According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, Florida must increase its ranks of family doctors by 63 percent during the next 15 years. The state is among five considered in the worst shape to deal with an onslaught of aging baby boomers. The others are Nevada, Arizona, Texas and Idaho.

"As Americans age, they need more health-care interventions, and primary care is the most cost-effective way to help them maintain their health," says the academy's Dr. Perry Pugno.

The group blames lower insurance payments, particularly from Medicare, for discouraging medical students from going into family practice.

TVs are taking over

Count the number of television sets in your house. Then count the number of people.

At my house, it is 4-to-3. That's not unusual, according to research that found the average American home has more televisions than people. That's a first.

On average, it breaks down to 2.73 televisions per home and 2.55 people, according to the study by Nielsen Media Research.

So, what does this have to do with health?

Well, more televisions mean more couch time and less physical activity. Especially with youngsters, study after study has found a link between TV-watching and weight problems.

Underscoring that danger, the Nielsen findings also noted a 3 percent increase in television-viewing time among those ages 12-17 compared with last year. This bucks a trend toward no increases or declines in recent years as adolescents turned more to video games and the Internet.

Apparently, they are coming back to the tube.

According to Nielsen, 50 percent of American homes have three or more TVs. And the sets are turned on for about eight hours, 14 minutes every day -- an hour more than a decade ago.

Terror target - your dinner

Experts warned last week that the U.S. food supply is vulnerable to terrorism.

For example, they said terrorists could infect U.S. cattle with deadly illnesses that could kill off millions of animals. The economic fallout would be staggering, as would the loss in food to the United States and the rest of the world.

"An attack on agriculture is about all those things that terrorism is about: fear, tension, disruption and possibly a political statement," says Barry Erlick, president of consulting firm BJE Associates.

Experts say a current spinach E. coli scare -- still under investigation -- has nothing to do with terrorism, but it shows how the public can be affected by tainted food.

FBI deputy director John S. Pistole says that's why the food supply deserves the same kind of protection afforded public buildings, bridges and airports.

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