HHS releases Healthy People 2030 outlining national disease prevention, health promotion

Aug. 19, 2020

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released Healthy People 2030, the nation's 10-year plan for addressing our most critical public health priorities and challenges, states an HHS press release.  

Since 1980, HHS's Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has set measurable objectives and targets to improve the health and well-being of the nation. This decade, Healthy People 2030 features 355 core – or measurable – objectives with 10-year targets, new objectives related to opioid use disorder and youth e-cigarette use, and resources for adapting Healthy People 2030 to emerging public health threats like COVID-19. For the first time, Healthy People 2030 also sets 10-year targets for objectives related to social determinants of health.

"Healthy People was the first national effort to lay out a set of data-driven priorities for health improvement," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. "Healthy People 2030 adopts a more focused set of objectives and more rigorous data standards to help the federal government and all of our partners deliver results on these important goals over the next decade."

Healthy People has led the nation with its focus on social determinants of health, and continues to prioritize economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context as factors that influence health. Healthy People 2030 also continues to prioritize health disparities, health equity, and health literacy.

"Now more than ever, we need programs like Healthy People that set a shared vision for a healthier nation, where all people can achieve their full potential for health and well-being across the lifespan," said ADM Brett P. Giroir, MD, Assistant Secretary for Health. "COVID-19 has brought the importance of public health to the forefront of our national dialogue. Achieving Healthy People 2030's vision would help the United States become more resilient to public health threats like COVID-19."

Healthy People 2030 emphasizes collaboration, with objectives and targets that span multiple sectors. A federal advisory committee of 13 external thought leaders and a workgroup of subject matter experts from more than 20 federal agencies contributed to Healthy People 2030, along with public comments received throughout the development process.

The HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion leads Healthy People in partnership with the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which oversees data in support of the initiative.

HHS has the release.