Health, United States 2009

I just read the CDC U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services report on Health in the U.S. for 2009 (available free electronically http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus09.pdf; brief report at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus09_InBrief.pdf). It's quite a long report, but the truth is it simply tells us what we already know:
-Life expectancy has gradually increased and racial disparity in life expectancy has narrowed but still exists; white females have the highest life expectancy while black males have the lowest life expectancy.
-The most common cause of mortality, heart disease, has steadily declined since the 1980s while the second most common cause, cancer, has remained fairly stable. Stroke and unintentional injury have declined as causes of mortality in the last few decades, while chronic lower respiratory diseases has come onto the map as a cause of mortality.
-Socioeconomic status is highly correlated with prevalence of chronic medical conditions including hypertension, diabetes, and serious heart conditions. Poverty is associated with poor health.
-The most common cause for activity limitation in adults is arthritis and other musculoskeletal complaints; other causes include heart conditions, mental illness, diabetes (in age 55-64), and senility and vision problems (85+).
-Prevalence of cigarette smoking has declined over the last few decades; more men than women smoke, but the rate of quitting for men is higher.
-The rate of obesity has skyrocketed, doubling in the last 30 years to about 1/3 adults currently.
-More people are getting vaccinated for influenza every year.
-The rate of mammography in the last two decades has increased.
-The use of MRI/CT/PET scans in the ED and outpatient settings has increased dramatically over the last decade.

Although I haven't learned anything in particular I didn't know previously, reading this report has been a good reminder of the importance of public health and public policy in improving nationwide measures of well-being, cost-effectiveness, and chronic disease management.