 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
| Illustrations by Rod Clement |
|
|
The AIDS epidemic continues throughout the world. However, some of the predictions made about the pandemic have been inaccurate. For example, in 1990 the World Health Organization (WHO) predicted that the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus would infect about 40 million people by the year 2000. Instead, AIDS infection rates stabilized in the 1990s and only 33 million people world-wide are infected as of 2007. This is still many millions of people. Also, in 1991, WHO estimated that 15 per cent of all U.S. Blacks aged 15 to 50 would carry the virus by the year 2002. This did not happen. The figure for 2007 is about half this. In 1991, it was predicted that AIDS would be become more a woman’s disease than a man’s. That is to say that by the middle of the 1990s, the number of HIV-infected women would be more than the number of HIV-infected men. Indeed, women did overtake men in the number of HIV-infections. The first region of the world where this happened was in sub-Saharan Africa by the mid-1990s. In 2007, some nations in southern Africa have HIV-infection rates over 40 per cent of the entire population.
In Australia, 3 million people suffer from chronic headaches. 1 million suffer from migraines. 26 million dollars is spent annually on over-the-counter headache remedies.
In Australia, 320,000 women of childbearing age have used an illicit drug within a given month. 260,000 have used marijuana. 33,000 have used cocaine.
In the course of a lifetime, people spend an average of 6 years eating. People who eat more than half of their meals at restaurants spend an average of 8 years eating. And these people spend an average of 8 months listening to daily menu specials.
If dietary fat intake is lowered to nationally recommended levels, the average increase in life expectancy is 4 months for men and 3 months for women.
Americans spend 1.1 per cent of their income on cigarettes. Soviets spend 10 per cent of theirs.
In one recent year, Chinese smokers consumed 1,586 billion cigarettes, Soviets 468 billion, and Americans 556 billion. Since 1974, tobacco use has risen by about one per cent per year in Eastern Europe (with Poland the biggest consumer) and by about 4 to 5 per cent in developing countries. It is declining slightly each year in Western Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
23 per cent of unmarried men between ages 45 and 54 will die within the next ten years. 11 per cent of married men will.
62 per cent of women wear glasses or contact lenses. 52 per cent of men wear them.
28 per cent of U.S. women bite their toe-nails.
The average man spends an average of 45 minutes grooming each day. He spends 11 minutes doing "housework"---very broadly defined.
51 per cent of U.S. doctors say they would not choose medicine if they were starting their careers today. 65 per cent say they would not recommend medicine as a career for their children.
Each year in the U.S., between 17,000 and 18,000 people seek medical treatment for injuries related to bowling.
In the U.S., 9 per cent of people never save leftover food. 91 per cent of people do save leftovers. 14 per cent keep leftovers longer than a week. 2 per cent do not keep track of how old leftovers are. Be careful which dinner invitations you accept!
Women who watch television for more than four hours per day are twice as likely to be obese as those watching less than an hour a day. Earlier studies found similar results in men and children. As TV viewing increases, snacking tends to increase and exercise to decrease.
Each year in the U.S. $4 billion was spent on specially designed shoes for exercise walking. This is more than twice as much as on running shoes.
Exercise shoes typically lose about one-third of their ability to absorb shock after 500 miles of use. Loss of cushioning in the shock-absorbent midsole occurs long before the outer sole or upper sole shows wear. Experts say that if shoes are worn five to ten hours per week during exercise, they should be replaced every six months.
A car running in a closed garage can produce lethal carbon monoxide concentrations in 10 minutes or less. Even when driving, it is recommended that a window or vent be kept at least slightly open. This reduces the chance that exhaust fumes can accumulate and cause grogginess--the first sign of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Every case of low birth weight averted by prenatal care saves the health care system between $20,000 and $50,000.
Researchers claim that taking aspirin with a caffeinated beverage such as coffee, tea, or cola may increase the aspirin's effectiveness as a pain reliever. It has long been known that caffeine has an analgesic effect which is why it is added to some pain relievers.
Microwaved foods can cause burns because they cook unevenly. For instance, a piece of pasty that is heated in a microwave oven may feel only warn on the outside while the filling is burning hot---enough to cause third degree burns.
Nearly half of all adults snore occasionally. About 25 per cent are habitual snorers. Snoring is more frequent in men and overweight people, and usually gets worse with age.
The laxative effect of prunes (dried plumes) may not be due just to their high fibre content. Some researchers believe that prunes contain a substance that stimulates intestinal contractions, and that this substance may be related to an ingredient used in some laxative drugs. This may explain why prune juice, though it lacks much of the fibre of whole prunes, is still a laxative.
In the U.S., each year about 100,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to ladders. Experts suggest that one should always make sure that the proper kind of ladder is used, that it has no cracks, and that it is long enough so that the top two or three rungs do not need to be climbed.
In Australia, the number of adults who have had their cholesterol level checked rose from 35 per cent in 1983, to 46 per cent in 1986, and to 65 per cent in 1990 where it has stabilized.
Copyright HarperCollins Publishers 2002 | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use