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M. J. Friedrich

JAMA. 2000;283:37-38.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

With the arrival of a new year often comes the urge to replace unhealthy habits with a more salubrious lifestyle. Poised on the cusp of a new millennium, opportunities for change seem even more propitious. Such is the hope of those working with the Healthy People initiative, a prevention agenda for the nation begun 20 years ago that continues to evolve into the next millennium.

With Healthy People 2000 achieving 15% of its goals—and 44% more "nearly met"—the new millennium will see the advent of Healthy People 2010. (Credit: Jill Ghormley)

Launched in 1979 with then Surgeon General Julius Richmond's report on health promotion and disease prevention, the first Healthy People document established targets for 226 health objectives organized into 15 focus areas. The primary goal of this initiative was to reduce mortality rates in infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and older age. A decade later, these goals . . . [Full Text of this Article]