As the final year of the Healthy People 2010 initiative quickly approaches, there is still time for you to
motivate your patients to make changes now that can positively impact their futures.
 
Through Healthy People 2010, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal, state and professional organizations strive to improve the health of all Americans by 2010 by:

• Increasing the quality and length of the lives of all Americans
• Eliminating health disparities among different segments of the population

These goals aim to improve military readiness, create a healthier population, lower health care costs and increase patient satisfaction—all of which will help TRICARE remain a U.S. health care leader.
 
To help you better understand the importance of Healthy People 2010, these 10 leading health indicators were created to reflect the nation’s current major health concerns:

• Access to health care
• Behavioral health
• Environmental quality
• Immunization
• Injury and violence
• Overweight and obesity
• Physical activity
• Responsible sexual behavior
• Substance abuse
• Tobacco use

Here’s how you can get involved:

• Use national health observances, such as Alcohol Awareness Month (April), Healthy Lung Month (October) and American Diabetes Month® (November), as teaching opportunities to educate your patients about the risks of binge drinking, using tobacco and not exercising.
• Talk to your patients about the importance of practicing safe sex to lower their risk of contracting or spreading sexually transmitted diseases.
• Discuss with your patients the warning signs of depression and anxiety and positive ways to manage stress.
• Encourage your patients to begin with small steps that can lead to big gains. Walking the dog around the neighborhood may not only help to reduce stress, but may also lower their risk for overweight and obesity, heart disease and certain forms of cancer.

What’s Next … Healthy People 2020

HHS updates Healthy People every 10 years to educate the public on topics related to health and wellness, disease prevention, healthy lifestyle initiatives and effective management of health care needs. Healthy People 2020 will focus more on health promotion and disease prevention. It will be released in two phases—the framework will be released in early 2009, followed by the objectives in early 2010.
 
For more information on how you can make a difference in making the nation healthier, visit the Healthy People's Web site.

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