Healthy People 2020

Healthy People 2020

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes food and drink to meet an individual’s physiological need to feel safe and ultimately attains self actualization. In some patients with incurable conditions some families face the dilemma to support their love ones. Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. Although Healthy People 2020 has implemented a comprehensive health and disease plan and addressed diseases through health education, I think that it has not met its goal to increase the quality and years of healthy life. I think one group that is becoming less healthy and at risk of having a poor quality of life is children. Many of our adolescences’ activities comprise of playing video games, watching television, and using the computer. In fact, 81% of adolescents do not get the recommended amount of physical activity to maintain optimal health (Healthy People.gov, 2012, para. 1). I think nurses in schools and in pediatricians’ offices can assist parents to find alternatives to the amount of time their children are exposed to the screen. In my opinion, I believe working to increase quality and years of life will continue to have many challenges and continue to be an ongoing process. Since there are many barriers, such as, for those whom are economically and academically disadvantaged, I think Healthy People 2020 has neither reached enough people in promoting healthy living nor the many children in all walks of life. I think this topic will continue to be debated because of the dilemma of what is right and wrong when deciding another’s person’s quality of life as perceived by the decision makers.

References:

Healthy People.gov. (2012). http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/LHI/nutrition.aspx