Prevention Index - RIP - Prevention magazine will no longer compile health index

American Demographics, May, 1997 by Shannon Dortch

Farewell to one of the best sources of data on Americans' health. The Prevention Index was developed by Prevention magazine, based on an annual survey of more than 1,200 U.S. adults. The magazine tracked 27 measures of health and safety between 1983 and 1995, and developed index scores to reflect the health of U.S. adults.

In its later years, the Prevention Index suffered from a couple of maladies, starting with increased competition. "Thirteen years ago, it was fairly unique information," says Edwin Slaughter, Prevention magazine's director of research. "Now those questions in one form or another are just about everywhere."

The index also reflected medical opinions on health at the time it was started, some of which became obsolete in later years, Slaughter says. For instance, its question about frequency of strenuous exercise was an important measure of health in the 1980s. But now experts recommend moderate rather than strenuous exercise for maximum fitness benefits.

Prevention magazine and its publisher, Rodale Press, Inc., plan to continue conducting health-related research. But its new projects will focus on topical issues, such as women's risk of heart disease (see "Taking It to Heart," on this page). An upcoming study will evaluate consumers' knowledge and use of over-the-counter medications.

The Prevention Index itself may be sleeping, not dead. Prevention magazine is considering repeating the survey every five or ten years, which would give us that "snapshot" of health we've appreciated since 1984. For more information, contact Edwin Slaughter at Prevention magazine; telephone (610) 967-8124.