Facts and Feelings about Disease Prevention and Health Promotion - Disease Prevention And Health Promotion

Eating a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting regular exercise are important health promotion and disease prevention measures. Although there is some evidence that Americans' diets have improved, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that only about one-fourth of adults eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. (See Figure 10.5.) Together, good nutrition and regular exercise reduce the risks of developing heart disease, stroke, some cancers, diabetes, and osteoporosis. The CDC estimates that at least 300,000 deaths per year are the result of unhealthy eating and physical inactivity. In the United States, obesity has reached epidemic proportions—in 2000 some forty-five million adults were obese and about eight million children and teens age six to seventeen years were overweight.

FIGURE 10.1
Percent of persons of all ages who assessed their own health as being excellent or very good, 1997–2003

This section looks at childhood and adult immunization and modifiable risk factors such as low physical activity, being overweight and obesity, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol consumption (one type of substance abuse)—five of the ten leading health indicators selected for inclusion in Healthy People 2010. (The other leading health indicators, chosen because of their importance as public health issues, their ability to motivate action, and the availability of data to measure progress made to address them, are responsible sexual behavior, mental health, injury and violence, environmental quality, and access to health care.)