I've been trying to be more open about my condition. I help out with NAMIWalks (a big annual fundraiser) and represent NAMI on the Minnesota Mental Health Advisory Council. But the scariest thing I've ever done was give a talk at a NAMI event. I had never done public speaking before, and my hands were shaking as I stepped up to the podium. I looked at the crowd of about 250 people staring at me and I almost froze, but I took a deep breath and just dove into it. As I started speaking I felt myself relax a little, and when I finished, everyone applauded. I thought to myself, I could get used to this . 

Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, is a mental illness in which people experience extreme highs (mania) and lows (depression). It may be caused by a combination of brain chemistry, genetics and your environment (for example, it's more common in people who've lost a parent at a young age). Finding the right treatment—usually a combination of medication and talk therapy—can be difficult, but it enables people with the disorder to lead productive lives. Well-known figures who have bipolar disorder include Jane Pauley, Richard Dreyfuss and Carrie Fisher. Learn more at NAMI.org , NIMH.NIH.gov and DBSAlliance.org .

Joan Raymond is a freelance medical writer who has written for Newsweek and MSNBC.com .

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Mental Health Essay

Introduction

Mental health, often overshadowed by its physical counterpart, is an intricate and essential aspect of human existence. It envelops our emotions, psychological state, and social well-being, shaping our thoughts, behaviors, and interactions. With the complexities of modern life—constant connectivity, societal pressures, personal expectations, and the frenzied pace of technological advancements—mental well-being has become increasingly paramount. Historically, conversations around this topic have been hushed, shrouded in stigma and misunderstanding. However, as the curtains of misconception slowly lift, we find ourselves in an era where discussions about mental health are not only welcomed but are also seen as vital. Recognizing and addressing the nuances of our mental state is not merely about managing disorders; it's about understanding the essence of who we are, how we process the world around us, and how we navigate the myriad challenges thrown our way. This essay aims to delve deep into the realm of mental health, shedding light on its importance, the potential consequences of neglect, and the spectrum of mental disorders that many face in silence.

Importance of Mental Health

Mental health plays a pivotal role in determining how individuals think, feel, and act. It influences our decision-making processes, stress management techniques, interpersonal relationships, and even our physical health. A well-tuned mental state boosts productivity, creativity, and the intrinsic sense of self-worth, laying the groundwork for a fulfilling life.

Negative Impact of Mental Health

Neglecting mental health, on the other hand, can lead to severe consequences. Reduced productivity, strained relationships, substance abuse, physical health issues like heart diseases, and even reduced life expectancy are just some of the repercussions of poor mental health. It not only affects the individual in question but also has a ripple effect on their community, workplace, and family.

Mental Disorders: Types and Prevalence

Mental disorders are varied and can range from anxiety and mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder to more severe conditions such as schizophrenia.

• Depression: Characterized by persistent sadness, lack of interest in activities, and fatigue.
• Anxiety Disorders: Encompass conditions like generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and specific phobias.
• Schizophrenia: A complex disorder affecting a person's ability to think, feel, and behave clearly.

The prevalence of these disorders has been on the rise, underscoring the need for comprehensive mental health initiatives and awareness campaigns.

Understanding Mental Health and Its Importance

Mental health is not merely the absence of disorders but encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Recognizing the signs of deteriorating mental health, like prolonged sadness, extreme mood fluctuations, or social withdrawal, is crucial. Understanding stems from awareness and education. Societal stigmas surrounding mental health have often deterred individuals from seeking help. Breaking these barriers, fostering open conversations, and ensuring access to mental health care are imperative steps.

Conclusion: Mental Health

Mental health, undeniably, is as significant as physical health, if not more. In an era where the stressors are myriad, from societal pressures to personal challenges, mental resilience and well-being are essential. Investing time and resources into mental health initiatives, and more importantly, nurturing a society that understands, respects, and prioritizes mental health is the need of the hour.

• World Leaders: Several influential personalities, from celebrities to sports stars, have openly discussed their mental health challenges, shedding light on the universality of these issues and the importance of addressing them.
• Workplaces: Progressive organizations are now incorporating mental health programs, recognizing the tangible benefits of a mentally healthy workforce, from increased productivity to enhanced creativity.
• Educational Institutions: Schools and colleges, witnessing the effects of stress and other mental health issues on students, are increasingly integrating counseling services and mental health education in their curriculum.

In weaving through the intricate tapestry of mental health, it becomes evident that it's an area that requires collective attention, understanding, and action.

  Short Essay about Mental Health

Mental health, an integral facet of human well-being, shapes our emotions, decisions, and daily interactions. Just as one would care for a sprained ankle or a fever, our minds too require attention and nurture. In today's bustling world, mental well-being is often put on the back burner, overshadowed by the immediate demands of life. Yet, its impact is pervasive, influencing our productivity, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Sadly, mental health issues have long been stigmatized, seen as a sign of weakness or dismissed as mere mood swings. However, they are as real and significant as any physical ailment. From anxiety to depression, these disorders have touched countless lives, often in silence due to societal taboos.

But change is on the horizon. As awareness grows, conversations are shifting from hushed whispers to open discussions, fostering understanding and support. Institutions, workplaces, and communities are increasingly acknowledging the importance of mental health, implementing programs, and offering resources.

In conclusion, mental health is not a peripheral concern but a central one, crucial to our holistic well-being. It's high time we prioritize it, eliminating stigma and fostering an environment where everyone feels supported in their mental health journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the primary focus of a mental health essay?

Answer: The primary focus of a mental health essay is to delve into the intricacies of mental well-being, its significance in our daily lives, the various challenges people face, and the broader societal implications. It aims to shed light on both the psychological and emotional aspects of mental health, often emphasizing the importance of understanding, empathy, and proactive care.

• How can writing an essay on mental health help raise awareness about its importance?

Answer: Writing an essay on mental health can effectively articulate the nuances and complexities of the topic, making it more accessible to a wider audience. By presenting facts, personal anecdotes, and research, the essay can demystify misconceptions, highlight the prevalence of mental health issues, and underscore the need for destigmatizing discussions around it. An impactful essay can ignite conversations, inspire action, and contribute to a more informed and empathetic society.

• What are some common topics covered in a mental health essay?

Answer: Common topics in a mental health essay might include the definition and importance of mental health, the connection between mental and physical well-being, various mental disorders and their symptoms, societal stigmas and misconceptions, the impact of modern life on mental health, and the significance of therapy and counseling. It may also delve into personal experiences, case studies, and the broader societal implications of neglecting mental health.

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The Importance of Helping Others

In our technology-driven world, we could spend an entire day without physically needing to see or talk to another person. Thanks to digital devices and the Internet, we can work and order our food, and just about anything else we need, from home. You can go days with your only interaction being with your touch screen or mouse and keyboard. And while technology isn’t inherently bad, it does make it easier for people to be separated.

That’s not the kind of world we want to live in though. There are many great things about our modern world—but the people in it should be at the top of that list. Taking a genuine interest in your family, friends, neighbors and even strangers is one of the most rewarding decisions you can make for yourself and those around you that you choose to serve.

Why It’s Important to Help Others

Think back to the last time you helped someone, whether it was holding the door open for a classmate or raking your elderly neighbor’s leaves. While you were doing it and afterward, how did you feel? We’re going to make a safe bet you felt happy and more positive about life. That’s because the fastest way to feel joy is serving others.

An old Chinese Proverb tells it perfectly, “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”

But serving doesn’t just make your heart feel good. Studies have shown that there are mental and physical health benefits to serving, like reducing depression, lowering blood pressure and lengthening your lifespan.

Putting other people’s needs before yours also strengthens your relationships. It connects you with the one you’re serving, and if that someone is someone you know, it creates a stronger bond with them.

It also enriches other people’s lives. Taking time out of your busy day to even bring a friend a bowl of soup when they’re sick makes them feel better and can uplift them during their rough time.

And perhaps the best benefit of service is the chance of that person paying it forward. If you help someone, they’re more likely to do something nice for someone else that day. Your one act of kindness could have a major domino effect.

How You Can Start Today

So how do you start? And who do you start with?

First, you have to make helping others a priority. Most people think, “I don’t have time to serve someone today.” And it’s true; we’re all busy. Between school, work, family obligations, dating and church callings, you likely hardly have enough “me” time. But, you do have the time. You just have to prioritize what’s really important.

The second thing you need to do is simply love. God loves us, and He wants us to love everyone. And Galatians 5:13 tells us “by love serve one another.” You can serve someone by simply expressing your love to them. A hug, a compliment or lending a listening ear are all small ways you can show love to someone; ways that mean more to that person than you may ever know.

Other ways you can start serving today include:

• Smiling at a stranger.
• Volunteering at a local charity, soup kitchen, etc.
• Donating old clothes, books and other items you no longer need at a local charity.
• Giving a few dollars, food or a bottle of water that’s in your car to the homeless person standing on the street corner.
• Doing something nice for your siblings or parents, i.e. doing one of their chores for them, watching the movie they want to watch, etc.
• Leaving a short note on a coworker’s desk telling them how much you appreciate their hard work.
• Lending a helping hand is one of the easiest things you can do to make a difference in this world. You can improve the world, one day, one person and one act of kindness at a time.

Aug 9, 2019

Essay on A day When I was Sick

First Essay A day when I was sick

I woke up with a weird sensation. I could not open my eyes. I tried to yell for my mother yet no sound came out. I felt hot and was sweating throughout. What was wrong with me? Was I dreaming?

After struggling for a while, I handled to ask for my mother and also she concerned my bed. When she hugged me, she figured out that my body felt hot as well as she took my temperature with a thermostat. "What!" she exclaimed. I was running a temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius. She took me to Dr. Lim's facility instantly.

At the center, Dr. Lim analyzed me. He told my mother that my throat was inflamed and that could have created the high temperature. He gave me some medication and told me, "No ice-cream, no soft drinks and also no games for you. You need to remain in bed and get some remainder."

After gathering medicine, we went home. I recovered after two days of rest. It was a terrible experience indeed.

" Why did you put on a coat when it is such a scorching day?" my sibling said loudly. I was enjoying my much-loved animation show as well as I was shivering. Upon hearing my sis's words, my mother came and also took my temperature with a thermometer. I had a temperature of 39.6 degrees Celsius! I then became aware that I had some red spots on my hands.

My mother accompanied me to the facility. I felt prevented and mad. My household members felt sorry for me.

I complied with a rigorous diet regimen during my health problem due to the fact that I wanted to get well soon. After I had recovered, I felt wonderful. It is wonderful to get back to college!

Second Essay A day when I was sick

It was a very hot Wednesday mid-day. I felt very warm while I was doing my Math research. The fan was functioning, I still felt hot. I was unable to figure out the option to the amount I was servicing. The scorching heat made it difficult for me to believe. I was feeling miserable. Quickly, my throat pain and I was aching all over. Feeling feverish, I relaxed in bed. I had no appetite and when my mother checked on me, she realised that I had red places on my hands as well as feet. I additionally had sores on my feet and also hands. My mother thought that I had contracted hand-foot and mouth condition as well as took me to the doctor promptly.

The doctor examined me extensively and also verified my mother's suspicion. He provided me some medicine to ease my symptoms as well as encouraged me to consume soft food. This was to prevent my mouth ulcers from hurting me. He additionally told me to consume alcohol plenty of water and also remainder at home. I needed to stay away from the institution for at least two weeks as the disease was extremely infectious. I missed my friends so much but no one was permitted to see me.

Two weeks later, I recuperated and could return to school. I was delighted for I could meet my buddies again.

Third Essay A day when I was sick

One afternoon, when I was playing on the guitar, I felt as hot as a furnace. Using the telephone, I called my mother promptly as well as told her I was running a temperature. She asked me to get some ice cubes from the fridge to sponge myself with when she listened to that. She guaranteed to return home immediately.

While I was sponging myself, I saw that there were red places with sores around my body. As promised, my mother reached home very quickly almost in half an hour. She analyzed me as well as the thought that I had chicken-pox. She brought me to the facility opposite my flat. The doctor validated my mother's uncertainty. The doctor said that I had to rest in the house for two weeks as well as take the medication routinely. Nobody was to see me since my illness was contagious. I.

Two weeks later, all the red places, as well as blisters, were gone. I could lastly go out to satisfy my friends again. I was satisfied.

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Essay Helping Others: Just Help And Change Your Life Forever

We help each other because of the different reasons. Some people help, because they just cannot not to help the other people if they need help. The other people help, because they wish to give some positive energy or just because they must help. Sometimes we can help the others, because we are sure, that they will think in a good way about as after that. We need to improve our health, and to be sure, that someone needs us. When we help, we also get the real benefits to our health. Are you interested in it?

Also, if you find, where it is possible to get the importance of helping others essay or short speech on helping others, you have chosen the right place. If you are wondering, why you should choose us, the answer will be very simple. We have only professional writers and you can check it here on the site.

Help and live longer

There were some researches in different countries in 2013 and the scientist found out, that the help can increase our life. It is possible to decrease the mortality by 22%. How much do you need to live longer? If you help the others up to 100 hours per year, you will reduce the risk of the death by 28%. But it does not matter how much time you spend while helping other people. You can do it 2 hours or 125- but you will get the positive result. The only main thing, which you need to know, that this help should be systematic.

Another researches have shown, that students improved their blood tests only help each other 1 time a week and the positive aspects of this activity were shown after some years.

Improve your mood

We increase our mood when we help other people. The researches have shown, that it is needed to help people 5 times a week to improve your mood. But if you help only 1 time, it does not have any influence. You need to help people systematically and the researchers showed, that people, which help, do not suffer from depressions or decrease of motivation.

It is possible to get a lot of friends if you help other people. This fact is very important for our health. The researches showed, that the loneliness has negative influence on our blood pressure and the risk of the heart attacks will be increased. People, which know, that there are their friends that can help them, live longer than people which do not have friends or family .

Lower blood pressure

The researches showed, that people at the age 50+, which helped other people only 4 hours a week had up to 40% lower risk to get problems with the blood pressure. Also, scientists say, that the positive effect can be connected with the stress decrease. In addition, volunteering gives you the great opportunity to find a lot of new friends and to have positive emotions.

Little things have the great meaning

If you wish to help other people, just listen to their problems, but do not judge them. It is the easiest thing that can be done. A lot of people know the answers to their questions, but they have not realized it yet. When you allow them to speak about problems, to discuss it, you give them the great opportunity to check the situation from the other side and to find the best solution of it. Sometimes, they need help to start the new life from the very beginning. The essay on helping others will give you the great opportunity to understand it better. Just place the order on this site and you will get the essay as soon as it is possible. You can choose the time you wish.

Do something unusual

When you change the life of other people, you get the amazing feeling. You can do it, for example, if you become the mentor for the young people. You will help them to avoid the mistakes you had and will teach them how to overcome some difficulties.

Do something from and to

If you decided to help someone, you cannot stop on the half of the way. You need to be sure that that the changes appeared and your words were not empty. People will be grateful to you for your help and will appreciate your efforts and time you spent.

Do not wait for “thank you”

You should not wait that all people will be thankful to you for your help. You should understand, that the help is not something like goods, which is possible to sell with benefits. We help each other just because we want to do in this way. Do you give the person the bill, because you explained how to go to the library, for example? Or should we stop giving some free advices and free help? It seems, that no one needs such kind of help, because it will not improve our life. But some kinds of help need to have some benefits. For example, we cannot work for free, because we need to earn money.

Also, you need to understand, that before helping other people, you need to be ready to do it. It is clear, that there can be different kinds of help, everything depends on our possibilities. But people should be ready for this help. For example, little children cannot take care of someone or just to help, because they are not ready, they just need to grow up and to understand what does the help means. But adult people understood it and because of it, they can analyze their life and understand where it is possible to help the other people. If you wish to get some detailed information, it is possible to order essays on helping others on our site and you will get the informative essay on the given topic. Also, it is possible to get any other essay on your own theme. You can check them here on the site. We will be great to create the best essay for you.

All of us can help other people and all can be the part of the mechanism, which can change our life and make it better. In any case, if you help other people, you become happier than you were before and you can be sure, that people will help you too.

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Essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits

Students are often asked to write an essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits

The necessity of healthy eating.

Healthy eating is crucial for growing bodies. Consuming a balanced diet gives our bodies the nutrients needed to function correctly.

Benefits of Healthy Eating

Eating healthy foods reduces the risk of chronic diseases. It also helps maintain a healthy weight, boosts energy, and improves brain function.

Healthy Eating Habits

Incorporate fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins into your meals. Avoid processed foods and sugary drinks. Remember, moderation is key.

Healthy eating habits are essential for a healthy life. Start today and reap the benefits tomorrow.

250 Words Essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits

The vitality of healthy eating habits.

The significance of healthy eating habits cannot be underestimated, especially in our current fast-paced world where convenience often trumps nutritional value. Adopting a balanced diet is paramount to maintaining optimal health and enhancing cognitive function.

Nutrition and Physical Health

A diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients fuels our bodies, supporting vital functions. It aids in maintaining a healthy weight, reducing the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Consuming fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can significantly improve physical health.

Nutrition and Mental Health

Moreover, our diet directly affects our mental health. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish and nuts, can enhance brain function, improving memory and mood. Simultaneously, a deficiency in certain nutrients can lead to mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

Establishing Healthy Eating Habits

Establishing healthy eating habits involves more than just choosing the right food. It also includes regular meal times, appropriate portion sizes, and mindful eating. It’s about creating a sustainable lifestyle rather than a temporary diet.

In conclusion, healthy eating habits are a cornerstone of overall well-being. They contribute to physical health, mental health, and quality of life. As college students, it is crucial to prioritize these habits to ensure not only academic success but lifelong health. Let’s remember, our food choices today will shape our health tomorrow.

500 Words Essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits

Introduction.

The importance of healthy eating habits cannot be overstated, particularly in a world where fast food and processed meals have become the norm. Healthy eating habits are not just about maintaining an ideal weight or avoiding obesity; they are also about ensuring optimal physical and mental health, and enhancing overall quality of life.

The Role of Nutrition in Human Health

Nutrition plays a pivotal role in human health. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats provides the essential nutrients that our bodies need to function properly. These nutrients are vital for maintaining energy levels, supporting brain function, aiding in cellular repair, strengthening the immune system, and preventing chronic diseases.

The Impact of Unhealthy Eating Habits

On the contrary, unhealthy eating habits such as consuming high amounts of processed foods, sugary snacks, and fatty meals can lead to numerous health issues. These include obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Moreover, poor nutrition can also affect mental health, contributing to conditions like depression and anxiety.

Healthy Eating and Cognitive Function

Healthy eating habits are also crucial for cognitive function. Nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and B vitamins, which are found in foods like fish, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, are essential for brain health. They enhance memory, improve mood, and protect against cognitive decline.

Importance of Healthy Eating Habits in College Students

For college students, maintaining healthy eating habits is particularly important. The rigors of academic life, coupled with the challenges of living independently, can lead to poor nutrition. This can result in decreased academic performance, poor concentration, and increased stress levels. By adopting healthy eating habits, students can improve their academic performance, boost their mood, and better manage stress.

In conclusion, healthy eating habits are a cornerstone of good health and well-being. They play a critical role in maintaining physical health, supporting mental well-being, and enhancing cognitive function. For college students, they are particularly important for academic success and stress management. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize healthy eating and make it a part of our daily routine. By doing so, we can improve our health, enhance our quality of life, and set ourselves up for long-term success.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Good Habits for Students
• Essay on Importance of Healthy Habits
• Essay on Fast Food Problems

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

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