As I check Facebook before going to Program Planning for Health Behavior Change class, I can’t help but look at this pre-class behavior of mine in terms of some of the concepts I am learning in the classroom. We can keep in touch with all of our friends quickly and efficiently with the click of a button and thanks to the Internet, but on the whole we aren’t quite as compulsive about getting the recommended nutrition, exercise or health services upon which our livelihoods depend.

Much blame has been put on individuals for not exercising, eating properly, or managing their chronic conditions, thus burdening the healthcare delivery system. Some ask, if we have tons of healthcare literature out there and people know what is the ‘right’ thing to do—eat 3-5 fruits and vegetables a day, exercise for 30 minutes most days of the week, etc.—why aren’t people more adamant about taking care of themselves?

Sure, people are accountable for their actions. But I ask, what is it about the environment we live in that makes it so easy to instill the habit of checking Facebook constantly, yet so difficult to inspire people to take care of themselves? Why aren’t venues that sell fresh fruit and vegetables as abundant as fast food restaurants? Why has the food industry been able to sell us larger portion sizes that provide a bargain for our pocketbooks but make us chronically sick? Why are we so reliant on automobiles and don’t live closer to where we work, shop, go to school, etc.? And since we don’t walk or bike everywhere, why are our lives so demanding that we don’t have time to make moderate exercise part of our daily routines?

On the one hand, instant gratification is the world we live in. This may be why Facebook has become such a popular means for staying in touch and why fad diets and fast food are so prevalent. That said, perhaps we need to change the environment we live in to enable people to make better choices and live healthier lives—on the quick fix basis we expect.

On the other hand, just because we live in a world of instant gratification does not mean it is the way to go in helping people take care of themselves. Looking at Facebook, what has the instant gratification of seeing what our friends are up to, viewing pictures of their lives, their travels, marriages, and children done to the breadth and depth of friendships? I can log in and feel like I have caught up with everyone without so much as picking up the phone and having a verbal conversation, let alone meeting face to face. While Facebook makes keeping in touch more efficient, it may also diminish some of the quality of relationships; writing on someone’s “Wall” is not the same as talking in person over a coffee, giving someone a hug, or sharing a laugh.

So maybe faster isn’t better, and we shouldn’t apply a Facebook fix to promote the compulsory health behaviors we want to infuse in individuals. Instead, perhaps the whole system needs to slow down so we can implement the environmental changes that will facilitate better individual choices. But, if as a society we’re constantly moving faster and faster and can’t get what we want fast enough, how do we pause—even if just for a moment—just to adequately plan for the systematic changes that would improve the population’s own well-being?

This entry was posted on Monday, September 14th, 2009 at 8:56 am and is filed under Consumer Health Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.