Healthy People 2020 Essay

Healthy People 2020 Healthy People 2020 is an initiative that was founded by the Department of Health and Human Services in December 2010 with the core objective of bringing about a reliable public healthcare system. It contained 911 clearly defined objectives during its inception. Today, the goals have been increased to about 1,200, and are structured into 42 key topic areas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Healthy], 2015). A critical analysis of the initiative identifies the following four major goals that its founders intended to achieve.
a) To facilitate the attainment of quality lives that are free of avoidable diseases, injuries, disability, and early deaths.
b) To enhance the realization of health equity, get rid of disparities,

Among the benefits of adherence to a healthy diet is maintaining a healthy body weight. The initiative emphasizes that people should change their behaviors in order to be healthy. It stipulates policies that need to be implemented to create an environment that supports healthy behaviors in various settings such as schools, places of work, medical institutions, and in the society (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Healthy], 2015). The efforts have significantly reduced diet-related ailments. Research also shows that the campaign for a healthy nutrition has raised the level of awareness on household food

The initiative takes cognizance of the fact that adolescence and young adulthood stages are crucial periods in lives of human beings because individuals are usually highly active (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Healthy], 2015). Focusing on improving the health of people at the ages has significantly improved the rate of productivity, resulting into economic improvement. Similarly, studies have shown that Healthy People 2020 has greatly reduced financial burdens that result from preventable health problems. It has lowered the prevalence of the ailments; thus, limiting medication expenses that individuals and the state incur. Resources that would have been spent on medication are used to expand economic activities that enhance the well-being of the society. Furthermore, various health programs that are intended for the youth have prevented long-term costs of chronic diseases, which are mainly caused by risky adolescent behaviors (Healthy People [Adolescent],