Table of Contents

Appendix A

Healthy People 2010 in Indiana

Background:

Healthy People 2010: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives was introduced to the American public in 1999 by the Department of Health and Human Services. This release of information grew out of a health strategy initiated in 1979 from a series of reports to the Surgeon General’s office concerning the condition of national health. These documents included a series of comprehensive goals and objectives to be met by the year 2000. These goals and objectives concerned disease prevention and health promotion in the United States, which would allow communities and states to begin to address major health concerns.

Over a twenty-year period, much in the United States has changed regarding the status of the nation’s health. There have been changes in demographics among families, age groups, racial and ethnic populations, and the workforce. Infant mortality has decreased and some childhood infectious diseases have been completely eliminated. During the 1990s, declines in death rates for heart disease, stroke, and unintentional injuries were noted. It is certain that progress in many areas of disease prevention and health promotion has been observed over the years; yet, much remains undone. Some of the changes leading to the progress which has been made thus far can be directly attributed to reductions in risk factors and changes in specific behaviors which have been monitored since the beginning of Healthy People 2000.

As stated in Healthy People 2010: "The challenge for the 21^st century is twofold. First we must ensure that this rate of advancement continues unabated. Second, we must make certain that all Americans benefit from advancements in quality of life, regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, income, education level, or geographic location. These challenges are substantial, but with the objectives defined by Healthy People 2010, they are achievable… Above all, it (Healthy People 2010) demands that all of us work together, using both traditional and innovative approaches, to help the American public achieve the 10-year targets defined by Healthy People 2010."

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance survey assesses the status of many of the challenges outlined in Healthy People 2010. The survey examines some of the changes in social, behavioral, and economic environments experienced in Indiana.

Progress:

Table of Contents