New York City faces many public health challenges. One is the significant number of overweight individuals in New York City. 34% of New Yorkers are overweight and 22% are obese. This is a serious issue as people who are overweight or obese are prone to serious health risks. To address this issue first we have to determine it’s cause. Jane E. Brody of the New York Times argues foods are heavier in sugar, salt, and fat than in the past. She writes “…The 1970s saw a striking rise in the quantity of refined carbohydrates and fats in the U.S. food supply, which was paralleled by a sharp increase in the available calories and the onset of the obesity epidemic…”
Another important issue in New York City is the heavy amount on litter on city streets. 35% of the trash New Yorkers throw away is said to be recyclable. While New Yorkers generate only 2.9 pounds of garbage daily compared to to average American’s 4.4 pounds. Despite this optimistic statistics because of the city’s large population of 8 million, it is still ranted as one of America’s dirtiest cities. A total of 36,200 tons of garbage is produced each day. This is a very expensive issue for New York City. New York City spends a total of $2.3 billion on trash removal.
Another important public health issue in New York City is the lack of comprehensive sex education. In NYC 99.4/1000 teens ages 15-19 years will become pregnant compared to the national rate of 79.8/1000. HIV/AIDS rates among young men has increased. A National Institute for Reproductive Health survey revealed 45% of New York City High School Students receive little or no sex education. Currently the Healthsmart and Reducing the Risk curriculum is the recommended curriculum for NYC high school students. This curriculum focus on “abstinence and puberty, emotional and mental health, HIV, STD and pregnancy prevention, improving health behaviors, nutrition and physical activity, tobacco, alcohol and other drug prevention, and violence and injury prevention”. Still many things are not addressed such as sexual orientation and gender which is detrimental to sexual minorities. Another concerns is sex education being taught too late and taught by under-trained teachers. Overall sex education in NYC need to be improved.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/survey/survey-2009commuting.pdf
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-kellermann/reduce-new-york-citys-hig_b_5899818.html
http://www.cccnewyork.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/DOHMHPresentation.pdf
http://www.prochoiceny.org/assets/bin/pdfs/sexedreport.pdf
