The findings underscore public health research showing that healthy habits matter. The JAMA paper found that several measures of access to medical care had no clear relationship with longevity among the poor. But there were correlations with smoking, exercise and obesity.
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The city also imposed novel regulations on restaurants and food, banning trans fats that are associated with heart disease, and requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menus. Efforts to tax or limit soda sales were unsuccessful, but public campaigns to discourage unhealthy eating were widespread.
The implication is that the nanny state has to step in because the poor don't exercise personal responsibility as diligently as the non-poor. Sad.