Essay
Scenario
Jennifer is a 35-year-old graduate student at a large Midwestern university. She is
about at her ideal weight according to the scales, but has spent most of her life in sedentary jobs
with little exercise. When she begins to have dizzy spells and shortness of breath, she ignores the
symptoms, thinking she has a bug of some sort. After several weeks of feeling drained, she decides to
visit her doctor, a member of a large HMO. Her doctor tells Jennifer that she needs to relax more,
work on stress management, exercise more, and that she probably is just having anxiety attacks. He
checks her blood pressure and listens to her heart, but orders no further tests. Two weeks after her
visit, while out riding her bike, Jennifer keels over with a major heart attack.
For a number
of years now, health officials have been sounding the warning of the dangers of a sedentary
lifestyle. Yet, more and more Americans put themselves at risk for a heart attack due to lack of
physical activity. We need only look at the changes in job trends and changes in our work ethic to
understand why. With greater reliance on technology and less on what's often referred to as
sweat equity, a greater number of people spend the better part of their days sitting at a computer,
at a desk, at a workstation. And the workdays are getting longer as well. While it may seem as though
ours is a fitness-crazed nation, with all the warnings out there, we're still more sedentary
than ever. Why? What do you think it takes to get people out and doing at least moderate exercise?
Does stress play an important role in your life? Do you get out and exercise regularly? Are you
heart-healthy?
Conclusions
Consider Jennifer's predicament and explain what you
think might have caused her heart attack. Do you think the doctor should have been able to do more
for Jennifer? What factors may have influenced her doctor's decision to not order more tests for
Jennifer's symptoms? Given her age and history, what risk factors for heart disease should
Jennifer have considered? Have you ever been in a situation where you felt that something was wrong
with you, but that your doctor treated you as if there was no reason to worry while you felt your
doctor didn't examine you thoroughly enough? What would you advise someone like Jennifer to
do?
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