U.S. Announces Goals for Better Health in 1990s
Federal health officials today unveiled goals for improving Americans’ health over the next decade, to be achieved largely by encouraging healthful living and preventing disease.
“We must assume more responsibility for our own good health and the health of others,” Dr. Louis Sullivan, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, told a conference at which a report on the goals was released.
“We can no longer afford to ignore the fact that, individually and as a nation, prevention is the single most important factor in maintaining good health,” he said, noting that Americans spent $600 billion on health care last year.
The 671-page report identifies 298 specific health objectives covering a range of areas, including fitness, nutrition, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, family planning, mental health, occupational and environmental health, food safety, cancer, heart disease, AIDS, infant health and sexually transmitted diseases.
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