Healthcare Variance

Culture and global health are definitely intertwined.  What a person thinks of as normal habits and diet depends on what they see at home and in their daily life.  This trip has proved as an opportunity to experience this.

I can see clear connections between culture and global public health.  Germany is a very similar country to America. They are both Western, wealthy, and educated countries.  My time here in Germany has shown me that our countries are similar when it comes to health, but also different.  A very big difference I have noticed is our usage of cigarettes. In America, cigarettes are demonized, and seen as uncool, especially by Millenials and younger. Meanwhile here, in Germany, they are used a lot, and by the younger generation too.  That part is especially shocking to me. Similarities include things like exercise. Here in Germany, it is not rare to see a young person jogging along the street. In the U.S. though, I believe jogging is much more casual. More people walk around in athletic wear, and older people are also involved.  Diet wise, the Germans are healthier. There are way more fresh fruit markets here. I have seen no obese people. While there are plenty of overweight people, no one is radical with it. In America, obese people are an everyday sight.

I expected Germany and America to be pretty much the same in terms of health, but I was wrong. If there can be this much difference between two countries so similar, then the range between us and a third world country must be astronomical.