Healthy People 2020 is a prevention agenda by the federal government with the objective of building a healthier nation. The agenda entails more of a statement of national health objectives that are designed to identify significant preventable health threats and reduce them. WHO defines health as a state of complete mental, social and physical well-being and not merely the absence of infirmity or disease. Doyle et al., (2018) assert that health promotion is the process that enables people to increase control over their health and as a result improve their health. Holism on the other hand entails the aspect of caring for people while considering all aspects of their mind, emotional state, body and spirituality (Kemppainen et al., 2012).

The development of the nursing profession is seen in how nurses coach, instruct and assist clients with relevant disease prevention activities like exercise routine and varied lifestyle changes that help to prevent diseases and enables to improve the client’s level of health and wellness (Riegelman, 2010). The levels of prevention include primary (improving the overall health of the population), secondary (improving) and tertiary prevention (improving treatment and recovery). These levels impact nursing practice in that they enable the focus of efforts on major health issues through all the stages of wellness and disease.

In regards to health promotion, Healthy People initiative has affected the nurse’s roles by putting an emphasis on disease prevention coupled with having the ability to change individual’s behaviors with respect to their health.

The costs of health and illness to society and individuals can be viewed from an economic perspective. Better health is essential to human well-being and happiness (WHO, 2019). It has a vital contribution to economic prosperity since healthy people are more productive, live longer and save more. In 2016, the direct costs of chronic diseases in the US totaled $1.1 trillion (Doyle et al., 2018). These are founds that could be easily used in other developmental areas.

References

Doyle, E., Ward, S., & Early, J. (2018). The Process of Community Health Education and Promotion (3rd ed.). Waveland Press.

Kemppainen, V., Tossavainen, K., & Turunen, H. (2012). Nurses’ roles in health promotion practice: an integrative review. Health Promotion International, 28(4), 490-501.

Riegelman, R. (2010). On Academics: Education for Health: An Educational Underpinning for Healthy People 2020. Public Health Reports, 125(1), 148-152.

WHO | Health and development. (2019). Retrieved 30 October 2019, from https://www.who.int/hdp/en/