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Diabetes is one of the most widespread chronic diseases that influence not only humans’ health but also their life. Its spreading is associated with the increased consumption of unhealthy food and minimum physical activity of modern people. Therefore, it is necessary to identify what steps could be taken to stop its expansion. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a healthcare policy that plays an essential role in preventing diabetes through the provision of access to healthcare services to all citizens (Konchak et al., 2016). The National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) is a national policy that focuses on stopping the development of this chronic condition (Ackermann, 2017). The analysis of these policies and the other strategies provides the opportunity to understand what role they might play in the improvement of human health. The ability of diabetes prevention policies and strategies to increase awareness about the disease and improve the population’s well-being demonstrates that the health system’s performance in the United States influences population health status.
The differences between these policies concern the aspects of the life of people that they involve. Mainly, the ACA policy focuses on the healthcare system in general, organizing and structuring its elements. The problem of diabetes is viewed as a central component in this structure because this disease concerns a considerable number of citizens. NDPP policy, on the other hand, emphasizes the role of lifestyle and sports in the prevention of the problem (Ackermann, 2017). It introduces the idea that the identification of diabetes in the early stages and healthy habits play a significant role in reducing disease development cases. This focus on different areas of life reveals that these policies regard the issue from different angles.
The comparison of these two policies contributes to the identification of their similarities. First, both these policies aim to improve the health conditions of the population, regarding diabetes as one of the major problems in the United States. Second, they both emphasize the authorities’ role in the formation of appropriate conditions and values among the population. Mainly, the ACA policy identifies that the officials should focus on expanding the ideas of a healthy lifestyle and its role in preventing the disease. According to Konchak et al. (2016), the policy guarantees the “financial and technical support for expanding wellness programs” (p. 7). NDPP also values the role of “lifestyle intervention programs,” understanding that limiting the spread of the disease requires universal decisions (Ackermann, 2017, p. 1298). This understanding of the necessity to cope with the problem using multidimensional approaches unites these two policies.
Diabetes has had a significant impact on the population in the United States. More than twelve percent of the adult population in the country suffer from this illness (Konchak et al., 2016). One of the significant problems was that the majority of these citizens did not take the tests and were unaware of their situation. Consequently, their condition aggravated, and it determined the healthcare system’s difficulties when dealing with these patients. Such complications as amputations and disabilities demonstrated what consequences the disease might have when people did not acknowledge their state. In addition, diabetes led to problems with the cardiovascular system and increases in death rates (Konchak et al., 2016). This situation reveals that the disease affects the citizens’ quality of life, making them suffer from various troubles connected with it.
Diabetes is a significant burden for the healthcare system in the United States. The results of the research indicate that “economic costs of diabetes increased by 26% from 2012 to 2017” (“American Diabetes Association,” 2018, p. 917). This situation is associated with the increased costs of medical care per person and the growing number of people diagnosed with diabetes. As a result, this situation imposes a significant economic burden on the healthcare system in the country. Moreover, it contributes to the reduction in personnel productivity, the cases of absenteeism, and the death rate of medical workers. Thus, it influences the healthcare system in general, increasing the expenses and affecting the work of medical specialists.
The strategy of educating the population about the disease is a central step in the solution of the problem. Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is the strategy aimed at increasing awareness about the specifics of the disease and the measures of its prevention among the citizens. It comprises such elements as specific knowledge about the illness, the cooperation with the team of specialists, the skills of coping with the problems and stress, and the decision-making process (Powers et al., 2020). The introduction of the strategy allows the health workers to guarantee that their patients are aware of the complications of the disease. Besides, patients should know how to manage their lives to decrease the influence of diabetes.
The next strategy is the spread of the information by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDN). This strategy comprises the spread of agreements with the healthcare institutions to improve the health situation in the communities (Rutledge et al., 2018). It supports such initiatives as introducing physical activity among youth, nutrition regulations, explanation of the signs of diabetes, identification of the risk groups, and the presentation of the programs aimed at self-management. These elements of the strategy contribute to improving the situation among individuals with prediabetes and those who are not aware of their health problems. It provides the chance to introduce preventive measures in schools, which might affect all the future habits of schoolchildren, who are aware of the issues.
The current progress in preventing the spread of the disease is associated with scientific research in the field. Mainly, randomized controlled trials play a significant role in identifying the methods of reducing the chances of complications. Various studies identify that such factors as blood pressure and glucose level can help measure the possible threat of developing diabetes symptoms. Consequently, the researchers’ ability to find the reasons and risk factors contribute to the decreased chances of suffering from the complications. Lee, Greenfield, and Pappas (2018) describe the application of various technological tools explaining how they help manage diabetes and improve the condition of patients. These findings demonstrate that modern science progress in identifying the risk factors and the methods to cope with the problem.
However, the attempts to reduce the effect of diabetes also encounter various challenges. First, the socioeconomic status of such citizens as immigrants and ethnic minorities prevents these people from having sufficient coverage of their insurance. At the same time, these representatives of the communities are among those who suffer from the disease more frequently (Konchak, 2016). The next challenge is the difficulty associated with the involvement of many people in the programs, which can identify diabetes in the early stages of its development. Mainly, the low engagement of the population in the programs signifies that a considerable number of the citizens have no chance to prevent the health issue because they are not aware of their condition. Finally, the insufficiency in the number of specialists, limited access to services, and geographic factors determine the inability of some people to cope with diabetes complications.
The first effective strategy that might help increase awareness and help prevent the disease is the restrictions in marketing. Since diet and nutrition influence the development of diabetes, it is necessary to toughen the regulations framing the marketing strategies of the companies producing unhealthy products. In particular, the policymakers should restrict these companies’ possibility to target youth in schools. Timpel et al. (2019) explain that such initiatives might decrease the availability of unhealthy food and promote awareness about the healthier replacement of these snacks. This approach is an essential element in increasing education because it aims at the schoolchildren who might form new habits in society in the future.
The second strategy is the introduction of additional sugar taxes that might decrease the consumption of unhealthy food. Timpel et al. (2019) assume that the sugar taxes and labeling of the products containing high amounts of sugar might help increase awareness about the adverse effects of this substance on human health. Although this initiative can encounter criticism, future generations might benefit from it because they would consume more healthy ingredients. After all, such food and beverages would be available and cheap.
Various policies and strategies aimed at preventing diabetes contribute to improving the situation with the disease, which signifies that the health system’s performance affects the population’s health status. Such policies as ACA and NDPP help spread the information and improve the health system condition in the country, which enables it to cope with diabetes. DSMES and CDN strategies allow the policymakers to guarantee sufficient awareness and knowledge about methods of managing the disease. Although policymakers achieve some progress in reducing the number of diabetes patients, such strategies as introducing restrictions in marketing and sugar taxes might help to cope with the troubles caused by the disease.
References
Ackermann, R. (2017). From programs to policy and back again: The push and pull of realizing type 2 diabetes prevention on a national scale. Diabetes Care, 40(10), 1298-1301.
American Diabetes Association. (2018). Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2017. Diabetes Care, 41(5), 917-928.
Konchak, J., Moran, M., O’Brien, M., Kandula, N., & Ackermann, R. (2016). The state of diabetes prevention policy in the USA following the Affordable Care Act. Current Diabetes Reports, 16(6), 1-12.
Lee, P. A., Greenfield, G., & Pappas, Y. (2018). The impact of telehealth remote patient monitoring on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1), 1-10.
Powers, M., Bardsley, J., Cypress, M., Funnell, M., Harms, D., & Hess-Fischl, A. et al. (2020). Diabetes self-management education and support in adults with type 2 diabetes: A consensus report of the American Diabetes Association, the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of PAs, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the American Pharmacists Association. Diabetes Care, 43(7), 1636-1649.
Rutledge, G., Lane, K., Merlo, C., & Elmi, J. (2018). Coordinated approaches to strengthen state and local public health actions to prevent obesity, diabetes, and heart disease and stroke. Preventing Chronic Disease, 15.
Timpel, P., Harst, L., Reifegerste, D., Weihrauch-Blüher, S., & Schwarz, P. E. (2019). What should governments be doing to prevent diabetes throughout the life course?. Diabetologia, 62(10), 1842-1853.
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