Podcast: “Not Designed for Health” with PHI’s Steve Downs
PHI’s Steve Downs, co-founder of Building H, joins The Other 80 podcast to discuss how Building H is helping companies and designers re-engineer products and “product environments” so they improve rather than harm health.
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Chronic Disease Prevention, Data, Technology & Innovation -
Programs
Building H
PHI’s Building H aims to reverse chronic disease in the U.S. by building health into everyday life. Building H believes the infrastructure of our daily life—food, transportation and housing, and entertainment—can be reimagined with health and well-being as explicit design goals.
In the episode “Not Designed for Health,” PHI’s Steve Downs joins The Other 80 podcast to discuss how Building H is helping companies and designers re-engineer products and “product environments” so they improve rather than harm health.
Listen hereSpeakers discuss:
- Shocking trends in American health: 48% of Americans are lonely, 35% don’t get six hours a night of sleep and 60% of adult calories come from ultra-processed food.
- The mistake of thinking of our daily choices as “individual” decisions, when these decisions are profoundly shaped by our environments and the products we use.
- The Building H Index, which evaluates everyday products against five metrics of health: eating, physical activity, sleep, social connection, and spending time outdoors.
- Culdesac – A real-estate developer that is building “cities for people without cars”.
McDonald's is not responsible for all the food related chronic illnesses in America. But you might argue that they are, I don't know, 1.7%, responsible or 3.8% responsible … I think we ultimately need to get to a place where if your product is leading to unhealthy behaviors, which is leading to illness and disease and cost, there may need to be some accountability for that.Steve Downs
co-founder of Building H
Originally published by The Other 80
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