“Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national goals to improve the health of all Americans.” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Healthy People 2020, 2011). It serves as a national guide for disease prevention and health promotion. There are various goals and objectives that serve as a guideline for achieving overall health improvement. “Educational and community-based programs” are one of them. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the primary goal of these programs is to “Increase the quality, availability, and effectiveness of educational and community-based programs designed to prevent disease and injury, improve health, and improve the quality of life". (HHS, Healthy People 2020, 2011). This particular goal of Healthy People 2020 focuses on increasing the number of educational and community programs to raise awareness about disease prevention and the health of every individual in society. It focuses on education on various topics including chronic disease, substance abuse, injury prevention and violence to encourage and improve health. It emphasizes increasing the quantity and quality of such programs so that a larger population can benefit from the program and gain effective knowledge to achieve healthy living. The state of health of an individual is influenced by the person himself and his environment. Community-based programs will make health education available outside the traditional health context that is capable of impacting various community units including an individual, a family, or the community as a whole. An educational program organized in a community-based environment such as school, workplace, healthcare facilities and the community that...... middle of paper ...... fulfills the objective of increasing quality, the availability and effectiveness of services, educational and community-based programs designed to prevent illness and injury, improve health, and improve quality of life. Works Cited Anderson, Et , & Mcfarlane, J. (2011). Community analysis and nursing diagnosis. Community as partners: theory and practice in nursing. (6 ed., pp. 170-214). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2020. (June 29, 2011). Educational and community-based programs. Retrieved March 12, 2014, from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=11U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2020. (June 29, 2011). Speaking of healthy people. Retrieved March 12, 2014, from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/default.aspx