Foreword<br >We have witnessed a great deal of progress in public health and medicine since our Nation first<br >embarked on the national planning process for the Healthy People initiative. The process began in<br >1979 with Healthy People: The Surgeon General s Report on Health Promotion and Disease<br >Prevention， which was followed in 1990 by Healthy People 2000. Healthy People 2010 represents<br >the third time that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has developed 10-year<br >health objectives for the Nation.<br >Healthy People 2010 incorporates input from a broad cross-section of people. Scientific experts from<br >many Federal agencies took the lead in developing the focus areas and objectives. The Secretary s<br >Council on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2010 and the Healthy<br >People Steering Committee provided guidance to steer the process. The HHS Office of Public Health<br >and Science， particularly the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion， expertly managed<br >the process. But perhaps most important to the success of this effort was the overwhelming and<br >enthusiastic contribution made by the Healthy People Consortium and the public. We received more<br >than l 1，000 comments from people in every State by fax， Internet， letter， and in person through several<br >public meetings.<br >The knowledge， commitment， and collaboration of these groups have combined to produce national<br >health objectives that are even more comprehensive than their predecessors. There are 467<br >objectives in 28 focus areas， making Healthy People 2010 an encyclopedic compilation of health<br >improvement opportunities for the next decade. Building on two decades of success in Healthy<br >People initiatives， Healthy People 2010 is poised to address the concerns of the 21 st century. Two<br >major goals reflect the Nation s changing demographics. The first goal， which addresses the fact that<br >we are growing older as a Nation， is to increase the quality and years of healthy life. The second goal，<br >which addresses the diversity of our population， is to eliminate health disparities.<br >And， for the first time， a set of Leading Health Indicators will help individuals and communities target<br >the actions to improve health. The Leading Health Indicators also will help communities track the<br >success of these actions.<br >David Satcher， M.D.， Ph.D.<br >Assistant Secretary for Health and<br > Surgeon General<br >