The action plan for prevention and control of obesity in Alameda County involves a two-dimensional approach. On that seeks to educate the community on healthy lifestyles and another that seeks to use the population statistics in formulation of evidence-based practices that will subsequently prove useful and beneficial to the community. The need for a population-centered approach to handling obese cases in Alameda County has been necessitated by the documented evidence of the disparity in healthcare afforded to this community. The diverse cultures and communities within this county and the lack of a proper health care plan to handle a diverse population have caused this disparity (Housman et al., 2005).
Chronic illness treatment requires a patient centered approach. The linguistic and cultural differences between the health care providers and the patients have limited the ability to deliver quality health care to this population effectively. To meet the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care, there is need to adopt policies that can assure all stakeholders that everyone within this population is not left at risk of this condition.
The action plan has however not had its challenges in implementation. The education programs have not been popular with the population. The stereotyping of the minority population as second priority population has also been case of worry and one that has affected the operations of the involved health educators. Language barriers have also placed a major challenge to those tasked offering the education programs (Housman et al., 2005).
On the other hand, the use of population statistics requires a large and secure database that can harbor the community’s data on health. This requires a stable infrastructure that cannot be accomplished on a single instance due to the logistics and the administrative issues that come into play in societal matters. Engaging all stakeholders to play their role at once so that the infrastructure can be put up has been a challenge as it is not possible to bring all stakeholders together. These barriers have meant a slow approach to accomplishing the Action plan.
References
Housman, J., & Dorman, S. (2005). The Alameda County Study: A Systematic, Chronological Review. American Journal of Health Education — Sept/Oct 2005, Volume 36, No. 5,36(5), 302-308. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ792845.pdf
