3 Healthy People 2020

In December 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services launched Healthy People 2020, which has four overarching goals:

• Attain high-quality, longer lives free of preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death;
• Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups;
• Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all; and
• Promote quality of life, healthy development, and healthy behaviors across all life stages.

Healthy People 2020 tracks approximately 1,200 objectives organized into 42 topic areas, each of which represents an important public health area. At the time of the December 2010 launch 911 objectives were measurable with baseline data and established targets. A few objectives that have achieved high levels of success are being tracked without a target for informational purposes. Targets will be set during the decade for these objectives if warranted. The rest of the objectives did not have baseline data and were considered developmental. Targets for the developmental objectives will be set when baseline data become available. Healthy People 2020 also includes a new Foundation section which addresses several important health topics: General Health Status, Health-Related Quality of Life and Well-Being, Determinants of Health, and Disparities.