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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Preventive Care

Goal: Help people get recommended preventive health care services.

A health care provider checks a patient's blood pressure.

Getting preventive care reduces the risk for diseases, disabilities, and death — yet millions of people in the United States don’t get recommended preventive health care services.1 Healthy People 2030 focuses on increasing preventive care for people of all ages.

Children need regular well-child and dental2,3 visits to track their development and find health problems early, when they’re usually easier to treat. Services like screenings, dental check-ups, and vaccinations are key to keeping people of all ages healthy. But for a variety of reasons, many people don’t get the preventive care they need. Barriers include cost, not having a primary care provider, living too far from providers, and lack of awareness about recommended preventive services.4,5

Teaching people about the importance of preventive care is key to making sure more people get recommended services. Law and policy changes can also help more people access these critical services.

Objective Status

  • 1 Target met or exceeded
  • 3 Improving
  • 9 Little or no detectable change
  • 5 Getting worse
  • 8 Baseline only
  • 6 Developmental
  • 2 Research

Learn more about objective types

Related Objectives

The following is a sample of objectives related to this topic. Some objectives may include population data.

Preventive Care — General

Increase the proportion of children who receive a developmental screening — MICH‑17
Improving
Increase use of the oral health care system — OH‑08
LHI label
Target met or exceeded

Adolescents

Increase the proportion of adolescents who speak privately with a provider at a preventive medical visit — AH‑02
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adolescents who had a preventive health care visit in the past year — AH‑01
Getting worse

Cancer

Increase the proportion of females who get screened for breast cancer — C‑05
Improving
Increase the proportion of females who get screened for cervical cancer — C‑09
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adults who get screened for lung cancer — C‑03
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of adults who get screened for colorectal cancer — C‑07
LHI label
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of females at increased risk who get genetic counseling for breast and/or ovarian cancer — C‑D01
Developmental
Increase the proportion of people who discuss interventions to prevent cancer with their providers — C‑R02
Research
Increase the proportion of people with colorectal cancer who get tested for Lynch syndrome — C‑R03
Research

Community

Increase the number of community organizations that provide prevention services — ECBP‑D07
Developmental

Diabetes

Increase the proportion of adults with diabetes who get a yearly urinary albumin test — D‑05
Improving
Increase the proportion of adults with diabetes who have a yearly eye exam — D‑04
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of eligible people completing CDC-recognized type 2 diabetes prevention programs — D‑D01
Developmental

Health Care Access and Quality

Increase the proportion of adults who get recommended evidence-based preventive health care — AHS‑08
Getting worse

Health Policy

Increase the proportion of people whose water systems have the recommended amount of fluoride — OH‑11
Baseline only

Heart Disease and Stroke

Increase cholesterol treatment in adults — HDS‑07
Little or no detectable change
Increase aspirin use for secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease — HDS‑08
Little or no detectable change
Increase control of high blood pressure in adults — HDS‑05
LHI label
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of adults whose risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was assessed — HDS‑D07
Developmental

Mental Health and Mental Disorders

Increase the proportion of primary care visits where adolescents and adults are screened for depression — MHMD‑08
Little or no detectable change

Oral Conditions

Increase the proportion of low-income youth who have a preventive dental visit — OH‑09
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who have dental sealants on 1 or more molars — OH‑10
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of oral and pharyngeal cancers detected at the earliest stage — OH‑07
Baseline only

Osteoporosis

Increase the proportion of older adults who get screened for osteoporosis — O‑D01
Developmental

Pregnancy and Childbirth

Increase the proportion of pregnant women who receive early and adequate prenatal care — MICH‑08
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of women who get screened for postpartum depression — MICH‑D01
Developmental

Sensory or Communication Disorders

Increase the proportion of newborns who get screened for hearing loss by age 1 month — HOSCD‑01
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adults who have had a hearing exam in the past 5 years — HOSCD‑06
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of children aged 3 to 5 years who get vision screening — V‑01
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of adults who have had a comprehensive eye exam in the last 2 years — V‑02
Baseline only

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Increase the proportion of sexually active female adolescents and young women who get screened for chlamydia — STI‑01
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the syphilis rate in men who have sex with men — STI‑05
Little or no detectable change

Other topics you may be interested in

References

1.

Borksy, A., et al. (2018). Few Americans Receive All High-Priority, Appropriate Clinical Preventive Services. Health Affairs, 37(6). DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1248

2.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Oral Health Surveillance Report: Trends in Dental Caries and Sealants, Tooth Retention, and Edentulism, United States, 1999–2004 to 2011–2016. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/pdfs_and_other_files/Oral-Health-Surveillance-Report-2019-h.pdf [PDF - 5.3 MB]

3.

Lebrun-Harris, L.A., Canto, M.T., & Vodicka, P. (2019). Preventive Oral Health Care Use and Oral Health Status Among US Children. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 150(4), 246-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2018.11.023

4.

Allen, E.M., Call, K.T., Beebe, T.J., McAlpine, D.D., & Johnson, P.J. (2018). Barriers to Care and Healthcare Utilization Among the Publicly Insured. Med Care, 55(3), 207-214. DOI: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000000644

5.

Syed, S.T., Gerber, B.S., & Sharp, L.K. (2014). Traveling Towards Disease: Transportation Barriers to Health Care Access. Journal of Community Health, 38(5), 976-993. DOI: 10.1007/s10900-013-9681-1