Abstract
In recent years, American health care has shifted toward an emphasis on population health in communities. National data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey of Hospitals are used to describe the prevalence of 26 services provided by general hospitals that could contribute to health promotion and disease prevention (HPDP). Cross-sectional descriptive analyses, based on national data sources, linked HPDP services to hospital characteristics, and factor analysis identified significant categories of HPDP activities. The results showed that many specific HPDP services are offered by thousands of hospitals, but prevalence, distribution, and availability of the services are uneven across the size and ownership of hospitals and their communities. Policy initiatives could increase the prevalence of hospitals' health promotion and disease prevention services, thereby improving the health status of their communities.