FY 2020 Annual Performance Plan and Report - Goal 2 Objective 1

Topics on this page: Goal 2. Objective 1 | Objective 2.1 Table of Related Performance Measures

Goal 2. Objective 1: Empower people to make informed choices for healthier living

Health promotion and wellness activities involve providing information and education to motivate individuals, families, and communities to adopt healthy behaviors, which ultimately can improve overall public health. However, the lack of access to and understanding of health information can lead people to make uninformed decisions and engage in risky behavior. The Department supports a series of programs and initiatives aimed at improving nutrition; increasing physical activity; reducing environmental hazards; increasing access to preventive services; and reducing the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs and prescription drug abuse. These outcomes are achieved through culturally competent and linguistically appropriate health education, services, and supports made possible through strategic partnerships.

The Office of the Secretary leads this objective. The following divisions are responsible for implementing programs under this strategic objective: ACF, ATSDR, CDC, FDA, HRSA, IHS, NIH, OASH, OCR, OGA, and SAMHSA.

Objective 2.1 Table of Related Performance Measures

Although cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of tobacco-related disease, tobacco users are increasingly shifting consumption to other tobacco products and dual use with other combusted tobacco, which include cigars, cigarillos and little cigars, pipe tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, and hookah. This has resulted in a slowing of the decline in the consumption of all combustible tobacco, and indicates that the use of non-cigarette combustible products has become more common in recent years and that some smokers may be switching to other combustible tobacco products rather than quitting smoking cigarettes completely. Per capita combustible tobacco product consumption declined from 1,164 cigarette equivalents in FY 2016 to 1,114 cigarette equivalents in FY 2017. In FY 2019 and 2020, CDC will continue to monitor combustible tobacco consumption to inform its strategies on reducing tobacco-related disease.

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data for FY 2016 show that 39.6 percent of adults are obese, an increase in the proportion of obese adults reported in FY 2014 (37.7 percent). There are some community factors that affect diet and physical activity. These factors include the affordability and availability of healthy food options (e.g. fruits and vegetables), peer and social supports, marketing and promotion, and policies that determine whether a community is designed to support physical activity. In FY 2019 and 2020, CDC will continue to implement evidence-based strategies and increase healthy eating and active living through its support for states and communities throughout the United States.