New US Plan for Disease Prevention
Urging Americans to take responsibility for their health, Health and
Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson on Tuesday launched a $15 million
program to try to encourage communities to do more to prevent chronic diseases
like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. The initiative
highlights the cost of chronic diseases-the leading causes of death in the
United States-and outlines ways that people can prevent them, including better
diet and increased exercise. "In the United States today, 7 of
10 deaths and the vast majority of serious illness, disability and health care
costs are caused by chronic diseases." the Health and Human Services Department
said in a statement. The causes are often behavioral-smoking,
poor eating habits and a lack of exercise. "I am convinced that
preventing disease by promoting better health is a smart policy choice for our
future." Thompson told a conference held to launch the initiative.
"Our current health care system is not structured to deal with the
escalating costs of treating diseases that are largely preventable through
changes in our lifestyle choices." Thompson said heart disease
and strokes will cost the country more than $ 351 billion in 2003.
"These leading causes of death for men and women are largely preventable,
yet we as a nation are not taking the steps necessary for us to lead healthier,
longer lives." he said. The $ 15 million is slated to go to
communities to promote prevention, pushing for changes as simple as building
sidewalks to encourage people to walk more. Daily exercise such
as walking can prevent and even reverse heart disease and diabetes, and prevent
cancer and strokes. The money will also go to community
organizations, clinics and nutritionists who are being encouraged to work
together to educate people at risk of diabetes about what they can do to prevent
it and encourage more cancer screening. The American Cancer
Society estimates that half of all cancers can be caught by screening, including
Pap tests for cervical cancer, mammograms for breast cancer, colonoscopies, and
prostate checks. If such cancers were all caught by early
screening, the group estimates that the survival rate for cancer would rise to
95 percent. The author mentions all the following as ways of disease prevention
EXCEPT______
A. better diet
B. increased exercise
C. reduction on smoking
D. higher survival rate for cancer