A cruise ship carrying 800 Covid-positive passengers recently docked in Sydney after being hit with a major COVID-19 outbreak—a scenario eerily reminiscent of the early pandemic days. It was a stark reminder that the pandemic is not over, and that cruising still presents a certain level of COVID-19 risk.

Dean Angela Amar, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, is a professor, active researcher, and administrator for the UNLV School of Nursing. This nursing leader is a national expert on mental health nursing, sexual and dating violence, diversity in nursing leadership, and forensic nursing. Her research on dating violence, sexual assault, and mental health responses to traumatic experiences has earned funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Institute of Nursing Research.

Growing waistline is not only an American health worry. For Indians too, it is fast becoming a troublesome public health issue, say top US public health experts, including some of Indian origin, who have seen it growing and now becoming a real health challenge. Having lived for 50 springs in India, and now seeing it bloating from the waist worries me too. It’s time to cut that flab before it triggers more unhealthy signs. For these health experts who spoke to The Sunday Guardian at length, the biggest challenge lies in how to beat the post-Covid-19 effect. Their fears come from nearly three years of erratic eating habits, a non-exercise routine which most of us followed during Covid-19 along with our growing love for the couch and binge OTT watching. To them, a return to Indian home-made platter holds the key to beating obesity!