"Mr. Public Health" dies at 97: Thank you Lester Breslow.

If your interest in public health is tangential and you are mostly concerned with your own longevity or in figuring out a way to make money from emerging trends, you may not have heard the news that Lester Breslow died this week, see the  UCLA Obituary.   At 97, Breslow had earned the moniker "Mr. Public Health" through a groundbreaking idea: Breslow believed that people could live longer and healthier lives by changing their day-to-day habits. By paying attention to things like diet and smoking and exercise, they would improve the quality and length of their lives. His death at 97 may well be the best anecdotal evidence that he practiced what he preached.

One link between Breslow's 70 years of research and sustainicity---the idea that social capital and financial capital are inextricably linked---is his belief that small changes in individual behavior would make a huge differences in social (public health) outcomes.  Healthier individuals would be more productive in the long run, living longer lives and contributing more to the common good while costing society less.   Although this seems like common sense to us today---exercise, eat a healthy diet, don't smoke---Breslow's ideas were scoffed at when first presented. In fact his UCLA obituary notes:


"While these conclusions are taken for granted today, the idea of such a strong connection between lifestyle and health was seen as "bizarre" at the time, Breslow noted decades later. He would smile when recalling the response of the National Institutes of Health panel of scientists that reviewed the initial study proposal: "Unanimous rejection." When the study was completed, however, even Breslow was shocked at the magnitude of the results, which helped usher in current thinking about health and fitness."


Another, more interesting link was Breslow's conviction that these behavior changes could be measured.  As the vintage photo of Breslow shows---with trend lines plotted in a 1960's version of PowerPoint---this data could be used to create models that could contribute to predicting outcomes such as improvements in life expectancy in the United States which, according to the World Bank, has moved from about 69 years in 1960 to 78 today.


Clearly populations who have longer, healthier and more productive lives benefit the common good.  Economists might even argue that a "behavior induced positive externality" can and should be nudged by public policy and marketing practices. Breslow's work also presages the impact of today's growing obesity crisis and by extrapolation, its predictable costs to society. 


Since the 1960s when the influence of Breslow's work was beginning to be recognized, corporations have developed sophisticated approaches to creating demand for their products through sophisticated and targeted marketing programs. I wonder what might happen if the products they pitched were canted toward those which helped us develop the habits that lead to better health and longer lives?


Interestingly enough and with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, researchers at The Hudson Institute have begun to provide an answer based in real economic terms.  In releasing the fascinating report Better-For-You-Foods: It's Just Good Business, research fellow and former marketing executive, Hank Cardello shares some interesting data regarding the financial performance of food sector companies who shift their portfolios toward healthier products.


Today, thanks to Lester Breslow and many others, we know that small changes in individual behavior can make a lifetime of difference in public health. In today's marketplace, with the U.S. Supreme Court bestowing the rights of personhood on public companies, I  do wonder what would happen if they all made small changes in their corporate behavior?  Would shareholder value grow faster? Would our communities live better?  Longer?


Small changes.  Big Impact.  Just askin'.