Prevention and wellness across the lifespan.

Life expectancy in the United States is more than 30 years longer than in 1900, thanks to a number of health care and public health interventions. Yet with that success come both benefits and challenges. As we live longer, we continue to age. New chronic diseases emerge as our body parts wear out or as the result of our lifestyle. However, aging does not necessarily mean that getting sicker is inevitable. It is possible to live longer with a high quality of life--even for those with chronic diseases. To do so takes an early investment in wellness and an approach to life that centers on prevention, as pointed out in the 2012 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting.