Healthy Living

African Americans are living longer. The death rate for African Americans has declined about 25% over 17 years, primarily for those aged 65 years and older.

Dental sealants are effective but underused protection against cavities. Start or expand programs that offer sealants to children at school.

The WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is the global standard for hospital care to support breastfeeding, with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding at its core.

Hispanics or Latinos are the largest racial/ethnic minority population in the US. Heart disease and cancer in Hispanics are the two leading causes of death, accounting for about 2 of 5 deaths, which is about the same for whites.

Asthma is a lifelong disease that causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. It can limit a person's quality of life. While we don't know why asthma rates are rising, we do know that most people with asthma can control their symptoms and prevent asthma attacks by avoiding asthma triggers and correctly using prescribed medicines, such as inhaled corticosteroids. .

New 2010 estimates show that the number of Americans without health insurance is growing, affecting middle-income Americans as well as those living in poverty. About 50 million adults 18-64 years old had no health insurance for at least some of the past 12 months.