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Subjects › Health and Human Services › Healthy Communities › Healthy People in Healthy Communities
Updated 01/2011

Healthy People in Healthy Communities

Contents

Healthy People 2020

Objectives for promoting health and preventing disease are being developed for the next decade. Every 10 years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leverages scientific insights and lessons learned from the past decade, along with new knowledge of current data, trends, and innovations. Healthy People 2020 will reflect assessments of major risks to health and wellness, changing public health priorities, and emerging issues related to our nation's health preparedness and prevention. For more information on Healthy People 2020, see Healthy People 2020: The Road Ahead.

Healthy People 2010 provides a renewed focus on identifying, measuring, tracking, and reducing health disparities through a determinants of health approach. In addition there are new topic areas for 2020. See What's New for 2020 and The Vision, Mission, and Goals of Healthy People 2020.

Healthy People 2010 Strategic Plan Review

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service set health objectives for the nation in Healthy People 2010. The program presented a comprehensive, nationwide health promotion and disease prevention agenda. It designed a road map for improving the health of all people in the United States during the first decade of the 21st century. The plan contained 467 objectives arranged in 28 focus areas. These objectives have been incorporated in most state health planning goals. The underlying premise of Healthy People 2010 is that the health of the individual is almost inseparable from the health of the larger community and that the health of every community in every state and territory determines the overall health status of the nation. See The Healthy People 2010 Archives.

Ten major health concerns (Leading Health Indicators) were identified in Healthy People 2010. They highlight individual behaviors, physical and social environmental factors, and important health system issues that greatly affect the health of individuals and communities. The indicators were: physical activity, being overweight and obesity, tobacco use, substance abuse, responsible sexual behavior, mental health, injury and violence, environmental quality, immunization, and access to health care. These can become the basic building blocks for community health initiatives and provide guidance and focus for the public media and elected officials (summary from Community Planning Guide).

Approaches to Achieving Healthy Communities

The approach to creating healthy communities, as defined in Healthy People 2010, is a collaborative one involving community groups, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. The U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion planning guide, Healthy People in Healthy Communities: A Community Planning Guide Using Healthy People 2010, addresses ways in which individuals working together can create a strategy to achieve a healthy community. In the 2020 Plan, MAP-IT: A Guide To Using Healthy People 2020 in Your Community, provides a step-by-step approach to plan and evaluate public health interventions to achieve Healthy People 2020 objectives to establish national health objectives. See the 2020 Healthy People Topics and Objectives.

Of the various health initiatives, obesity, physical activity, and tobacco prevention are the most visible in among Washington's Healthy Community Programs. Washington program descriptions include the Washington State Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan: Policy and Environmental Approaches (Adobe Acrobat Document) and the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. The state notes that achievement of the objectives contained in the Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan requires policy-makers in state and local government and private industry to create physical, social, economic, and political environments that reduce barriers to being physically active and eating healthy. Some of the objectives of the plan are:

  • Increase access to health promoting foods.
  • Reduce hunger and food insecurity in Washington State.
  • Increase the number of physical activity opportunities available to children.
  • Increase the number of people who have access to free or low-cost recreational opportunities for physical activity:
    • Provide adequate funding for state and local recreation sites and facilities.
    • Develop model policies to increase access to public facilities for physical activity.
    • Increase the number of worksites that have policies that enhance activity opportunities.
  • Increase the number of active community environments.
  • Utilize urban planning approaches zoning and land use that promote physical activity:
    • Incorporate transportation policy and infrastructure changes to promote non-motorized transit.
    • Enhance safety and perceived safety to improve community walkability and bikeability.

Community Resources and Examples in Washington State

Publications for Healthy People in Healthy Communities