Doctors recommend the American people to eat, rest, exercise and steer clear of smoking.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – A Mayo Clinic study revealed that under 3 percent of Americans are considered healthy, the rest are either suffering from underlying conditions or do not have a proper lifestyle.
According to the latest study published in the Mayo Clinic’s journal Proceedings, roughly 2.7 percent of United States citizens have a healthy routine.
In order to reach these conclusions, the team of researchers who conducted the study surveyed over 4,700 respondents. The participants were asked to complete the US National Nutrition and Health Survey. Their general stat of health was the assessed based on the responses provided by them. The team was interested in their smoking habits, diet, body fats and efforts to manage them, and exercise.
After analyzing all of the entries, the researchers discovered that a whopping 97.3 of US citizens were not living a healthy life.
According to the study’s author, OSU Human Sciences and Public Health College professor, Ellen Smit, the standards used for the measuring of health “were pretty reasonable”. She added that the team was not searching for marathon runners.
Smit also said that the health standards used by the team were nothing more than the usual recommendations that doctors offer patients. They were simple rules that help patients steer clear of any illnesses or heart diseases.
The professor was disappointed with the results, stating that there are a lot of things that could be improved and that people should reconsider their unhealthy lifestyles before they end up suffering from severe health disorders.
From Smit’s point of view, a healthy person should not smoke, exercise at least 3 hours per week, maintain an average BMI, eat well and get plenty of rest. These were the standards used by her and her team to determine the percentage of healthy individuals in the United States.
But there is more bad news. Under 3 percent of Americans are considered healthy, and a mere 16 percent are almost in good health. Only half of the entire sample used for the study met minimum two of the aforementioned standards.
Doctors are urging US citizens to take better care of their overall health and try to respect the health standards that physicians are recommending. If they do not exercise, eat and rest well and try to keep their body fats in check, they could expose themselves to serious health risks.
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