Healthy People 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' master plan for improving the health of the American population over the next decade, covers 42 topics and nearly 600 objectives. A new report from the Institute of Medicine singles out 12 indicators as immediate, major health concerns that should be monitored and 24 objectives that warrant priority attention in the plan's implementation.
The report updates and expands on the 10 leading health indicators that served as priorities for Healthy People 2010. The recommendations on what should be the priorities for the latest version of this decadal health plan reflect the consensus of a committee comprising population health experts, epidemiologists, health statisticians, and others. Indicators provide yardsticks that health experts and policymakers can use to measure progress, and objectives set out clear, concrete goals for improvements.
The 12 recommended indicators include measures of access to care and quality of health care services, healthy behaviors, injury, physical and social environments, chronic disease, mental health, responsible sexual behavior, substance abuse, tobacco use, and healthy births.
The 24 objectives that the committee identified are:
• Increase educational achievement of adolescents and young adults.
• Increase the proportion of people with health insurance.
• Increase the proportion of people with a usual primary care provider.
• Increase the proportion of people who receive appropriate evidence-based clinical preventive services.
• Reduce the overall cancer death rate.
• Reduce the number of days the Air Quality Index exceeds 100.
• Increase the proportion of children who are ready for school in all five domains of healthy development: physical development, social-emotional development, language, cognitive development, and approaches to learning.
• Reduce pregnancy rates among adolescents.
• Reduce central-line-associated bloodstream infections.
• Improve the health literacy of the population.
• Reduce coronary heart disease deaths.
• Reduce the proportion of people with hypertension.
• Increase the proportion of sexually active people who use condoms.
• Reduce fatal and nonfatal injuries.
• Reduce the proportion of people who experience major depressive episodes.
• Reduce low birth weight and very low birth weight.
• Reduce the proportion of obese children and adolescents.
• Reduce consumption of calories from solid fats and added sugars by people age 2 and older.
• Increase the proportion of adults who meet current federal guidelines for aerobic physical activity and for muscle-strengthening activity.
• Reduce the proportion of people engaging in binge drinking of alcoholic beverages.
• Reduce past-month use of illicit substances.
• Increase the proportion of adults who get sufficient sleep.
• Reduce tobacco use by adults.
• Reduce the initiation of tobacco use among children, adolescents, and young adults.
Showing posts with label IOM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IOM. Show all posts
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Friday, 30 April 2010
National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
On Monday and Tuesday the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention held its 8th annual meeting in Washington DC. The meeting focused on developing the will to prevent heart disease and stroke in the public and private sectors, including drawing attention to the recently released Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports on hypertension and sodium reduction.
Dr. David Fleming, the chair of the IOM Committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake and a member of Partnership for Prevention’s National Commission on Prevention Priorities (NCPP), presented information about actions that can be taken by food manufacturers, the federal government, and public health professionals to reduce the sodium content in foods. The sodium plenary session was timely, occurring a few days after Partnership’s congressional briefing on reducing sodium consumption.
Another highlight from the meeting was a session on connecting traditional and emerging communication approaches to change behavior. Dr. Rob Gould, President and CEO of Partnership, spoke about behavior change and exciting new methods of communication. Other panelists hailed from the CDC, NIH, and Pew Research Center.
The National Forum on Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention works to provide leadership and facilitate collaboration among those committed to preventing heart disease and stroke. Partnership participated in last year’s Forum Symposium on the Health Economics of Cardiovascular Disease, and recently joined as a Forum member. Partnership’s work in cardiovascular disease prevention includes its Aspirin Task Force , a multidisciplinary group of medical professionals committed to promoting aspirin for primary prevention of heart disease and stroke, as well as projects in its priority areas of tobacco cessation and control, and poor nutrition and physical inactivity (obesity). For more information on the Forum and the Annual Meeting, please click here.
Rebecca Doigan
Program Associate
Partnership for Prevention
Dr. David Fleming, the chair of the IOM Committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake and a member of Partnership for Prevention’s National Commission on Prevention Priorities (NCPP), presented information about actions that can be taken by food manufacturers, the federal government, and public health professionals to reduce the sodium content in foods. The sodium plenary session was timely, occurring a few days after Partnership’s congressional briefing on reducing sodium consumption.
Another highlight from the meeting was a session on connecting traditional and emerging communication approaches to change behavior. Dr. Rob Gould, President and CEO of Partnership, spoke about behavior change and exciting new methods of communication. Other panelists hailed from the CDC, NIH, and Pew Research Center.
The National Forum on Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention works to provide leadership and facilitate collaboration among those committed to preventing heart disease and stroke. Partnership participated in last year’s Forum Symposium on the Health Economics of Cardiovascular Disease, and recently joined as a Forum member. Partnership’s work in cardiovascular disease prevention includes its Aspirin Task Force , a multidisciplinary group of medical professionals committed to promoting aspirin for primary prevention of heart disease and stroke, as well as projects in its priority areas of tobacco cessation and control, and poor nutrition and physical inactivity (obesity). For more information on the Forum and the Annual Meeting, please click here.
Rebecca Doigan
Program Associate
Partnership for Prevention
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
NYC Announces Industry Commitments to National Salt Reduction Initiative
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas A. Farley announced the first 16 companies to formally commit to the National Salt Reduction Initiative – a public-private partnership created to reduce Americans’ salt consumption by 20% over five years. New York City began coordinating this voluntary effort two years ago. The National Salt Reduction Initiative partnership now includes 18 national health organizations; 29 cities, states and related entities; and some of the nation’s leading food companies, including: Au Bon Pain, Boar’s Head, FreshDirect, Goya, Hain Celestial, Heinz, Kraft, LiDestri, Mars Food, McCain Foods, Red Gold, Starbucks, Subway, Unilever, Uno Chicago Grill and White Rose.
According to Dr. Robert J. Gould, Partnership’s CEO, “I commend Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Department of Health for their leadership on this vital public health issue. Over the past 30-40 years the consumption of sodium in the diet has increased to levels that have alarmed clinicians and the public health community. 77% of the sodium in our diets come from processed and restaurant foods. The commitment and national leadership of Mars Foods and other companies to promote public health by reducing the sodium levels of their products is a positive example that other food manufacturers should quickly follow.”
Americans consume roughly twice the recommended limit of salt each day. The sodium in salt is a major contributor to high blood pressure, which in turn causes heart attack and stroke, the nation’s leading causes of preventable death.
Last week, the Institute of Medicine released a report stressing the urgent need to reduce sodium intake in the United States. The report recommends that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration use its regulatory authority to reduce salt in the nation’s food supply, but it also notes that public-private partnerships can “achieve meaningful reductions in sodium intake prior to the implementation of mandatory standards.”
On April 22, Darwin Labarthe, MD, MPH, PhD, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, told a briefing of the Congressional Prevention Caucus that “the current level of sodium added to the food supply—by food manufacturers, foodservice operators, and restaurants—is simply too high to be “safe” for consumers. Reducing the sodium content of processed foods is a necessary and urgent public health strategy for reducing blood pressure and preventing hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. The time is now.”
William Tatum
Director of Membership
Partnership for Prevention
According to Dr. Robert J. Gould, Partnership’s CEO, “I commend Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Department of Health for their leadership on this vital public health issue. Over the past 30-40 years the consumption of sodium in the diet has increased to levels that have alarmed clinicians and the public health community. 77% of the sodium in our diets come from processed and restaurant foods. The commitment and national leadership of Mars Foods and other companies to promote public health by reducing the sodium levels of their products is a positive example that other food manufacturers should quickly follow.”
Americans consume roughly twice the recommended limit of salt each day. The sodium in salt is a major contributor to high blood pressure, which in turn causes heart attack and stroke, the nation’s leading causes of preventable death.
Last week, the Institute of Medicine released a report stressing the urgent need to reduce sodium intake in the United States. The report recommends that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration use its regulatory authority to reduce salt in the nation’s food supply, but it also notes that public-private partnerships can “achieve meaningful reductions in sodium intake prior to the implementation of mandatory standards.”
On April 22, Darwin Labarthe, MD, MPH, PhD, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, told a briefing of the Congressional Prevention Caucus that “the current level of sodium added to the food supply—by food manufacturers, foodservice operators, and restaurants—is simply too high to be “safe” for consumers. Reducing the sodium content of processed foods is a necessary and urgent public health strategy for reducing blood pressure and preventing hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. The time is now.”
William Tatum
Director of Membership
Partnership for Prevention
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
FDA poised to save lives by lowering sodium content … It’s about time!
In a page one story in yesterday’s Washington Post entitled, “FDA plans to limit amount of salt allowed in processed foods for health reason," reporter Lyndsey Layton writes:
“The Food and Drug Administration is planning an unprecedented effort to gradually reduce the salt consumed each day by Americans, saying that less sodium in everything from soup to nuts would prevent thousands of deaths from hypertension and heart disease. The initiative, to be launched this year, would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in food products.
The FDA’s involvement is welcome news. For years public health authorities have cautioned Americans to reduce sodium consumption in order to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke; the nation’s first and third leading causes of death. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 69% of adults in the United States are at “especially high risk for health problems from consuming too much sodium.” You are considered high risk if you are over 40 years of age, African American or have high blood pressure.
But following advice to reduce sodium consumption is tough work. 77 percent of sodium in our diets come from processed and restaurant foods. According to the WPost story the FDA is planning to “analyze the salt in spaghetti sauces, breads and thousands of other products” and (work) “with food manufacturers” to set limits for salt that would be “designed to gradually ratchet down sodium consumption. The changes would be calibrated so that consumers barely notice the modification.” (emphasis added)
A few hours after publication of the story, the Institute of Medicine lifted a media embargo and went public with their much anticipated report “Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States.” The report confirms that despite multiple “voluntary efforts to reduce sodium consumption in the United States during the past 40 years, they have not succeeded.”
Much is at stake. According to the IOM, “population-wide reductions in sodium could prevent more than 100,000 deaths annually.”
The heart of the IOM recommendation is a regulatory strategy similar to the approach the Washington Post indicated the FDA was considering. They recommend “the FDA set mandatory national standards for the sodium content in foods – not banning outright the addition of salt to foods but beginning the process of reducing excess sodium in processed foods and menu items to a safer level.” The report emphasized: “It is important that the reduction in sodium content … be carried out gradually, with small reductions instituted regularly as part of a carefully monitored process.”
And good news for food gourmands. The report notes “evidence shows that a decrease in sodium can be accomplished successfully without affecting consumer enjoyment of food products IF IT IS DONE (emphasis added) in a stepwise process that systematically and gradually lowers sodium levels across the food supply.”
On Thursday, April 22, Partnership will host a briefing (“Reducing Sodium Consumption: Is it time?") on Capitol Hill with the Congressional Prevention Caucus to hear more about the adverse health effects of excessive sodium in the diet. Caucus Co-Chair, Representative Jim Moran (D. VA) will open the briefing which will be moderated by Partnership’s President Rob Gould. The briefing will include presentations by:
Briefings of the Congressional Prevention Caucus are open to the public. If you are able to attend this event, please email Partnership for Prevention at meetings@prevent.org
E Ripley Forbes
Director, Government Affairs
Partnership for Prevention
“The Food and Drug Administration is planning an unprecedented effort to gradually reduce the salt consumed each day by Americans, saying that less sodium in everything from soup to nuts would prevent thousands of deaths from hypertension and heart disease. The initiative, to be launched this year, would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in food products.
The FDA’s involvement is welcome news. For years public health authorities have cautioned Americans to reduce sodium consumption in order to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke; the nation’s first and third leading causes of death. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 69% of adults in the United States are at “especially high risk for health problems from consuming too much sodium.” You are considered high risk if you are over 40 years of age, African American or have high blood pressure.
But following advice to reduce sodium consumption is tough work. 77 percent of sodium in our diets come from processed and restaurant foods. According to the WPost story the FDA is planning to “analyze the salt in spaghetti sauces, breads and thousands of other products” and (work) “with food manufacturers” to set limits for salt that would be “designed to gradually ratchet down sodium consumption. The changes would be calibrated so that consumers barely notice the modification.” (emphasis added)
A few hours after publication of the story, the Institute of Medicine lifted a media embargo and went public with their much anticipated report “Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States.” The report confirms that despite multiple “voluntary efforts to reduce sodium consumption in the United States during the past 40 years, they have not succeeded.”
Much is at stake. According to the IOM, “population-wide reductions in sodium could prevent more than 100,000 deaths annually.”
The heart of the IOM recommendation is a regulatory strategy similar to the approach the Washington Post indicated the FDA was considering. They recommend “the FDA set mandatory national standards for the sodium content in foods – not banning outright the addition of salt to foods but beginning the process of reducing excess sodium in processed foods and menu items to a safer level.” The report emphasized: “It is important that the reduction in sodium content … be carried out gradually, with small reductions instituted regularly as part of a carefully monitored process.”
And good news for food gourmands. The report notes “evidence shows that a decrease in sodium can be accomplished successfully without affecting consumer enjoyment of food products IF IT IS DONE (emphasis added) in a stepwise process that systematically and gradually lowers sodium levels across the food supply.”
On Thursday, April 22, Partnership will host a briefing (“Reducing Sodium Consumption: Is it time?") on Capitol Hill with the Congressional Prevention Caucus to hear more about the adverse health effects of excessive sodium in the diet. Caucus Co-Chair, Representative Jim Moran (D. VA) will open the briefing which will be moderated by Partnership’s President Rob Gould. The briefing will include presentations by:
- Darwin Labarthe, MD, MPH, PhD, Director, Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Thomas Farley, MD, MPH, Commissioner, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Mark Broadhurst, Director, Corporate Affairs and State Public Policy, Mars Food US
- Suzanne Hughes, RN, MSN, Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
E Ripley Forbes
Director, Government Affairs
Partnership for Prevention
Monday, 22 February 2010
IOM Hypertension Control Recommendations
The Institute of Medicine, (IOM) in a study released today, made recommendations to increase progress in hypertension reduction and control. The study titled A Population-Based Policy and Systems Change Approach to Prevent and Control Hypertension, focused on identifying “strategies that can reach large numbers of people and improve the well-being of entire communities.”
The bad news is that hypertension (high blood pressure), affects nearly one in 3 adults – 73 million people and kills one in 6 adults annually. The good news is that it can be diagnosed easily, is preventable and relatively inexpensive to treat. The challenge is to provide more clinical and population-based interventions to more people, particularly those at high risk of cardiovascular disease.
This study makes several recommendations, including two key dietary strategies – reduction of sodium intake and increase in potassium intake. Currently, 87 percent of U.S. adults consume more than the recommended daily 2.3 grams of sodium and only about 2 percent of U.S. adults meet current dietary guidelines for potassium. Clearly many partners – including state and local governments, food industry, and health and education sectors need to join forces to develop and implement effective awareness and behavior change programs.
Posted by:
Diane Canova
Vice President, Policy & Programs, Partnership for Prevention
The bad news is that hypertension (high blood pressure), affects nearly one in 3 adults – 73 million people and kills one in 6 adults annually. The good news is that it can be diagnosed easily, is preventable and relatively inexpensive to treat. The challenge is to provide more clinical and population-based interventions to more people, particularly those at high risk of cardiovascular disease.
This study makes several recommendations, including two key dietary strategies – reduction of sodium intake and increase in potassium intake. Currently, 87 percent of U.S. adults consume more than the recommended daily 2.3 grams of sodium and only about 2 percent of U.S. adults meet current dietary guidelines for potassium. Clearly many partners – including state and local governments, food industry, and health and education sectors need to join forces to develop and implement effective awareness and behavior change programs.
Posted by:
Diane Canova
Vice President, Policy & Programs, Partnership for Prevention
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
IOM Report Shows How Local Governments Can Tackle Obesity Epidemic
A new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council outlines strategies that local government officials can use to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic in their communities. They include zoning restrictions on fast-food restaurants near schools and playgrounds, community policing to improve safety around public recreational sites, requirements that publicly run after-school programs limit video game and TV time, and taxes on high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks.
The report highlights several examples of ways that officials have promoted healthier lifestyles in communities ranging from big cities to small towns. It also recommends starting points that could help officials initiate childhood obesity prevention plans tailored to their jurisdictions' resources and needs.
The report specifically cites 10 examples of local efforts to promote healthy eating and physical activity. They range from a comprehensive obesity prevention initiative -- involving walking trails, a new fitness center, and breastfeeding promotion -- to a city law requiring calorie information on restaurant menus, to a fitness index that helps organizations monitor their progress in meeting dietary and fitness goals. The report highlighted efforts in Austin, Texas; Baltimore; New Orleans; New York City; Henderson, Texas; Shelby, Mont.; Somerville, Mass.; San Diego County; King County, Wash.; and the state of Michigan.The study was guided by a committee of experts chaired by Eduardo J. Sanchez, MD, MPH. Sanchez also chairs Partnership for Prevention's National Commission for Prevention Priorities. A former state health commissioner in Texas, he now is vice president and chief medical officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.
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