Live New York

New York City Is Healthier Than Ever

So proclaims New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. Less people in New York have HIV, less die from drinking, and less smoke cigarettes since 2002. This has caused a general decline in some of the biggest problems facing New Yorker’s health.

“New York City is healthier than ever,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “If that isn’t the purpose of government, I don’t know what is the purpose of government.”

Critics quickly pointed out that not all is well, of course. The speech by Bloomberg ignored so-called “negative indicators” like childhood obesity, which indicate the city faces enormous potential health problems in coming years.

When asked about obesity, Bloomberg said the city did its best to prevent it, but it’s a lifestyle choice.

“We can give you the information, we can tell you what you should be doing,” he said. “But in the end, if you want to live longer, if you want your children to be healthier, you have to take self-responsibility.”

One area where New York City excelled in was getting people to quit smoking cigarettes. Since 2002, over 300,000 quit smoking, largely due to an increase of awareness about the dangers of the habits, plus the fact smoking is outlawed in much of the city.

The use of “scary advertisements” depicting what happens to smokers over the long term has also had a major impact on getting people to give up the habit.