The Horizon Foundation and the Pursuit of Happiness

Way back in the summer of 2014, the brouhaha du jour centered around the Ulman administration’s decision to limit the sale of sugary drinks at the annual Independence Day festivities at the Columbia lakefront. (Howard vendors question rules on festival fare, Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun) This decision, unpopular to some, was in alignment with the goals of the Horizon Foundation’s “HoCo Unsweetened” Campaign.

Some of the resulting pushback was right up there with gnashing one's teeth and rending one's garments. Yet the County was not forbidding the consumption of sugary drinks. They simply weren’t going to sell them at the event. By all means, bring one with you if you simply cannot live without them. Plenty of places in town sold them.

But, no. This meant war. Local government had become nothing more than a Nanny-State and people were losing their God-given rights to purchase Coke and Mountain Dew wherever they went. “If we don’t fight this, who knows what’s next in the descent into totalitarian rule?” Personal freedom. Personal choices. The pursuit of happiness.

Yes, it was that bad. It was so bad I wrote two whole blog posts about it. Back to back.

A Tough Game to Win, July 8, 2014

The Thirst Game, July 9, 2014

Was the Ulman administration’s choice to make the Fourth of July a battleground for public health a wise one? Politically speaking, probably not. Was their decision based on good public health instincts? Absolutely. 

This week the Baltimore Sun Editorial Board published a piece highlighting a long term study of the Horizon Foundation’s HoCo Unsweetened initiative. 

The ‘soft’ way to save lives: with a spoonful less sugar, Editorial Board of the Baltimore Sun 

In six years the sales of sugary soft drinks declined by 29.7 per cent, while sales of water increased. The Sun piece outlines the details of the study if you would like to learn more. Why is this important?

So, what good does it do to switch people, especially kids, away from full-strength Coke or Pepsi and to a bottle of water, sparkling or otherwise? As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health experts have observed, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, including fruit juices, are associated with weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart and kidney disease, tooth decay and gout. 

Studies have suggested nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults consume at least one such drink each day. Such behavior doesn’t generally pose an immediate health threat (although it might for certain diabetics), but the consequences over time are serious. Does a healthier lifestyle cause people to live longer? Almost certainly. Exactly how long isn’t so obvious, but at least one long-term study suggested that drinking two or more such drinks per day raises the likelihood of a premature death by 21%.

“Consequences over time.” That’s it right there. Choices to drink water instead of soda, walk instead of sit on the couch, get enough sleep instead of binge-watching the newest streaming release, washing hands regularly, getting vaccinated…You see my point: it all adds up.

So what does the Horizon Foundation have to do with all this? And why does government, whether local or beyond, have a role in promoting or even mandating healthy choices?

These words from the website of the CDC Foundation articulate this well:

PUBLIC HEALTH CONNECTS US ALL

Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. This work is achieved by promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting, preventing and responding to infectious diseases. Overall, public health is concerned with protecting the health of entire populations. These populations can be as small as a local neighborhood, or as big as an entire country or region of the world.

Healthy people and healthy communities mean more people who are able to enjoy life and make all those personal choices that mean so much: how they can spend their income, what kinds of employment they are capable of doing, how they spend their recreational time or engage in community advocacy or volunteer work: the pursuit of happiness.

Chronic illness takes away those freedoms. The work of public health supports them. 

It all adds up.

*****

I just learned that August is National Wellness Month. Here’s more from the Howard County Library’s HiLights Newsletter:

Did you know that August is National Wellness Month? National Wellness Month focuses on self-care, managing stress, and establishing healthy routines. Research has shown that self-care helps control stress and promote happiness. 

You can explore over 175 suggested titles in the area of wellness here.