Romeo's 'Sick health'

@HealthMed One of Romeo's string of oxymorons [Romeo and Juliet Act 1, Scene 1: reflecting on his heart sickness for fair Rosalind], 'sick health' illustrates the challenge of preventing more conventional heart disease - with its long prodrome of apparent health masking the development of sub-clinical disease from unrecognized risk factors, which may however be reversible if identified and addressed.

Why don't more people engage? Many reasons, including fear of finding a problem if tested, difficulty accessing advice/health checks, lack of interest or knowledge of outcomes of 'treatment', lack of confidence in self-efficacy to achieve supporting or first-line life-style changes, in diet, exercise, weight, smoking cessation, alcohol intake ...

To find out more on challenges and solutions for success in behaviour change, look for sources on Theory of Planned Behaviour e.g. this referenced link from the University of Twente.

See my previous blogs on smoking and alcohol.

Stopping smoking: why and how?

Hip fracture risk and smoking

Smoking: literary warnings

Alcohol: literary warnings

Alcohol and the French paradox