The Transition From Disease Prevention To Health Promotion Essay Example for Free

The Transition From Disease Prevention To Health Promotion Essay Living a healthy lifestyle is the current trend in the United States.   Eating healthy, exercising regularly, and abstaining from behaviors that can be detrimental to our health is promoted everywhere we go.   Still, the statistics for the leading causes of death in the U.S. are shocking.   Especially when we realize that there are steps we can take to lesson our risk of becoming just another statistic. According to â€Å"The National Center for Health Statistics,† the top five, leading causes of death in the United States are:   1. Heart Disease kills 651,696 each year.   2.   Malignant Neoplasms or Cancer kills 559,228 each year.   3.   Cerebrovascular Disease or strokes kills 143,449 each year.   4.   Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease including chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma kills 130,896 each year.   5.   Unintentional injury kills 116,669 each year. (WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Report, 2008) Gender, family history and race are contributing factors that will help determine whether or not we acquire any of these diseases.   A lifetime of unhealthy living is also a contributor. In comparison to the five leading causes of death in the United States, the five leading causes of death in New York State are 1.   Heart Disease kills 51,963 each year.   2. Malignant Neoplasms kills 35,552 each year.   3.   Chronic Low Respiratory Disease kills 6,818 each year.   4.   Cerebrovascular or strokes kill 6,617 each year.   5.   Influenza and Pneumonia kills 5,509 each year.   (WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Report, 2008) Some of the preventive measures that we can take against disease are: abstain from the use of tobacco products, eat a healthy well balanced diet (eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, limited amounts of cholesterol, red meats, sugars and saturated fats), regular exercise (thirty minutes at least three times a week), maintain a healthy weight, limited alcohol consumption, regular cancer screenings, vaccines if applicable and drug therapy if necessary. There are also some less conventional methods of disease prevention.   Many people take vitamin supplements regularly to insure that they are getting enough of the vitamins that they need.   Meditation and other spiritual activities are practiced in order to control the stress in ones life.   Education is also an important prevention measure and it’s never too young to start.  Ã‚   Healthy children are more likely to maintain a healthy lifestyle in adulthood.   Prevention is not a guarantee against diseases, but it can certainly make a difference in our quality of life as well as the length of our life. Works Cited Cancer Trends Progress Report-2007 Update. (2007, December 6). Retrieved September 24, 2008, from National Cancer Institute: http://progressreport.cancer.gov/doc.asp?pid=1did=2007mid=vcolchid=71 Research, M. F. (1998-2008). Heart disease prevention: 5 strategies to keep your heart healthy. Retrieved September 25, 2008, from Revolution Health: http://www.revolutionhealth.com/conditions/heart/coronary-artery-disease/prevention/prevent-heart-disease Stroke. (2003, September 2). Retrieved September 24, 2008, from All Refer: http://health.allrefer.com/health/stroke-info.html Thoenen, E. (2003, September). Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease. Retrieved September 25, 2008, from http://www.wvdhhr.org/bph/oehp/hsc/pubs/Clrd/CLRD2003.pdf WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Report. (2008, January 23). Retrieved September 24, 2008, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://webapp.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcaus10.html