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Introduction

Asthma

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and Stroke

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Welcome

Welcome to Steps to Healthier Women, a special Web section devoted to improving women’s health.  Sponsored by the Office on Women’s Health, this Web section highlights the Healthy People 2010 objectives associated with priorities of the HealthierUS and Steps to HealthierUS initiatives.  It also focuses extensively on the goal of eliminating disparities and improving the health status of women of color.

These three national initiatives are designed to help all Americans live longer, better, and healthier lives:

Launched in 2003, the HealthierUS initiative encourages Americans to take four basic steps to improve personal health and fitness:

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Be physically active every day.

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Eat a nutritious diet.

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Get preventive screenings.

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Make healthy choices.

Also launched in 2003, Steps to a HealthierUS is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative that advances the Steps to a HealthierUS logoPresident’s HealthierUS initiative.  Steps focuses on lifestyle changes to reduce death and illness caused by asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and obesity.

Healthy People 2010 logo   Healthy People 2010 provides the framework for the new initiatives and for measuring success in preventing disease, disability, and death.  Healthy People is a set of 467 specific health objectives for the Nation to achieve over the first decade of the new century. With Healthy People as the foundation, many different people, States, communities, professional organizations, and others are developing and promoting programs to improve health.

The Healthy People 2010 initiative has two overarching goals that drive the Steps and HealthierUS initiatives: 

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Increase quality and years of healthy life.

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Eliminate health disparities.

 

Office on Women’s Health

The Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the government’s champion and focal point for women’s health issues. The Office works to redress inequities in research, health care services, and education that have historically placed the health of women at risk.

The Office coordinates women’s health efforts in HHS to eliminate disparities in health status and supports culturally sensitive educational programs that encourage women to take personal responsibility for their own health and wellness.

For more information on the Office on Women's Health, click here.

Be Physically Active Every Day
Many chronic diseases can be prevented with modest exercise, in some cases as simple as walking for half an hour. For example, if just 10 percent of adults began walking regularly, America could save $5.6 billion in costs related to heart disease.

Eat a Nutritious Diet
Americans should make simple adjustments to their diet and avoid excessive portions. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is a central part of a healthier diet, and good overall nutrition lowers the risk of getting heart disease, stroke, cancer, and osteoporosis.

Get Preventive Screenings
Americans may be surprised to learn how a simple test like a cholesterol screen or a blood pressure check can reveal current health status and identify a need to adjust diet or behavior.

Make Healthy Choices
Avoid tobacco and drugs as well as the abuse and underage use of alcohol and make smart and safe choices in your everyday life.

Last updated June 2004


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