The promotion and disease prevention practice and policies continue to increase with the primary aim of supporting reasonable and sensible decision-making in health sectors. In most cases, they merge research findings with information that meets the wishes and needs of the targeted populations (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Diabetes affects over 26 million people in the United States. The National Diabetes Prevention Program is a program in the U.S. that is largely aimed at addressing the problem of diabetes through prevention measures.
According to the CDC estimates, nearly 1 in 10 American adults has diabetes and that 1 in every 3 American citizens born today may have diabetes at some point in their lifetime (Fuhrman, 2014). Diabetes management is very expensive, as the cost of treatment and healthcare of diabetes-related issues is extremely high. The National Diabetes Prevention Program targets America adults as well as other population segments. Its strategies encompass lifestyle change programs that focus on increasing physical activity, moderating weight loss, and emphasizing on healthy eating.
Research indicates that Type 2 diabetes is preventable through dietary and lifestyle change strategies. As a result, diabetes prevention campaigns encourage people to eat healthier foods in the right quantities. Furthermore, physical activity plays an important role in controlling a person’s weight, glucose levels, blood pressure, and lowering bad cholesterol (Peters, 2006). In most instances, diabetes is associated with conditions such as obesity and overweight. Therefore, by losing weight, individuals with high risks of getting diabetes can delay or prevent type-2 diabetes.
In sum, issues of disease prevention and health promotion continue to change as new knowledge emerges and stakeholders in the health sector initiate new practices in response to the changes. The National Diabetes Prevention Program focuses on communicating with health care planners, policy makers, and educators with the primary objective of finding support evidence-based intervention strategies for preventing diabetes.
References
Fuhrman, J. (2014). The End of Diabetes: The eat to live plan to prevent and reverse diabetes. New York: Prentice Hall Press.
Peters, A. (2006).Conquering diabetes: A complete program for prevention and treatment. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Healthy people 2020. Retrieved from <http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/TopicsObjectives2020/pdfs/HP2020_brochure.pdf. >
