Adult Americans are smoking less. We generally are probably eating better, although obesity is an increasing public health problem. Our cholesterol levels are dramatically improved compared to when I went into practice. Now it is much lower. Alcohol abuse and its liver and brain ravages are down.
Adults exercise more.
Twenty-five years ago, only the Olympian ran the marathon. In 1997-98, I ran four marathons, each with loads of young people and women. The excitement at the starting line of all these people is absolutely palpable. Modern medicine also now provides effective prevention for and treatment of all sorts of problems which previously were untreatable. Just to mention a few, there are hypertension, peptic ulcers, coronary artery disease and many forms of cancer.