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New Program to Tackle Physical Inactivity, Smoking, Poor Diet, Risky Drinking Through Primary Care 

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RJWF) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), working together, are launching a five-year program aimed at developing effective, practical strategies for changing Americans' unhealthy behaviors through primary care.

The goal is to reverse four risky behaviors that have been identified as the nation's leading causes of preventable disease and premature death: physical inactivity, poor diet, tobacco use, and risky alcohol use. The new program, called Prescription for Health, will seek to identify ways for primary care physicians and their staff, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants, to help their patients become more physically active, eat better, avoid or quit smoking, and use alcohol in moderation.

"Primary care providers who see patients every day have enormous power to motivate people to make healthy lifestyle changes," said J. Michael McGinnis, M.D., senior vice president and director of RWJF's health group. "We hope this program can help those on the frontlines of health care lead the way for active, healthy living."

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