The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched Healthy People 2020, national objectives for health promotion and disease prevention for the next decade. The overarching goals for the initiative are:
- 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.
- Promote quality of life, healthy development, and healthy behaviors across all life stages.
Among the new areas of focus is one on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health. And Healthy People 2020 defines “health disparities” more inclusively than previous definitions:
Healthy People 2020 defines a health disparity as “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage. Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory, or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion.”
Here are the 42 topic areas and their objectives for Healthy People 2020 (some of the topic areas, especially the new ones, do not yet have specific objectives developed):
And here is a general brochure describing Healthy People 2020:
Ignatius Bau 