Key points
- The Healthy People initiative aims to improve the health of the nation through science-based objectives and targets.
- Healthy People 2030, the latest iteration, includes about 350 core objectives that address cross-cutting public health topics that are tracked throughout the decade.
Overview
The Healthy People initiative is designed to guide national health promotion and disease prevention efforts to improve the health of the Nation. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released Healthy People every decade since 1980. The initiative identifies science-based objectives with targets to focus and motivate action and to monitor progress.
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) monitors progress toward Healthy People targets using data from many sources. NCHS also develops methods for tracking progress, maintains the official Healthy People database, and provides expertise and technical support for health monitoring at national, state, and local levels.
Healthy People has established benchmarks to—
- Identify nationwide health improvement priorities
- Increase public awareness and understanding of the determinants of health, disease, and disability and the opportunities for progress
- Provide measurable objectives and goals for the national, state, and local levels
- Engage multiple sectors to strengthen policies and improve practices driven by the best available evidence and knowledge
- Identify critical research, evaluation, and data collection needs
Healthy People 2030 is the fifth iteration of the initiative. It tracks about 350 core objectives over the decade.
Visit the CDC Archive for previous Healthy People initiatives—