Pulse Legacy Archive May 2012 | Page 29

disparities persist across the population. He also notes that obesity remains an important challenge to monitor closely and data must be a priority to continue measuring what is working. It is interesting to note that Healthy People 2020 (HP 2020) appears to show a shift towards a more positive approach to health goals. In addition to eliminating disparities and improving life span (primarily through reducing disease), the HP 2020 initiative has added the goal to create social and physical environments that promote good health (spa, anyone?) and the promotion of quality of life, health development and health behaviors across the lifespan, which sounds like a more preventative and positive approach to wellness. ■ U.S. has increased by a year and the life expectancy and quality of life have improved for people over 65. But the average African-American still lives five years fewer than the average Caucasian, a disparity rate that has not moved in the past decade. In fact, across a variety of health measurements, some of which have improved (such as cancer mortality, coronary heart disease, smoking and blood pressure control) and some of which have worsened (such as adult and child obesity). Differential rates of disease across different racial categories persist. The key takeaways from Healthy People 2010, according to Edward J. Sondik, the Director of the National Center for Health Statistics, is that progress is being made on the major goals of life quality and expectancy, but health REFERENCES: Howard Koh, MD MPH, Assistant Secretary for Health Edward J. Sondik, PhD, Director, National Center for Health Statistics Jewel Mullen, MD, MPH, MPA, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health RESOURCE: The image for this article is from a PowerPoint slide in the webinar, “Health in the US—A Review of the 21st Century” featuring all mentioned references, and where Dr. Sondik reported the results from Healthy People 2010. BE PART OF HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020 1. Follow @gohealthypeople on Twitter. 2. Subscribe to the monthly e-newsletter on healthypeople.gov. 3. Look for info on the website for the MAP-IT program to learn how to implement HealthyPeople2020 in your own community. 4. Network with other health professionals in your community. 5. Think about how your spa can make an impact on the leading health indicators. May 2012 ■ PULSE 27