HHS HealthBeat (December 31, 2009)

Practicing prevention

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

By 2015, about 1 in 5 Americans will be between the ages of 50 and 64, which means they’ll be at a higher risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease or cancer. But a study indicates people now in this age range are not doing what they should to control their risks.

The study found only about 1 in 4 regularly take advantage of preventive services such as screenings and immunizations. And at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lynda Anderson says smoking is still a problem:

[Lynda Anderson speaks] "Only one state has met the target of 12 percent or less of adults being current smokers."

That’s Utah, at 9 percent.

The study was done by the CDC in collaboration with AARP and the American Medical Association.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011