HHS NEWS
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today released the most recent data from the Healthy People 2000 initiative, showing continued improvement in the health of Americans during the current decade. The report, "Healthy People 2000 Review, 1998-99," shows that the nation is on track to reach, or has already reached, the targets for more than half its health objectives. "As the century draws to a close, we can be proud that we have made significant strides in improving the health of Americans. Healthy People 2000 lets us measure the overall progress we have achieved in preventing disease and promoting health during this decade," said Secretary Shalala. "These achievements are the result of a partnership effort, with more than 350 national organizations in the Healthy People coalition. We enter the new millennium as a team working together." The Healthy People initiative, first begun in 1979 and reformulated each decade, provides an annual review of the progress of the health of Americans during the latter part of the century. Healthy People 2000 defines the nations health agenda for the current decade through more than 300 objectives in disease prevention and health promotion. Overall, 15 percent of the objectives have met their targets, including many in such diverse areas as nutrition, maternal and child health, heart disease, and mental health. Targets to reduce outbreaks of waterborne diseases and food borne infections and oral and breast cancer deaths were also met. An additional 44 percent of the objectives are progressing on schedule towards the target, including child immunizations, breast feeding, regular dental visits, mammography screening, and consumption of five fruits and vegetables a day. Some objectives, such as the reduction in infant mortality, are only a fraction away from their targets. "In many ways, Americans of all ages and in every race and ethnic group have better health today than a decade ago," said Dr. David Satcher, Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General. "Yet considerable disparities remain. We should commit our nation to eliminate disparities in the next decade, for through prevention we can improve the health of all Americans." Dr. Satcher leads the initiative to establish goals for the first decade of the next century, called Healthy People 2010, which will be launched in January 2000. However, the report also shows that a fifth of the Healthy People objectives are moving away from their targets. Some key objectives, such as reducing the number of overweight individuals and increasing physical activity have either moved in the wrong direction or improved little. A prime example of this can be seen in the objectives related to diabetes where incidence, prevalence, complications and mortality are all on the rise. To complete the picture, 6 percent of the objectives showed mixed results, 3 percent had no change from the baseline figure, and 11 percent of the objectives lack sufficient data to assess progress. "Healthy People 2000 Review, 1998-99," groups objectives by four life stages, from infants/children, through older adults in a special chartbook. Highlights show:
By identifying the most significant opportunities to improve the health of all Americans, the Healthy People process helps focus action on common goals and enables diverse groups to combine their efforts. Currently, all states and many localities use this framework to guide local health policies and programs. The report was prepared by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More information on the results in each of these areas, data by states, and copies of the progress review can be viewed or downloaded from the NCHS Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs. For more information on the new initiative for the first decade of the new century, Healthy People 2010, go to http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/. ###
Partnerships for Health in the New Millennium January 24-28, 2000 Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC Updated: 05/01/08 |