Every month in 2012, the US Department of Health and Human Services is focusing on high-priority health issues, and actions that can be taken to address them. The monthly series, entitled Who's Leading the Leading Health Indicators?, highlights a success story from an organization that has made significant progress toward addressing the featured health topic. This month, we're focusing on Healthy People's Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity topic area.
Most Americans do not eat a healthful diet and are not as physically active as they should be. As a result, the Nation has experienced a dramatic increase in obesity. Today, approximately 1 in 3 adults (34.0%) and 1 in 6 children and adolescents (16.2%) are obese. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, which are among the leading causes of death.
About the Leading Health Indicators (LHIs)
Healthy People 2020 provides a comprehensive set of 10-year, national goals and objectives for improving the health of all Americans. Healthy People 2020 contains 42 topic areas with nearly 600 objectives (with others still evolving), which encompass 1,200 measures.
In fall of 2011, the US Department of Health and Human Services launched the Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicators (LHIs). The LHIs are a smaller set of Healthy People 2020 objectives, and will be used to assess the health of the Nation, facilitate collaboration across sectors, and motivate action at the national, state, and community levels to improve the health of the U.S. population.
Save the Date!
The LHI Webinar on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity will be held on May 29, from 12:00-12:45 EDT. We will be answering questions via the Webinar chat feature and through Twitter (@gohealthypeople). Register now to reserve your spot.
How are you leading the leading health indicators on nutrition, physical activity and obesity? We would love to hear your stories and comments. Share them below, or follow the #LHI hashtag on Twitter to connect with your peers who are talking about this critical health topic.
