health.gov Blog

New treatments and scientific breakthroughs that lead to cures characterize modern medicine. But as exciting and beneficial as many of these innovations are, none compares to the power of prevention. In addition to getting enough physical activity, ensuring healthy eating, and maintaining mental health, a fourth essential — and often overlooked — element in any comprehensive wellness strategy is keeping up with clinical preventive services.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). With the new school year about to start —and flu season right around the corner —it’s a great time to remind people in your community that getting all recommended vaccines protects against serious illness.

We developed the Move Your Way Community Playbook, an implementation guide to help organizations plan for, conduct, and evaluate physical activity campaigns and activities.

Social determinants of Health (SDOH) form the dynamic context for what we experience in our everyday lives. They are not abstract concepts — they are our life circumstances. These circumstances have a major impact on people’s health, well-being, quality of life, resilience, and opportunity to thrive. Yet, as defined, SDOH exist largely outside the healthcare and public health sectors. From this perspective, we need to expand the circles where conversations about improving SDOH take place: to be more inclusive so that all sectors are at the table, empowered and invested in the plan for action that will make us a healthier nation.