If you were going to grade the overall health status of the United States, what would you focus on? Health is such a broad concept encompassing so many facets — mortality, diseases, diet, injuries, risky behaviors, access to care, technology, prevention, and diagnosis, just to name a few — that it can seem a daunting prospect to accurately measure the health and well-being of the whole nation.
State of the USA Health Indicators, a new report from the Institute of Medicine, recommends 20 specific indicators of health as benchmarks to effectively measure the overall health of Americans and the state of our health systems. The indicators are intended for the health section of a new Web site that the nonprofit State of the USA Inc. is building, which will provide people the means to become better-informed and active participants in national discussions about important topics such as health.
Reporters may obtain a copy of the report by contacting the National Academies' Office of News and Public Information, tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu. Advance copies will be available to reporters only starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16. The report is embargoed and not for public release before 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 17.