Americans in Pain: Part 3
What Should We Do to Prevent Back Pain?
Question 2
Which one idea do you believe would most improve America's back and neck
health?
Possible Answers
- Promote National Neck and Back Safety: Implement educational
programs in schools, workplaces, community centers, and elsewhere to encourage
people to wear helmets, seat belts, and take other steps to protect their
necks and backs during activities.
- Encourage National Weight Loss: Individuals would receive
a reduction in their medical insurance premiums if their weight was in a medically
accepted "normal" range.
- Universal Health Coverage: Implement a universal health
care program that focuses on better prevention and early diagnosis of problem.
Universal health coverage would also make treatment accessible for all.
- Reduce Osteoporosis in the Spine: Provide free-of-charge
osteoporosis bone checks for all men and women over the age of 55, and fund
a national osteoporosis prevention education campaign.
- Invest More for Research into Developing New Back and Neck Treatments:
Billions of dollars are spent on research into AIDS, breast cancer, and other
areas, but only a nominal amount is spent for back and neck pain research.
By doing more research, we'll be better able to treat back and neck pain—and
perhaps even prevent it.
- Make Schools and Workplaces "Spine Friendly": Require that workplaces and schools provide well-designed work spaces to reduce back and neck pain. This could include ergonomically designed desks, chairs, and computer stations, in addition to education on "correct lifting techniques" for employees required to lift during their work.
Results
Work was the most popular answer to the first
question. So you'd think that fixing work would be the obvious solution
to getting rid of back and neck pain.
No, America didn't vote that way. We're just full of surprises. Instead, Americans—Democrats and Republicans alike—said that we should invest in more research to find out what's really causing back pain.
Do your part: participate in a clinical trial.
It comes back to universal health coverage for Democrats, though. 24% of them said we should implement universal health coverage as a way to combat back pain; on the Republican side, 12% said the universal health coverage is the answer. In fact, universal health coverage tied with promoting neck and back safety for the second to last solution on the Republican side.
