A syndemic is a portmanteau term, constituting a style of writing often employed by James Joyce in Finnegans Wake and Lewis Carroll in Through The Looking-Glass, to denote a fusion between the words synergy and epidemic. The 23 February-1 March 2019 issue of the British journal The Lancet furnished readers with an opportunity to obtain an enhanced understanding of how obesity, undernutrition, and climate change affect most inhabitants of every nation and region worldwide. A proposition is advanced that the entities do so by co-occurring in time and place; interacting with each other to produce complex sequelae; sharing common underlying societal drivers; and representing three of the gravest threats to human health and survival. One form of purported multifold damage linking the problematic threesome is agriculture's drive towards higher value products, such as processed and animal-source foods that consume great amounts of energy, generate methane and other waste products, and are marketed and consumed heavily in unhealthy quantities.
For example, conceptualizing obesity as a global syndemic might have some utility. Obesity illustrates a pivotal syndemic problem that would appear to require international-level policy interventions to curb the power and influence of multinational corporations, representing Big Sugar and Big Food, which are seen as targeting low-income populations. Viewed within this particular context, advocating in favor of a global syndemic might serve as a constructive political tool to propel positive alliances to take action against multinational corporations. A related perspective is that tearing down silos in the academy and health policy; strengthening government action and community voices; dismantling corporate power to better designate who eats what and where; and promoting improved, more sustainable business models for a healthier future should be syndemic in nature.
More Articles from TRENDS March 2019
COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH NONADHERENCE
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FEDERAL BUDGET RELEASE AND PROPOSED LEGISLATION
The Trump Administration released its proposed federal budget for FY 2020 and legislation is introduced in Congress involving higher education. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Discusses: the introduction of the Medicare For All Act Of 2019; an effort to repeal the ACA medical device tax; a bipartisan initiative to reduce health care cost growth; and a bill to prevent health care fraud. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Describes: Senate and House hearings on reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA), a proposal from the White House to reform the HEA, negotiated rulemaking by the U.S. Department of Education, and a judicial ruling on final regulations pertaining to borrower defense to repayment regulations. Read More
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CARE Act Implementation: Progress And Promise Read More
IMPACT OF MARIJUANA LAWS ON HEALTH AND LABOR SUPPLY
Provides information about the effects of state medical marijuana laws on the health and labor supply of adults age 51 and older, with a focus on individuals with medical conditions that may respond positively to treatment involving marijuana. Read More