In public health, the goal is to prevent disease or injury in a whole population—a city, state or country, for example. That's different from the goal of health care, which is to care for individuals.

An example may make the distinction sharper: A public health approach to cancer could involve a statewide public awareness campaign about the risk factors for cancer such as smoking or sun exposure, while a health care approach would focus on educating individuals about such risk factors. 

This Web site focuses on the major public health issues facing states today.  By clicking on the terms listed on the left, you'll learn about these issues and why they matter to states. You'll also find links to more information—links that state policymakers will find especially useful.

There is a direct connection between climate change and the health of our nation today. Yet few Americans are aware of the very real consequences of climate change on the health of our communities, our families and our children. To learn more about the impacts of climate change, visit the American Public Health Association's National Public Health Week site. 

The Healthy States Initiative, a partnership among CSG and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hosted nine Web conferences that examined public health issues affecting state government and offered examples of promising practices. The Web conferences provided a base for state legislators to learn from one another and gather valuable information from health experts to create state responses to public health issues including smoking, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, oral health and cancer. The Public Health Tool Kit includes compact discs of all nine archived Web conferences and the published issue briefs.

Community Health Resources

Learn more about a variety of community-based public health programs in CDC's Community Health Resources, including fact sheets, state and local program contacts, communication materials and state data.

2007 America's Health Rankings

In partnership with the American Public Health Association and the Partnership for Prevention, the United Health Foundation released the 2007 America's Health Rankings: A Call to Action for People & Their Communities. One of the most comprehensive reports on health in America, it ranks the overall health of each state through in-depth state-by-state analyses and provides startling new findings on obesity and health disparities among minorities.  

Find out how your state ranks and how you can improve it.

Health, United States, 2007

Health, United States was released in November 2006 by the National Center for Health Statistics. The annual report consists of charts and selected trend tables organized by cross-cutting areas such as the African-American and Hispanic populations, child and adolescent health, Medicaid, the uninsured and a special section on chronic pain and the great disparities among different population groups affected.

Metropolitan/Micropolitan Area Risk Trends

The CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System has released 2005 health risk data and prevalence tables for states and metropolitan areas. State and local data can be used to identify health problems and related behaviors and to develop and evaluate public health policies and programs.

CDC Guide to Community Preventive Services

Legislators and policymakers support public health by enacting effective laws and policies and want to know what works and at what cost. The CDC Guide to Community Preventive Services is a premier source of high quality information on those public health interventions and policies that have been proved to work in promoting health and preventing disease, injury and impairment.