Public Health Achievements

The topic for today's blog deals with the ten great public health achievements of the US in the 20th century. The article I will discuss was published my the CDC and focuses on the these achievements. In the first two paragraphs the article, the CDC describes the how health and life expectancy in the US have improved. In addition to that, the average lifespan for people residing in the US was greater than 30 years. Of those 30 years, 25 years are geared toward the advances in public health. Based on the CDC the ten great public health achievements from 1900-1999 are: vaccination, motor-vehicle safety, safer workplaces, controlling of infectious diseases, decline in deaths from heart disease and stroke, safer and healthier foods, healthier mothers and babies, family planning, fluoridation of drinking water, and recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard. After listing these achievements, the article goes on to describe each one in further detail.
I thought the article was very interesting and informative. In regards to the article being so short, it was straight to the point the delivered a clear message. However, I did think the article could have listed the years in which each achievement occurred. To state that each achievement happened between a 99 year time span is not as informative.
One achievement that resonates with me is the one that relates to vaccination. As a child I had chicken pox and I really didn't enjoy them. It was awful! But thanks to vaccination, I can no longer get chicken pox again. I think that all of these achievements affect me personally. If it was not for motor-vehicle safety, I would not have seat belts and air bags in my car. If it was not for safer and healthier foods, who knows how much bacteria I'd consume from the meats and vegetables I eat. Family Planning allows my parents, family members, and friends to decided when having children fits into their plans. Fluoridation of drinking water might be one of the most important. The fluoride in the water helps protect my teeth from decaying. I think that is most important now, because I recently moved from Michigan, where the water was considered to be some of the best in the nation, to Baltimore, where the water in my dorm isn't as clear and healthy. Just as the above mentioned achievements all of them are important in my life as well as my family, and friends.
At this very moment I am not sure if there is another great public health achievement that occurred during the 20th century, but did not make this list. I think that all of the things that could have been improved, were improved. The only thing I can think of right now is the practice of not drinking and driving. The rates of drinking and driving declined as the years progressed according to www.dui-usa.drinkdriving.org/dui_drunkdriving_statistics.php . I think this achievement should have made the list, because deaths from drunk driving began to decrease. Although there was not a drastic change in number, there was progression. I'm not sure if it didn't make the list because the statistics for drunk driving did not occur until later on in the century,but I still think it was a possibility that it should have made the list.

Until my next blog, stay healthy!
-Kiara