By simply typing “health” into the now ever-convenient World Wide Web, one will instantly see news, advertising and tons of medical information on various sites. One such site, known as WebMD, will even give you a basic diagnosis of your symptoms and general health tips such as how to avoid a cold.
Fifty years ago health concerns weren’t a number one priority for people in America.  In today’s world, however, we have commercials about the Butterton’s telling us we shouldn’t eat so much saturated fat and McDonald’s adding apples to their Happy Meals. What has changed? Why within the last 50 years has health become so important to America?
One of the largest, most prominent reasons health has become important to the American people is the widespread disease called cancer. It comes in many forms - some are even inherited - and as many people watch their family members die from it, they feel a growing fear that it could happen to them.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  This year the founders celebrate 25 years of spreading information on symptoms, self-checks and when to see your doctor about this disease. Though cancer is incurable it can be treated with radiation, chemotherapy and sometimes surgery if discovered soon enough. Unfortunately, countless women find it too late.
Many cancer survivors devote the remainder of their lives to educating the population and encouraging others to get themselves checked routinely. Generally, it seems those who care most have had experience with a family member and cancer. Smokers who see elderly, lifetime-smoking relative hear that they have lung cancer, as one fourth of the population does, may be influenced to put down the tobacco sticks themselves. Since the information is so easily available, the cancer survival rates in the last few years have been slowly declining as stated in the National Cancer Institute online.
 Health awareness has changed the way in which Americans look at food, exercise habits and socializing. Today we teach our children about calories, fats and the differences between fast food and food prepared at home. Families attempt to spend more time together outdoors playing physical games instead of staying inside with movies or video games. Most importantly, we talk with those we care about and extend our knowledge to continue lowering the number of disease- or cancer-related deaths. Being acquainted with the major illnesses in the world also brings people to help in whatever ways they can to repress their continuation. After all, awareness of the important health issues is what helps people discover that they have a disease and receive the proper care in time.