HHS: US Making Progress in Disease Prevention, Health Promotion

A new report from HHS shows the nation has made progress on 14 of 26 critical measures that have major influence on reducing preventable death and disease.

The measures are part of Healthy People 2020, the nation's 10-year goals and objectives for health promotion and disease prevention. It outlines 26 Leading Health Indicators in categories like access to care, maternal and child health, tobacco use and physical activity.

"These Leading Health Indicators are intended to motivate action to improve the health of the whole population," said Howard Koh, MD, assistant secretary for health, in a news release. "[The] LHI Progress Report shows that we are doing just that."

The 14 indicators that have met their targets or shown improvement include:

•    Fewer adults smoking cigarettes
•    Fewer children exposed to secondhand smoke
•    More adults meeting physical activity targets
•    Fewer adolescents using alcohol or illicit drugs
•    More adults receiving colorectal cancer screening
•    More adults with hypertension whose blood pressure is under control
•    More children receiving recommended doses of certain vaccines
•    Improved air quality
•    Fewer injury deaths
•    Fewer homicides
•    Fewer infant deaths
•    Fewer preterm live births
•    More knowledge of serostatus among people with HIV
•    More students graduating high school in four years

Eleven health indicators have still not made progress, and one indicator only has baseline data available, according to the release.

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