Every week the latest study tells you about a new threat to your health and a new way to prevent it from killing you. It can be confusing when the studies switch back and forth. Once meat was bad, but now it's good; carbs were out, but now they're in. Can you really prevent diseases like cancer and diabetes through diet and exercise? To what degree do any diets—or stop-smoking programs—truly add years to your life? What about fast foods? Are they paving the way toward obesity and early onset of heart disease and diabetes for our kids? What's wrong with a little pleasure?
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Hollywood, Health & Society hosted a panel on multicultural audiences and health messages in TV storylines at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco, November 15-19, 2003.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's renowned medical and health experts are at the forefront of our country's most pressing public health threats. Their job is to protect the nation's health and safety. Hear from the experts who have investigated SARS, 9-11, anthrax, HIV/AIDS, cholera, lead poisoning, toxic shock syndrome and suicide. Learn about the CDC's elite training program—the Epidemic Intelligence Service. We will explore the present dangers our public health system faces with emerging diseases, antibiotic resistance and bioterrorism and the challenges of being on the front lines at the CDC and state and county health departments.
Rebellion and emotional turmoil come with the territory of being a teenager. But how do you tell when it is routine teen angst or something beyond that? Which behaviors are normal reactions to the troubled and violent times we live in and which are warning signs of serious mental problems?
Experts discussed the more than 41 million Americans with no health insurance, and real people shared their experiences of trying to find healthcare. Leading medical experts agree that going without health insurance frequently leads to emergency hospitalizations, critical illness, and sometimes, premature death. Opening remarks were delivered by actor Noah Wyle of "ER."
Youth audiences are prized targets for TV shows, film, and advertising, but are kids growing up too fast? Do they suffer physically or emotionally from the messages conveyed in entertainment and advertising? What is our responsibility as influential adults and writers? Panel members included Al Jean, writer and executive producer of "The Simpsons"; Michael Borkow, writer and co-executive producer of "Malcolm in the Middle"; and Sharon Lee, co-president and co-founder of Look-Look. The moderator was Victoria Riskin, president of Writers Guild of America, West.
Fact-based storytelling raises complex challenges. Consider bioterrorism: Should you write about it, or will it alarm viewers or give terrorists ideas? How constrained by the facts should you be? Where can you get accurate information? What is your responsibility as a public citizen and as a dramatist?