The National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council Annual Status Report was released July 1. The report highlights advancement in implementing the National Prevention Strategy (NPS) and reaching its goal of increasing the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life.2 The NPS pictures a prevention-oriented society where all segments recognize the value of health for individuals, families, and society and work together to achieve better health for Americans.
There are seven priority areas in the NPS. They are:
- Tobacco-free living
- Preventing drug abuse and excessive alcohol use
- Healthy eating
- Active living
- Injury and violence-free living
- Reproductive and sexual health
- Mental and emotional well-being.
The new report describes many examples of how the 20 federal departments and agencies that make up the National Prevention Council are incorporating health into their programs and policies, working on various issues. One example is encouraging healthy child development by implementing programs that support families and promote healthy school and neighborhood environments.1 Regarding elimination of health disparities, the key indicator for oral health is the “Proportion of individuals who are unable to obtain or delay in obtaining necessary medical care, dental care, or prescription medicines.” The data source for this is Medical Expenditure Panel
Survey, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the frequency is annually. The most recent data point was 10.4% in 2011.
To continue please visit: http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/2014/07/prevention-is-the-name-of-the-game.html
By Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, MS
Source: DENTAL IQ
Goldie, Maria Perno. “Prevention is The Name of the Game!”, 29 July 2014. Web. 13 Aug. 2014.
