Personal Assessment: Preventing and Managing Diabetes, A Global Health Challenge
Every day, we are faced with various choices that have a rippling effect on our lives and that of our children, and the older we get and the more responsible we become, and we strive to make healthier choices. According to Holmes (2009), one of the public health challenges of the millennium is aging, which has been compounded with the increased incidence of chronic diseases and disabilities. Diabetes has been identified as a chronic disease and the American Diabetes Association [ADA] (2015) reported that there is an increased risk of type 2 diabetes as people get older. According to ADA (2015), one in every four people over the age of sixty is diabetic.
RELEVANCE OF PROJECT TO PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through the Public Health Practice Council (2007) defines public health practice, as “Using evidence-based interventions to help the most vulnerable improve their health and lives.” Furthermore, the Association of the Schools of Public Health (2006) published a report, within which public health practice was defined as “The strategic, organized, and interdisciplinary application of knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to perform essential public health services and other activities to improve the population 's health." These two definitions clarify the concept of public health practice and this project attempts to improve the health and well-being of seniors, who are a vulnerable group based on their increased risk of chronic diseases (ADA, 2015), using the concepts highlighted above. …show more content…
This project is an educational program titled: preventing and managing diabetes, a global health challenge. It is aimed at addressing the dearth in knowledge, with regards to diabetes and its prevention and control, particularly among the seniors, who are at an increased risk of diabetes. At the City of Inglewood Senior Center, African-Americans and Hispanics form the bulk of the seniors in attendance, and according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (2014), these two ethnic groups are at an increased risk of diabetes and its related complications. Thus, this project whose goals are listed below, attempts to use various cross-cutting competencies to improve the health and well-being of these seniors. To increase the awareness of the disease, diabetes among seniors at the Inglewood Senior Center, by at least 80% by April 2015. To have at least 80% of the seniors at the center decide to take the blood glucose screening at least every six months. To have at least 80% of the seniors make a decision to have healthier food choices and include exercise in their daily routine by April 2015. PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES, DOMAINS AND COMPETENCIES DOMAINS Three major domains were identified for this community research program. They include; epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, and health policy and management sciences. Holmes (2009) defined epidemiology as “a population oriented discipline that quantifies, locates, and determines causes and mechanisms of health-related states and applies this knowledge to prevention and control of health-related events in specified populations.” For this project, I focused on the seniors at the City of Inglewood Senior Center and discovered there was a knowledge gap of diabetes and its risk factors. This led to the design of the program, aimed at addressing this knowledge gap and increasing awareness of this chronic disease, thereby …show more content…
The various components that I employed are communicating issues using appropriate channels and technologies, and applying the principles of program planning, developing, managing, and evaluating organizational and community initiatives, as described by Holmes (2009).
COMPETENCIES
These competencies involved for the program fall under the domains described above, and they are; program planning, leadership, systems thinking, and communication and informatics.
Systems Thinking
I was able to identify long term solutions to the problems identified using the PRECEDE-PROCEED process, harnessing the strengths and inputs of my partners and achieving our goal of health promotion at the end. This was an indication that various parts were integrated to achieve the overall goal (Holmes, 2009).
Program Planning
This was clearly visible throughout the program, as the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model was utilized in achieving the goal of healthier outcomes, which will be indicated by prolonged and improved quality of life. I went through the process of planning, implementation and evaluation – data collection, results and interpretation.
Every day, we are faced with various choices that have a rippling effect on our lives and that of our children, and the older we get and the more responsible we become, and we strive to make healthier choices. According to Holmes (2009), one of the public health challenges of the millennium is aging, which has been compounded with the increased incidence of chronic diseases and disabilities. Diabetes has been identified as a chronic disease and the American Diabetes Association [ADA] (2015) reported that there is an increased risk of type 2 diabetes as people get older. According to ADA (2015), one in every four people over the age of sixty is diabetic.
RELEVANCE OF PROJECT TO PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through the Public Health Practice Council (2007) defines public health practice, as “Using evidence-based interventions to help the most vulnerable improve their health and lives.” Furthermore, the Association of the Schools of Public Health (2006) published a report, within which public health practice was defined as “The strategic, organized, and interdisciplinary application of knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to perform essential public health services and other activities to improve the population 's health." These two definitions clarify the concept of public health practice and this project attempts to improve the health and well-being of seniors, who are a vulnerable group based on their increased risk of chronic diseases (ADA, 2015), using the concepts highlighted above. …show more content…
This project is an educational program titled: preventing and managing diabetes, a global health challenge. It is aimed at addressing the dearth in knowledge, with regards to diabetes and its prevention and control, particularly among the seniors, who are at an increased risk of diabetes. At the City of Inglewood Senior Center, African-Americans and Hispanics form the bulk of the seniors in attendance, and according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (2014), these two ethnic groups are at an increased risk of diabetes and its related complications. Thus, this project whose goals are listed below, attempts to use various cross-cutting competencies to improve the health and well-being of these seniors. To increase the awareness of the disease, diabetes among seniors at the Inglewood Senior Center, by at least 80% by April 2015. To have at least 80% of the seniors at the center decide to take the blood glucose screening at least every six months. To have at least 80% of the seniors make a decision to have healthier food choices and include exercise in their daily routine by April 2015. PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES, DOMAINS AND COMPETENCIES DOMAINS Three major domains were identified for this community research program. They include; epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, and health policy and management sciences. Holmes (2009) defined epidemiology as “a population oriented discipline that quantifies, locates, and determines causes and mechanisms of health-related states and applies this knowledge to prevention and control of health-related events in specified populations.” For this project, I focused on the seniors at the City of Inglewood Senior Center and discovered there was a knowledge gap of diabetes and its risk factors. This led to the design of the program, aimed at addressing this knowledge gap and increasing awareness of this chronic disease, thereby …show more content…
The various components that I employed are communicating issues using appropriate channels and technologies, and applying the principles of program planning, developing, managing, and evaluating organizational and community initiatives, as described by Holmes (2009).
COMPETENCIES
These competencies involved for the program fall under the domains described above, and they are; program planning, leadership, systems thinking, and communication and informatics.
Systems Thinking
I was able to identify long term solutions to the problems identified using the PRECEDE-PROCEED process, harnessing the strengths and inputs of my partners and achieving our goal of health promotion at the end. This was an indication that various parts were integrated to achieve the overall goal (Holmes, 2009).
Program Planning
This was clearly visible throughout the program, as the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model was utilized in achieving the goal of healthier outcomes, which will be indicated by prolonged and improved quality of life. I went through the process of planning, implementation and evaluation – data collection, results and interpretation.