I learnt this morning, via Paul Kedrosky, of Om Malik having suffered a heart attack. Om is 43, and a leading Silicon Valley technology journalist, commentator and writer, whose influential commentary is widely read. It sounds dreadful and sobering that a 43 year old should have a heart attack.
Om is also of Indian origin. For Indians, the prognosis for health issues especially those associated with weight gain and lifestyle changes, many catalysed by the economic boom and shift in work patterns, is not good.
With a young workforce, health is not a high priority on most agendas. For instance, while not statistically significant or conclusive, it is worth pointing out that there are only 13 articles (as on 4th January 2008) on health on the most widely read, eponymous blog on the Indian Economy. Of these, 4 articles were written by me.
At some level, we all know that it is not advisable to wait for an ‘event’ or ‘doctor’s orders‘ to make lifestyle changes which may affect our health positively. Even small changes would make a difference for many, whose lives are mostly sedentary.
Confusion caused by disagreement between experts is often cited as a reason by people not making a change, because they do not know what advice to follow. This disagreement can be seen not just in dietary advice but also in exercise related advice. If you were one of the fortunate few, who got a Nintendo Wii in their Christmas stocking, you may be interested in the Wii’s relative health impact on otherwise sedentary lives. You can read the whole post titled ‘Do Wii agree?‘ over on my Obesity blog.