A New Initiative Targeting Preventable Causes of Death
People often fail to recognize that the simple choices they make during a day--what to eat, whether or not to exercise, use tobacco or consume alcohol--can have a major impact on their health and ultimately their risks for premature death. Making healthy lifestyle choices can help reduce one's risks of developing heart diesase, cancer, stroke and diabetes--the four of the leading causes of death in the U.S.

In addition, tobacco use, poor diet, physical inactivity and alcohol consumption are the three leading causes of preventable deaths; these three lifestyle choices account for over a third of all deaths each year. The three actual causes result in nearly 900,000 premature deaths each year.

We want Americans to realize that the major health challenges we face as a nation are not only infectious diseases, but also diseases that can be reduced or prevented by behavioral choices that people make every day.
Dr. Audry Cross
Director, Healthy Monday Initiative

Healthy Monday - The Day All Health Breaks Loose
A new campaign aimed at preventing the actual, preventable causes of death was launched October 16, 2006 by the Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. The plan, called Healthy Monday is working with major health organizations to designate Monday as the day each week to focus all Americans on their personal and family health and wellness. The concept grew out of a discussion to create a day, more than once a year, devoted to health.

The idea of Healthy Monday is to take and make one day of each week the day when you focus on your health and take some postive action. The action can be a simple as walking a few extra steps, chosing healthy food over junk food, drinking water instead of beer or leaving one cigarette unsmoked in the pack. Monday becomes Health Day--the day at the beginning of each week to start and hopefully sustain some type of healthy behavior.

I'll look at more about on this health promoting initiative in tomorrow's blog.

About the Campaign
The Healthy Monday initiative is comprised of leaders in the field of public health, dedicated to improving the health of Americans. Their aim is to provide a framework for the delivery of innovative, evidence-based health campaigns aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality associated with the four leading causes of preventable disease in the United States: poor diet and inactivity, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

Resources and More Information
Shodell Daniel. Paying for Prevention. Medscape Public Health & Prevention. 2006;4(2) (Requires a subscription to view)
Center for Disease Control. Physical Inactivity and Poor Nutrition Catching up to Tobacco as Actual Cause of Death, Fact Sheet. March 9, 2004.
Center for Disease Control. CDC's Prevention Activities that Target Actual Causes of Death, Fact Sheet. March 9, 2004.
Mokdad, Ali H., Marks, James S., Stroup Donna F. and Gerberding Julie L. Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000. JAMA. 2004;291:1238-1245.

_{Image Healthy Monday from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Used with Permission.}