Americans are living longer, but, as a whole, are sicker. The U.S. spends far more on health care per person than other high-income countries yet lags behind on a range of health indicators. Preventable chronic diseases and behavioral issues, including opioid addiction, are on the rise across all populations, but the most disadvantaged communities are disproportionately affected.

Improving economic prosperity is among the priorities for the nation's top doctor, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams. He spoke with "On Second Thought" Thursday while in Atlanta to outline a community-based initiative to a group at the Federal Reserve Bank."On Second Thought" for Friday, Dec. 14, 2018

In 1920, African-American farmers owned 14 percent of all American farmland. Today, 45,000 black growers own just two percent of that land and the vast majority of them live in the South, according to census data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A new book encourages a new generation of black farmers and places ownership of land and production of healthy food squarely on the path of self-determination for people of color. Leah Penniman, co-founder of Soul Fire Farm and author of "Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land," joined "On Second Thought" for a conversation about farming and food justice.

Atlanta-based chef Ronald Hsu stars on Netflix's reality competition cooking program, "The Final Table." It gathers 24 chefs from all over the world to compete in teams of two. Hsu partnered with Shin Takagi, owner and head chef of Zeniya in Japan, who also served as Hsu's mentor before the show. Hsu joined "On Second Thought" to discuss his culinary inspirations and the world of reality TV cooking.

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