It would not hurt to invest a
little money when it comes to good health. This statement is true but it limits
the discussion of health to economics. The realization of good health is both a
social phenomenon and a communal effort which requires active and constructive
participation and maintenance by members of a social class.
Good health is relative to social
class and by this I do not mean that the poor are the least healthy and the
wealthy are the most vibrant due to their access to health care. No, there is
another dimension that remains untouched in the discussion of health among
social classes. The struggling yet socially
mobile middle class are potentially the unhealthiest among the social classes. And this is not because
of access to health care or issues of economics and affordability rather
this is an issue of
lifestyle options and
alternatives as determined or
limited by an established middle class social life—food, leisure, expectations, aspirations, etc.
My discussion of health in
the middle class will go as
far as figuring out why the middle class
are less interested in having
a healthy lifestyle than
their lower and
upper class counterparts. Since I cannot give a detailed
demographic description of who the middle class
are for this discussion, I would like
to assume that there is such
a thing
as a “middle
class way of life” – a
lifestyle commonly associated with the middle
class but is openly
and unconsciously practiced
by all
social classes. To put it
more simply, these
are the people who spend their mornings, break
times or idle moments, and
evenings connected to the
Internet consuming loads of information
and data. Given this assumption,
I think it is safe to say that these people
possess or have access to
computers or mobile phones.
My Assumptions (not based on empirical
evidence and are subject to further
research in the Philippine context,
or Los Banos context in our
case)
-
-Good
health is social
- -
Good health practices should be replicable and
practical to everyone who are
willing to lead a
healthy life
- -
Farmers and lower class
citizens have access to
organic food since their own
organic produce revolves
around their families and small communities
-
- Upper class citizens, already
given that they have the
financial capacity to purchase organic goods, are
closer to organic specialty shops
since they are its target
market
-
- Middle class citizens are usually
stuck in a sort of
“health limbo” because, generally, they don’t want to get their hands dirty
and grow produce themselves and at the
same time they strive for a life
of luxury
-
- The middle
class are the most
susceptible to illness and
disease
- -
The middle
class diet includes high
amounts of sodium, caffeine, sugar, and
cholesterol
-
- Increased
stress and expectations leads the
middle class to
consume energy -rich foods like fatty
and sugary ready-to-eat snacks and meals.
What the Middle Class Need
- -
A
supportive environment to encourage good health
among the middle class
- -
Personal efforts/individual efforts and
lifestyle choices by healthy individuals should
be supported by a
healthy social environment
- -
A
social environment with a positive attitude towards good health
- -
A social
environment that promotes organic agriculture
- -
A social
environment that views
healthy living as a normal way of life
and not just for those of
the upper or
lower classes
- -
A
healthy social environment that
gives emphasis on the
role of the community for good health
My Recommendations
- -
Responsible
entrepreneurship that would help
expand healthy options
and lifestyle alternatives in the community
- -
Organic
agriculture and backyard farming for self-consumption
- -
Health-conscious
educational curricula in schools
- -
Health-sensitive
business ideas and practices
- -
Los
Banos has already done
well in promoting fitness, now
it should be augmented by the
promotion of good
health through proper diet
by way of organic and healthy
food businesses and establishments like local restaurants, eateries and
organic vegetable markets. This would
give the middle class other
options aside from
fast foods, convenience stores,
and tapsilog stalls
-
- Emphasis of the UP Open University on Organic
Agriculture in their PED and NEP courses to encourage and develop health-conscious
entrepreneurs. Emulating the way UP
Rural High School promoted and
emphasized agriculture to its students
during our time.
-
- The
link between organic agriculture
and entrepreneurship is a
practical solution in creating a healthy
social environment and
supportive community of
good health.
Objective
-
To help
formulate a practical approach to
healthy living in the social
context of today’s
middle class society.
Other Problem/s:
-
Middle class living is like a bouncing ball, it never stays up or down for a long
time. When will the middle class realize that health is a major lifestyle issue/concern when, generally, their
main focus shifts up
and down from survival to
living lavish lifestyles?
