Healthy People 2020: Prevention roadmap to better health

For 3 decades, Healthy People has provided science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. The initiative is grounded in the principle that setting national objectives and monitoring progress can motivate action, and in the last decade, preliminary analyses indicate that the country has either progressed toward or met 71 percent of its Healthy People targets. Like its predecessors, Healthy People 2020 is the product of an extensive stakeholder feedback process that is unparalleled in government and health. It integrates input from public health and prevention experts, a wide range of federal, state and local government officials, a consortium of more than 2,000 organizations, and perhaps most importantly, the public. More than 8,000 comments were considered in drafting a comprehensive set of Healthy People 2020 objectives. Based on this input, 13 new topic areas are included in the new initiative. Healthy People 2020 presents a renewed focus on identifying, measuring, tracking, and reducing health disparities through a determinants of health approach. For the first time, Healthy People 2020 is entirely Web-based. Healthypeople.gov is newly redesigned, interactive, it replaces the traditional print publication and makes Healthy People accessible to virtually every American. Version 1.0 of the website was launched in December 2010, with the understanding that Healthy People is a living document, and it will change and be updated regularly. This presenter will explain the history of Healthy People, the development of and implementation strategies for Healthy People 2020, and how to navigate the healthpeople.gov website.