United Way addresses pressing health and healthcare issues facing communities across the country. Community by community, United Ways and their partners target childhood obesity, health insurance coverage, healthcare quality, childhood immunizations, substance abuse, family violence, oral health or other healthcare concerns voiced by their community.

We’re working to improve the health of our country, and we’ve set a bold goal for the next 10 years to help us get there. With your help, United Way is working to increase by one-third the number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoid risky behaviors.

Achieving this goal requires us all to become more aware of health risks and the potential effects they have on ourselves and others, starting from before birth. And working to change policies and practices, such as extending health care coverage, will enable more people to live healthier lives.

Increase by One-Third the Number of Youth and Adults Who Are Healthy and Avoid Risky Behaviors

Health is strongly linked to education and income: Good health allows children to learn better and adults to increase their income through productive work. Conversely, health problems often lead to increased school absences (a predictor of dropping out of high school) among children, as well as increased on the- job absences by adults. To further connect the dots, entry level and lower paying jobs are often without health benefits. A lack of health care coverage often means that primary care—so important to preventing or treating illness before it becomes more serious—is an unattainable luxury. A serious illness with no or insufficient health insurance has driven thousands of Americans into financial crisis. Fifty percent of bankruptcies in 2005 and 2006 were caused by medical debt.

Key markers contribute to a healthy progression through life: a normal birthweight, preventive health care beginning in earliest childhood, and avoiding risky behaviors and staying healthy as a youth and adult.

Maternal health and infant well-being start children off in the right direction. It is ironic that underweight babies are a concern when America is simultaneously worried about obesity among children and adults, but low birthweight (5 pounds, 8 ounces or less) can lead to developmental problems later in life.

The number of babies born at a low birthweight increased over the last 10 years, to 8.2 percent, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. That’s 1 in 12 babies. Among the many causes of low birthweight—pregnant women’s poor nutrition, teen pregnancies, smoking and substance use, and lack of prenatal care—are preventable factors that can be addressed at the community level.

Health care coverage for children means they are more likely to receive preventive health care (such as immunizations, physicals and nonemergency treatment).

Those with health insurance are more likely to receive regular care. The percentage of children with health coverage has increased slightly, but data from the Current Population Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau show that almost 12 percent (one in eight) of America’s children remain without such insurance coverage.

The health of America’s youth and adults is also a serious concern. In looking at data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just over one-third of youth in grades 9 to 12 and one-third of adults can be considered healthy, with the percentage stagnating for youth and worsening for adults when compared to a decade ago. For this reason, boosting the number of healthy youth and adults is our third goal for advancing the common good.