Healthy Living and Social Justice

Abstract

Healthy Living and Social Justice E5S ocial justice is a construct that rightfully asserts all individuals are entitled to equal rights and opportunities, which includes the right to a healthy life and access to high-quality health care. Adoption of and long-term adherence to healthy living (HL) behaviors require opportunities to be physically active and have access to healthy food. High-quality health care incorporates HL medicine (HLM), where health care professionals educate patients on the importance of being physically active, consuming nutritious foods, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy body weight. It is well established that adherence to HL behaviors significantly reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and certain forms of cancer (ie, primary prevention). 1 Moreover, the importance of HL behaviors and receiving HLM extend to individuals who are already diagnosed with one or more chronic diseases to reduce the risk of subsequent adverse health outcomes (ie, secondary prevention). 2 Unfortunately, social justice in the context to HL behaviors and access to HLM do not exist for all Americans, in particular Black and Hispanic individuals living in underserved communities. Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and characteristics, including physical inactivity and lack of access to safe locations to encourage physical activity, lack of access to healthy foods, obesity, and smoking, are often more prevalent in these underrepresented populations in underserved communities. [3][4][5] As a consequence, chronic disease prevalence and the risk of developing multimorbidity are higher in underrepresented individuals living in these communities. 3,6 The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic dramatically compounded the unhealthy lifestyle-chronic disease crisis. Findings during the pandemic rapidly indicated individuals with one or more chronic disease diagnoses infected with COVID-19 were at significantly higher risk for hospitalization and death. 7 More disconcerting, but not surprising, is the fact that poor outcomes with COVID-19 are staggeringly higher in Black and Hispanic communities. 8,9 There is a clear synergy among unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and characteristics (eg, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, excess body mass, and

Primordial Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease

“…Educational and behavior-change interventions targeting these higher-risk groups have been effective and may have a greater population-wide impact 7,75. Policy interventions that promote social justice via equal access to healthy lifestyle behaviors and high-quality health care are needed to address these disparities 76…”

“…7,75 Policy interventions that promote social justice via equal access to healthy lifestyle behaviors and high-quality health care are needed to address these disparities. 76 Only 45% of US adolescents meet five or more ideal cardiovascular markers defined by "Life's Essential 8," and <1% of youth meet all eight. 6 As age increases, the number of ideal cardiovascular markers declines and atherosclerosis progresses.…”

Focus on Healthy Living in the LGBTIQA+ Community

“…1 At the intersection of COVID-19 and social justice, we have yet again been reminded that underrepresented individuals in underserved communities often have poorer health outcomes. 1 The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual/allies, nonbinary/genderqueer+ (LGBTIQA+) community serves as a prime example of a group that is at significant risk to be underserved and therefore have a poorer health trajectory. 2 Cardiovascular disease (CVD) was a leading cause of premature morbidity and mortality prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and will remain as such as we emerge from the current global health crisis.…”

“…The world has dramatically changed over the past two years—the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and critical issues centered on social justice have been primary drivers of this change 1. At the intersection of COVID-19 and social justice, we have yet again been reminded that underrepresented individuals in underserved communities often have poorer health outcomes 1.…”

“…The world has dramatically changed over the past two years—the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and critical issues centered on social justice have been primary drivers of this change 1. At the intersection of COVID-19 and social justice, we have yet again been reminded that underrepresented individuals in underserved communities often have poorer health outcomes 1. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual/allies, nonbinary/genderqueer+ (LGBTIQA+) community serves as a prime example of a group that is at significant risk to be underserved and therefore have a poorer health trajectory 2.…”