No one expected a cut-and-dried pandemic exit. Indeed, it has rather eclipsed from the media radar like the leaves that change color in the fall, without us noticing it.
Posted at 4:00 p.m.
The electoral campaign relegated the subject to oblivion. Nothing suprising. Quebecers, determined to live with the virus, are understandably fed up with public health. They refuse any allusion to the return of the measures which, for two years, have been rain and shine.
Yet in public health, COVID-19 was the tree that hid the forest. In fact, she didn’t just hide it, she set it on fire.
Like several other areas, the pandemic has accentuated the major trends that were emerging there.
Catching up is needed, starting with the ordinary vaccination and screening campaigns, which are both showing a worrying delay.
However, it appears that it is also, if not above all, the healthy lifestyle and environmental standards that require our urgent attention.
A study published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology demonstrates that a “cohort effect” is taking shape in the fight against cancer. In other words, successive generations see their risk of developing “the emperor of all diseases”1 increase over time. The authors suspect that the factors behind this phenomenon relate to lifestyle and the environment.
If there is a glimmer of hope, it is that it is possible to counter this scourge.
Tackling sleep deficit
To do this, it is first important to tackle the chronic sleep deficit that affects all segments of the population, but particularly young people. The latter have seen their nights of sleep shortened by 60 minutes over the generations. Considering the multiple developmental benefits of sleep, this is a catastrophic loss! Moreover, following the recommendation of Dr Matthew Walker, California recently passed a law that prohibits the start of classes before 8:30 a.m. Several political entities have also had the courage to end the time change whose many harmful impacts are well known.
It is impossible to ignore the consequences of junk food and sugary drinks on health. Cancer, obesity and diabetes have been on the rise since the advent of this diet that makes us sick.
Obviously, galloping inflation could encourage our leaders to eliminate the tax on these deleterious products. However, if there is an intervention that could curb the meteoric rise of these evils, it is the addition of a prohibitive tax on sugary drinks. Besides, water costs nothing.
Physical inactivity was already a major problem before the pandemic. It is therefore no surprise that the Quebec sports community claimed 500 million2 to tackle this now gigantic problem head-on. Considering the substantial health savings that this investment would allow us to achieve, it should be necessary. The same goes for active transportation funding requests.3 the benefits of which are positive for both health and the environment.
Very often, what is good for the planet is also good for humans. And vice versa. Sadly, our children are slowly poisoning themselves with their pencils, their toys and the air they breathe. In this regard, we would benefit from emulating Europe, which sets strict environmental standards and strictly regulates the presence of contaminants in the daily lives of its population.
In their most recent open letter, the Mothers at the front4 spoke about the intergenerational inequity that motivates them to speak out. Environment, economy, education, health; if we do not act resolutely, the iniquity towards our children will be on all fronts.
1. from the eponymous book by Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee