Diabetes and Women’s Health
One of the national health initiative established by Healthy People is Diabetes and Women’s health, which has the goal to identify and implement strategies that make a difference in the lives of women with diabetes. These women include all cases of those who are diagnosed with diabetes,, undiagnosed, and those who are at risk.(healthy people.govDM) Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and affects women in all stages of life. It affects both the health of the unborn mother and the child as seen in gestational diabetes. Due to the modern trends in medicine, life expectancy has increased for women leading to a greater risk for diabetes. Minority, racial and ethnic groups are at the highest risk for type 2 diabetes; the prevalence is at least 2-4 times higher among black, Hispanic, American Indian, and Asian Pacific Islander women than among white women. Type 2 DM is seen when the body is resistant to insulin and insulin production and is more prevalent among women with DM. Type 1 DM occurs when the body stops producing insulin. The most common complication of diabetes is heart disease which is seen more in women and decrease life expectancy. There is a need to implement community based programs and increase public awareness about diabetes and its complications with efforts in primary prevention among those at risk for developing DM. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/women/index.htm Regulatory Agencies Regulatory Agencies help define the public health role in diabetes and women's health at national, state, and community levels and improve the capacity of these public health sectors to fulfil that role.( Picture the possibilities)
National and State: The CDC is committed to making a change in the life of women and their families who are affected by Diabetes. CDC and its primary cosponsors, the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the American Public Health Association (APHA), the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) will arrange for a meeting at a national level to develop and then implement the National Public Health Action Plan for Diabetes and Women.(CDC.gov-DM) CDC has a goal to extend diabetes prevention programs and improve care for those suffering from the disease. The CDC also funds State Diabetes Prevention and Control Programs (DPCPs) which monitor health outcomes by planning and implementing community-based programs by educating and creating public awareness of diabetes and its complications in women. (pdf)
Community: Society plays a major role in addressing the public health issues of reducing the incidence of diabetes among women. (DWH) There is a need to implement community based programs and increase public awareness about diabetes and its complications with efforts in primary prevention among those at risk for developing DM.(healthy people.gov-DM) The national association of city and city health officials consider the formal and informal infrastructure of the community, cultural aspect’s, politics, and belief systems.(pdf) The prevalence of diagnosed cases of diabetes in women and selected risk factors was assessed using data from CDC’s Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program.(nccd) BRFSS is the largest structure of