To the Editor:
Re “Sedentary Work Cited as Factor in Rising Obesity” (front page, May 26):
An unfortunate byproduct of our puritanical work ethic in the United States is the shining badge of the overworked. Our culture views the number of hours worked as a direct reflection of your importance and success.
There is no consideration of the efficiency of your work, and that an efficient 40-hour-a-week worker may be getting more done than an inefficient 60-hour-a-week worker. More work is more highly valued than good work.
Unless we re-evaluate our attitudes toward number of hours worked, the obesity trend in the United States population will continue. Until we value a balanced life and recognize that overwork leads to obesity, stress and the associated diseases, we will continue to equate hours worked with self-worth and continue to suffer a declining quality of life and increasing health care costs.
BRETT E. TRUSKO
Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., May 26, 2011
The writer is editor in chief of The International Journal of Innovation Science.
Note from KBJ: I have a better idea. Let people work as many hours as they want. Is the letter writer suggesting coercion?
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 