Report suggests emphasis on prevention is as important as treatment

NEW YORK Promoting a healthy lifestyle might go further in protecting Americans’ health than focusing on treatment of disease alone, according to a new report from the non-profit Trust for America’s Health.

The report, titled “Prevention for a Healthier America,” found that community health programs promoting healthy eating, physical activity and not smoking would save states hundreds of millions of dollars over five years.

Researchers assumed an investment of $10 per person and calculated potential decreases in chronic disease, finding that diabetes and high blood pressure rates could fall by 5 percent within two years if states implemented community health programs.