Disease prevention called a better bet

Washington Post, July 18, 2008

A new report from the Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit health advocacy group, has found that community health programs that encourage prevention were a better investment than those concentrating primarily on treatment. Researchers calculated potential decreases in several chronic diseases based on a $10 investment per person. They found that community health programs could reduce rates of diabetes and high blood pressure by 5% within two years and reduce the incidence of some forms of cancer and arthritis within 10 to 20 years.