Resources

• Report and Resources
• Health Information
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Reports and Resources

• 2011 Annual Status Report, National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council, July 1, 2011 (PDF- 259 KB).
• 2010 Annual Status Report National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, July 1, 2010 (PDF- 82 KB).
• National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council—National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy Andrew Rein, CDC’s Associate Director for Policy, delivered this presentation during the annual meeting of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), July 15, 2010 (PDF - 162 KB).
• Affordable Care Act Opportunities for Local Public Health Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC’s Director, delivered this presentation during the annual meeting of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), July 14, 2010 (PDF - 614 KB).
• Law - see section 4001 (PDF - 2.57 MB)
• FAQs

Health Information

The Five Leading Causes of Illness and Death

Five leading causes of death account for nearly two thirds of all deaths in the United States. ¹ Illness leading to these premature deaths contributes to reduced quality of life.

Heart Disease

• More than 616,000 people die of heart disease each year in the United States, representing more than one in every four deaths.
• In 2010, heart disease will cost an estimated $316 billion, including health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

Cancers

• Each year more than 560,000 people in the United States die from cancer.
• The annual cost of cancer in 2010 is estimated to be $264 billion, including $103 billion for direct medical costs and $161 billion for indirect costs from illness and premature death.

Stroke

• Each year, more than 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke, and nearly 136,000 of them die as a result.
• In 2010, stroke will cost $74 billion, including health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease

• Chronic lower respiratory disease—including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—accounts for more than 127,000 U.S. deaths annually.
• The 2010 projected direct cost of health care expenditures for COPD is $29.5 billion, including $13.2 billion for hospital care. For asthma, the projected direct cost is $15.6 billion, including $5.5 billion for hospital care.

Unintentional Injuries

• Unintentional injury accounts for more than 123,000 deaths each year, including about 42,000 from motor vehicle crashes, 30,000 from unintentional poisoning, and almost 23,000 from unintentional falls.
• Although unintentional injuries cause roughly 5% of all deaths, they account for nearly 16% of all years of life lost (due to premature death) for they occur at younger ages than other causes.
• Unintentional injuries result in more than 27 million hospital emergency department visits annually.²
• Injuries cost the nation $406 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity annually.

Prevention Measures to Address the Underlying Causes of Death

The most effective approach to address the leading causes of death is to reduce and prevent underlying risk factors, including physical inactivity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and underage and excessive alcohol use.

Tobacco Use

• Approximately 46 million adults smoke in the United States, and 6,600 new smokers start each day.³
• Cigarette smoking and exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke kills an estimated 443,000 people each year.

Nutrition

• Good nutrition can help lower risk for many diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some cancers, and osteoporosis.
• Only 23% of U.S. adults eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
• The average daily sodium intake for Americans aged 2 years and older is 3,436 mg, and most people consume twice the recommended maximum.

Physical Activity

• Physical activity can increase a person’s life expectancy; control weight and reduce obesity; reduce risks for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and some cancers; strengthen bones and muscles; improve mental health and mood; and among older adults can improve ability to perform daily activities and prevent falls.
• Most adults do not meet the recommendations for levels of aerobic physical activity that produce health benefits.

Underage and Excessive Alcohol Use

• Excessive alcohol use is associated with a wide range of health problems, including chronic diseases, suicide, and motor vehicle and other intentional and unintentional injuries.
• There are an estimated 79,000 alcohol-related deaths each year.

Links

• SurgeonGeneral.gov
• CDC.gov
• HealthCare.gov
• Healthy People 2020

¹ Jiaquan Xu, M.D.; Kenneth D. Kochanek, M.A.; Sherry L. Murphy, B.S.; Betzaida Tejada-Vera, B.S.; Division of Vital Statistics. Deaths: Final data for 2007. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2010;58(19).Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.

² National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2006 Emergency Department Summary, Table 13.

³ Data are from the 2008 National Health Interview Survey and 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. These 2008 data do not reflect changes that may have occurred as a result of the increase in federal excise tax on cigarettes as authorized by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act(Public Law 111-3, Sec. 701) in 2009.