Investing in the healthiest nation
Despite tremendous improvements in the 20th Century, Americans live shorter lives and suffer more health issues than people in other high-income countries.
More Americans age 65+ suffer 2 chronic conditions
[Picture of person with cane]
Our babies are 50 percent more likely to die before their first birthday
[Picture of frowning teddy bear]
And on average our lives are 3 years shorter
[hourglasses comparing 79 and 82 years]
We know good health depends on many things.
[picture of person in the middle of icons for environment, income, food + nutrition, healthy behaviors + choices, neighborhoods and health care]
Social, environmental and individual factors
influence both our health and our ability to make
healthy choices. Health care is only a small
contributor to our health and wellness.
People live longer in countries that spend more on "social care" programs that support health
[bar chart comparing social care spending as percentage of GDP and life expectancy in:
France (36 percent, 82 years)
Sweden (32 percent, 82 years)
Germany (29 percent, 81 years)
Netherlands (28 percent, 81 years)
United Kingdom (27 percent, 81 years)
New Zealand (26 percent, 81 years)
Australia (23 percent, 82 years)
United States (22 percent, 79 years)
Canada (21 percent, 82 years)]
*“Social care” includes programs like education, retirement benefits, housing assistance, employment programs, disability benefits, food security
The United States is the only country that spends more treating health issues vs social care programs.
And prevention programs get only 3 percent of US health care dollars.
We all benefit by applying a health lens to decisions in our communities.
Sector: Education
Example Action: Change discipline policies to keep kids in school and on track to graduate
Sector: Neighborhood Planning
Example Action: Expand mass transit, bike lanes and safe sidewalks to increase active commuting
Sector: Income Mobility
Example Action: Support a living wage and expanded job training
Sector: Environment
Example Action: Contact your member of congress – empower the EPA to regulate coal-fired power plants
Let's work together!
Generation Public Health is a growing movement of people,
organizations and communities collaborating across sectors
to create the healthiest nation in one generation.
[Neighborhoods icon, a house]
Build a nation of safe, healthy communities. Make health a priority in designing our communities, from healthy housing and transportation to parks and playgrounds.
[Education icon, a graduation cap]
Help everyone achieve at least high school graduation. Education leads to being healthy adults with access to better jobs, resources and neighborhoods.
[Income icon, stack of money]
Increase economic mobility. Income inequality contributes to unhealthy stresses on adults and children. As a starting point our country needs to commit to a livable wage for all.
[scales of justice icon]
Ensure social justice and health equity. Everyone has the right to good health. We must remove barriers so everyone has the same opportunity to improve their livs and their health.
[Food & nutrition icon, an apple]
Give everyone a choice of safe, healthy food. Healthy food with nutritious ingredients free from harmful contaminants needs to be both affordable and widely accessible.
[environment icon, a tree]
Create healthy environments. Support policies for clean air and water, safe housing and products, and preparedness for natural and man-made disasters. Provide quality health care for everyone
[Health care icon, a caduceus]
Health reform was just a start. To fulfill its potential, we need to shift the focus of our health system from treating illness and emphasize prevention.
[three people holding hands]
Strengthen public health infrastructure and capacity. Strong and consistent funding levels are necessary for the public health system to respond to both everyday health threats and unexpected emergencies.
SOURCES D. Squires and C. Anderson, U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective: Spending, Use of Services, Prices, and Health in 13 Countries, The Commonwealth Fund, Oct. 2015. OECD (2016), Social spending (indicator). doi: 10.1787/7497563b-en (Accessed on 1 March 2016) OECD (2016), "Social Expenditure: Aggregated data", OECD Social Expenditure Statistics (database). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/data-00166-en (Accessed on 1 March 2016)
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Join Generation Public Health at http://www.apha.org/2030