Healthy People 2010 is growing up.
On Dec. 2, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the birth of Healthy People 2020, a new generation of the nation's 10-year plan for health promotion and disease prevention.
“The launch of Healthy People 2020 comes at a critical time,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a press statement. “Our challenge and opportunity is to avoid preventable disease from occurring in the first place.”
Because chronic diseases – such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer – account for 70% of deaths and consume 75% of national health spending, Healthy People 2020 stresses incorporating lifestyle changes that have repeatedly been proved to protect against those disorders. “Many of the risk factors that contribute to the development of these diseases are preventable,” said Dr. Howard Koh, assistant secretary for health.
“Healthy People is the nation's road map and compass for better health, providing our society a vision for improving both the quantity and quality of life for all Americans.”
Healthy People 2020 isn't just intended for individuals, though, Dr. Jonathan Fielding said during a press briefing on the program's launch. Researchers, clinicians, educators, and members of both public and private health care agencies need to band together to make the program a success, said Dr. Fielding, chairman of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020.
In response to the growing elderly segment of the U.S. population, the new program includes a topic area for dementias that includes Alzheimer's disease. Other new areas in the initiative are early and middle childhood and adolescent health; blood disorders and blood safety; genomics; global health; and health-related quality of life and well-being.
Like all children growing up in a technology-based society, Healthy People 2020 will incorporate the Internet and other technology media in both its message and its method. The newly designed Web site allows users to tailor information to their individual needs and look for evidence-based ways to put the program's recommendations to work in their lives.
Developers are also issuing a challenge to encourage the tech-savvy to create easy-to-use applications for those who are working with Healthy People 2020 objectives and community health data. Winning ideas will reap financial rewards – $4,000 in prize money is available.
