Takeaways

• Healthy People 2030 addresses health problems in the US with 355 core objectives that detail the impact of the problem, latest research, evidence based interventions, and goal status. 
• For clinicians applying these goals to their community, prioritize objectives to those that are most relevant to the population and implement the Healthy People 2030 researched interventions, tailoring them to the population’s needs. 

 

Every decade, the US Department of Health and Human Services releases a “Healthy People” report that establishes objectives and goals to improve the wellbeing and health of people. The most recent, Healthy People 2030 includes 355 core objectives as well as developmental or research objectives with the vision to create “a society in which all people can achieve their full potential for health and well-being across the lifespan” (Healthy People 2030 Framework, 2020, para “Vision”).

 

Objectives

The Healthy People 2030 objectives work to solve health related issues faced across the lifespan, including both medically focused goals, like to reduce the number of newly diagnosed with diabetes, as well as socioeconomic factors that address health disparities, like increase the number of high school students who graduate in 4 years. (Education Access and Quality, 2020; Leading Health Indicators, 2020).

Topics for objectives are categorized into Leading Health Indicators, Social Determinants of Health, and Overall Health and Well-being Measures. Each health indicator holds information on societal impact, primary goal to improve the overall health of people, and several, more specific objectives to aid in achieving the overarching goal. High priority public health issues associated with evidence-based interventions are reflected in core objectives, and the developmental objectives encompass those health issues with evidence-based interventions but no baseline data. 

Healthy People 2030 has also included some research objectives that include public health issues in need of evidence-based interventions. Each objective holds resources to understand intervention information and implementation. Transparency in the goal is included with each objective, noting the different stages of achievement: at baseline, target met or exceeded, improving, little or no detectable change, or getting worse (About the Objectives, 2020). 

 

Healthy People 2030 in Your Community

Healthy People 2030 has hundreds of objectives to promote and improve health outcomes regarding communities and populations. For individual providers to effect change in their specific community, the Healthy People reports advise identification of the issues that most affect a population to narrow down health goals and the priorities of health improvement in a specific area. Then, setting local targets that are based on the Healthy People’s national goals and their available data, will help the goals become more attainable. Once the most relevant objectives are identified, the clear goal statements and data tracking make implementation of programs or interventions with  evidence-based resources understandable and easily manageable. Lastly, by comparing the progress of a specific community to the Healthy People’s stage of achievement for each objective gives a reference point for evaluations of strategies. (Use Healthy People 2030 in Your Work, 2020). 

 

Want more information… 

Healthy People 2030 | health.gov

Criteria for Selecting the Leading Health Indicators for Healthy People 2030

 

References 

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020, January 16). About The Objectives. Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/about-objectives

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020, January 16). Education Access and Quality. Retrieved February 25, 2021, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/education-access-and-quality

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020, January 16). Healthy People 2030 Framework. Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/about/healthy-people-2030-framework

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020, January 16). Leading Health Indicators. Retrieved February 25, 2021, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/leading-health-indicators

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020, January 16). Use Healthy People 2030 in Your Work. Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/tools-action/use-healthy-people-2030-your-work

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020, January 16). Leading Health Indicators. Retrieved February 25, 2021, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/leading-health-indicators