*Developmental objectives are those that currently do not have national baseline data and, therefore, currently have no operational definitions. Developmental objectives indicate areas that need to be placed on the national agenda for data collection. They address subjects of sufficient national importance where investments should be made over the next decade to measure their change. A potential data source has been identified for all developmental objectives. As data are developed and become available for these objectives, operational definitions will be disseminated on the Internet and/or in Healthy People publications. No targets have been set for developmental objectives; targets will be proposed at the mid-course review for those developmental objectives that have baseline data.

Resource
*U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010. 2nd ed. With Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health. 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, November 2000.