Dennis, this has always been a worry.

A lot of health promoters do not have the larger perspective of why some
smoke and others gain excess weight.  Increased work hours, the fact that
those who prepare the meals in a low income household may have to juggle
household duties with two part time low income jobs plus getting back and
forth by bus, and a lot of other challenges are not taken into
consideration.

Add to this the fact that many health promoters are narcissistic and work
with and for higher income clients tilts their perspective.  This is a
bit like the reduction in community organizing training and focus that
social workers have experienced in the past couple of decades.

Increased specialization has led to a reduced broad world perspective
which informs "professionals" as to the larger forces at work on
determining life styles.  I am probably one of the few fat people who has
no excuse [:>)}.

Bill Ward
Tampa, FL

On Thu, 4 Oct 2001 19:51:03 -0400 Dennis Raphael
<[log in to unmask]> writes:

> poor people's cardiovascular disease is due to their smoking, lack
> of activity and unhealthy diet.  A task that many public health units
have
> enthusiastically taken up.
>

> -Michael Fitzpatrick, The Tyranny of Health, 2001.