Using “microlives” to communicate how your habits may kill you

A daily loss or gain of 30 minutes can be termed a microlife.

The loss of a single microlife can be associated with:

- smoking two cigarettes
- taking two extra alcoholic drinks
- eating a portion of red meat
- being 5 kg overweight
- watching 2 hours of television a day

Gains are associated with:

- taking a statin daily (1 microlife)
- taking just one alcoholic drink a day (1 microlife)
- 20 minutes of moderate exercise daily (2 microlives)
- a diet including fresh fruit and vegetables daily (4 microlives)

Demographic associations can also be expressed in these units:

- being female rather than male (4 microlives a day)
- Swedish rather than Russian (21 a day for men)
- living in 2010 rather than 1910 (15 a day)

This form of communication allows a general, non-academic audience to make rough but fair comparisons between the sizes of chronic risks, and is based on a metaphor of “speed of ageing,” which has been effective in encouraging cessation of smoking.

The metaphor of speed of ageing and use of the term microlife are intended for popular rather than scientific consumption, but they could also be useful for health professionals. They could perhaps best be communicated with phrases such as “When averaged over a lifetime habit of many people, it is as if each burger were taking 30 minutes off their life.”

References:

Using speed of ageing and “microlives” to communicate the effects of lifetime habits and environment. BMJ 2012;345:e8223.
Image source: OpenClipart.org, public domain.

Comments from Google Plus:

Allan Palmer: Heard this on one of our national radio programs - http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/linking-lifestyle-choices-with-risk/4335556

Seems a really really elegant way of explaining things.

Good and Bad Health Habits in the U.S.: Drinkers Outnumber Exercisers

Participation in sport is associated with a with a 20—40% reduction in all-cause mortality compared with non-participation. Exercise might also be considered as a fifth vital sign, according to the Lancet: http://goo.gl/gyxYf

A CDC study showed that six in 10 American adults were regular drinkers in 2005-2007, but only about three in 10 regularly exercised.

Since 1997, rates of cigarette smoking have declined by several percentage points, rates of obesity have climbed, and rates of alcohol use, exercise, and sleep have remained relatively unchanged.

Men were more likely than women to be drinkers (68% vs. 55%).

The more educated people were, the more likely they were to drink. 74% of people who have a graduate degree were drinkers, compared with 44% of people with a high school diploma.

Adults with higher levels of education were less likely to be smokers, be physically inactive, and be obese and to sleep six hours or less per night.

Twitter comments:

@kcb704: "The more educated people were, the more likely they were to drink." http://goo.gl/JDv1 // work hard, play hard..

@BrettLinda: Hold on... good or bad? RT @DrVes Good and Bad Health Habits in U.S.: drinkers outnumber exercisers http://goo.gl/JDv1

References:

Good and Bad Health Habits in U.S. WebMD.

Images source: Wikipedia, Free Documentation License.

Sleep Habits Differ by Ethnicity but All Groups Are Sleep Deprived

All ethnic groups said they missed work or family functions because they were too sleepy, with the percentage ranging up to 24%, according to a 2010 "Sleep in America" survey by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

Some distinct differences are listed below:

On weekdays or workdays, African Americans reported they slept the least - 6 hours, 14 minutes, compared to 6 hours, 34 minutes for Hispanics, 6 hours, 48 minutes for Asians, and 6 hours, 52 minutes for Caucasians.

10% of African Americans and Hispanics reported having sex every night or nearly every night in the hour before bedtime, compared to 4% of Caucasians and 1% of Asians.

African Americans had different pre-bedtime activities and tended to pray in the hour before bedtime - 71% of them said they prayed but only 18% of Asians did so.

Asians were least likely to drink alcohol an hour before bed - a practice that many mistakenly think will help sleep. Only 1% of Asians had a nightcap every night or nearly every night, compared to 7% of whites, 4% of African Americans and Hispanics.

Caucasians were most likely to sleep with their pets - as well as more likely to sleep with their spouse or significant others: 16% of them say they sleep with a pet, and 72% say they sleep with their partners. In comparison, only 4% of Asians, 4% of Hispanics, and 2% of African Americans let the pet on the bed.

References:

The 2010 Sleep in America poll by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

Sleep Habits Vary by Ethnicity. WebMD, 2010.
Sleepiness and sleep-disordered breathing may be found in 19-29% of children with positive allergy test (http://goo.gl/AfCWZ).

Image source: A halo around the Moon. Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License.