Healthy People 2020 Essay

Healthy People 2020’s goal to improve the quality and quantity of life in the United States drives health care providers, as well as local, state and national governments to address our nation’s health (ODPHP, 2015). The Healthy People 2020 national health objectives that greatly affect my community are obesity and physical inactivity (ODPHP, 2015). The enclosed community and state data, in comparison to the national data, confirms a high rate of diabetes (type II) and cardiovascular disease in Cabell County, as well as the state of West Virginia. Meeting the goals set by the Healthy People 2020 initiative regarding physical activity and a healthy weight are essential to deceasing one’s risk of developing these diseases, as well as hypertension and hyperlipidemia. The definition of obesity used in the above statistics is a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 (ODPHP, 2015). The definition of insufficient physical activity is < 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week (ODPHP, 2015).

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States at a rate of 193.3 per 100,000 population in 2013 (CDC, 2014). Our national obesity-related health cost is an estimated $147 billion per year with an additional loss of $4.3 billion in lost work (CDC, 2014). The current rate of obesity and inactivity puts 78 million Americans at risk for disease, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CDC, 2014). According to the Healthy People 2020 progress report released in May 2014, the leading health indicator regarding obesity and physical activity has not improved (ODPHP, 2015). To meet the Healthy People 2020 goals of quality and quantity of life, reducing the rate of obesity and improving physical activity is