By Andrea Parker, Executive Director, Hult Center for Healthy Living

April 4th will start the celebration of National Public Health Week. This event is sponsored by the American Public Health Association and aims to bring awareness of health achievements in the United States. The more the general public becomes aware and knowledgeable about their health, the more people will understand environmental hazards, disease prevention, and health promotion. People will make healthier choices about their lifestyle, food choices, and daily habits that will allow them to live a longer, healthier life.

The first National Public Health Week was held in 1995 and has become progressively more notable over the years. This year, we will again celebrate health accomplishments, such as the elimination of diseases with the invention and use of immunizations; food and water safety; tobacco-free establishments; an awareness of toxic matter, such as mold and lead; and the effectiveness of diet and exercise in preventing diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

The message is to improve the general health of the American people. How do we do this? According to the Department of Health and Human Services, prevention is the answer to a healthy lifestyle. People are encouraged to do the following: Learn to perform various strength, balancing, stretching, and endurance exercises. Eat healthy—learn about the five food groups you should eat and about the foods that you should never eat. Prevent obesity—learn about the causes, risk factors, treatment, and prevention of weight gain. Work with parents so that they, too, can prevent their children from becoming obese. Be tobacco-free—if you smoke, stop; if you have not started to smoke, don’t start; and if you love someone, don’t expose them to secondhand smoke. Teach your child how to deal with the pressures of teen drinking so that they don’t develop a drinking problem. Teach parents and adults how to prevent unintentional injuries to children. Get vaccinated. For those who are 50 years and older, both men and women, get regular health screenings. Pay more attention to the environment, and learn the hazards of health, such as pesticides, pollutants, sun exposure, fish, and chemical exposures.

The public health system works on getting the message out to everyone. This message of teaching a healthy lifestyle involves a multidisciplinary team (see sidebar). The Hult Center participates as a partner in the health system, educating all ages concerning how to live healthier lives. Young children are taught teeth-brushing and flossing so that they will become adults with healthy oral habits; older youth are taught social and emotional learning tools so that they can learn how to say no to cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, and bullying and gain a better education; adults are taught to make health decisions that will have a positive impact on their lives.

As partners in the health system, employers and health insurance companies have listened to the public health message. As a result of high and escalating healthcare costs, employers responded to the message by implementing wellness programs for their employees. For those employees who have listened to the message, they pay lower healthcare premiums than those who have not listened.

What behaviors and decisions about your health have you made that demonstrate that you heard the message?

The Public Health Agency Is Part of  a Complex Multidisciplinary Team

EMS
Schools
Neighborhood Organizations
Civic Groups
Nonprofit Organizations
Nursing Homes
Community Centers
Hospitals
Doctors
Drug Treatment
Laboratories
Mental Health
CHCs
Law Enforcement
Tribal Health
Faith Institutions
Fire
Transit
Employers
Elected Officials
Corrections