Washington – During the next decade, the United States health-care spending will consume a greater share of the country’s economy. The spending will nearly double to around $4.3 trillion by 2017, government authorities estimated on Tuesday.

The finding comes after last month’s report which said that health care spending increased for the first time above $2.1 trillion in 2006. Health care spending accounted for 16 % of the nation’s GDP. Adding to this, the baby boomers start to come into the Medicare system, there may be a bigger shift in health care spending from the private sector to the public sector.

The report found that the U.S. healthcare spending was $2.2 trillion in 2007 and the spending will grow yearly by around 6.7 % through 2017. “Our anticipation is that increase in health expenditure is expected to be constant over the prediction, which is through next decade, at 6.7 % per annum,” said Andrea Sisko, the report co-author in a teleconference. (more…)

Childhood obesity is a critical risk factor for many children in United States and Europe.
London (Reuters) – Diet, lifestyle and genetic factors can determine whether a child will become overweight - says a scientific report published in British study of twins.

The researchers suggest that the parents need to provide a healthy environment to their children who are at the genetic risk. “Around 400 million people including 200 million children worldwide are obese” – as reported by The World Health Organization. The WHO adds that the children are under the age of five.

New York - physical activities in and out of school for more than two times in a week will protect the adolescents from overweight - says Reuter’s health according to new research.
“The failure to provide physical education would not be a wise decision“. – said Dr. Robert Wm. Blum, the study investigator of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.

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