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Healthy People 2010

What is Healthy People 2010?
Healthy People 2010 is a set of health objectives for the United States to achieve over the first decade of the new century. It was created for used by many different people, States, communities, professional organizations, and others to help them develop programs to improve health.

Healthy People 2010 builds on initiatives pursued over the past two decades. The 1979 Surgeon General's Report, Healthy People, and Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives both established national health objectives and served as the basis for the development of State and community plans. Like its predecessors, Healthy People 2010 was developed through a broad consultation process, built on the best scientific knowledge and designed to measure programs over time.

What Are Its Goals?
Healthy People 2010 challenges individuals, communities, and professionals-indeed, all of us- to take specific steps to ensure that good health, as well as long life, are enjoyed by all. Healthy People 2010 is designed to achieve two overarching goals:

  • Goal 1: Increase Quality and Years of Healthy Life
    The first goal of Healthy People 2010 is to help individuals of all ages increase life expectancy and improve their quality of life.
  • Goal 2: Eliminate Health Disparities
    The second goal of Healthy People 2010 is to eliminate health disparities among different segments of the population.

Leading Health Indicators
These Leading Health Indicators will be used to measure the health of the Nation over the next 10 years. Each of the 10 Leading Health Indicators has one or more objectives from Healthy People 2010 associated with it. As a group, the Leading Health Indicators reflect the major health concerns in the United States at the beginning of the 21st century. The Leading Health Indicators were selected on the basis of their ability to motivate action, the availability of data to measure progress, and their importance as public health issues.

The Leading Health Indicators are:

  • Physical Activity
  • Overweight and Obesity
  • Tobacco Use
  • Substance Abuse
  • Responsible Sexual Behavior
  • Mental Health
  • Injury and Violence
  • Environmental Quality
  • Immunization
  • Access to Health Care

For more information:

Healthy People 2010
http://www.healthypeople.gov/default.htm
The official government website for the Healthy People 2010 initiative.