Lifeline Screening Research

Bckground While modern lifestyles and medical care have certainly improved the longevity of humans in the developed world, and contributed to a greater quality of life scenario, those same lifestyles have engendered a number of issues that contribute to disease. Lack of proper diet, fast food, high fat and carbohydrate diets without adequate fruits and vegetables, lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol contribute to an epidemic of obesity which, in turn, contributes to a serious metabolic disorder called Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. While not managed by insulin injections, it is nevertheless quite serious and has a number of progressing symptoms that, if not treated properly, can result in cardiovascular, renal and neurological problems, as well as amputation, ocular issues, and even cognitive dysfunction.

Every year, 1.2 million people are diagnosed with cancer and more than 500,000 people die from the disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, over 30% of these deaths can be attributed to diet. This means that the average person can greatly lower his risk of getting cancer simply by changing his diet. There is, of course, no guarantee against cancer, but the lifestyle choices that we make now can have a huge impact on our lives in the future. (http://www.aicr.org/expert1.htm)

Public health emphasizes the importance of prevention and proactively taking care of one’s body. As people grow older, they must follow certain guidelines to ensure that they age healthily and successfully. One of the biggest concerns facing the aging population is chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are long term diseases that have a slow progression. Once chronic diseases pass “certain symptomatic or diagnostic thresholds,” they become a permanent aspect of an individual’s life because “medical and personal regimens can sometimes control but can rarely cure them” (Albert and Freeman 105). One chronic condition that is a cause of concern is diabetes. Diabetes is not only one of the leading causes of death in the over 65 population but

The rate of diabetes in the United States is one of the highest compared to other developed countries. An estimate of 9.3% of the population have diabetes, of those with diabetes 27.8% have yet to be diagnosed (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). This means that approximately 8.1 million people are currently living with diabetes, but are unaware of it. As of 2012, 12.3% of people with diabetes were 20 years old or older, the largest population diagnosed with diabetes were adults 65 years old or older. 25.9% of this population lives with diabetes (CDC, 2014). On a national level, the CDC have launched initiatives that focus on prevention and disease management. The National Diabetes Prevention Program is an example of one such initiative. This program focuses on lifestyle changes,

Health check programmes are effective only if the lifestyle interventions offered prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Currently the interventions offered to people identified

Diabetes (DM) is one the many initiatives that Healthy People 2020 have been focusing on to reduce this disease morbidity and mortality rates throughout the communities. In the United States alone, the number of individuals diagnosed with diabetes has increased from 1.5 million in 1958 to 25.8 million in 2011. The Center for Disease and prevention (CDC) also estimates in the year 2011, 79 million people age 20 and over were noted to have pre-diabetes, in which the blood sugar was higher than normal levels, however, have not reached the level for a diagnosis of DM. Eleven percent of those individuals with pre-diabetic readings of raised blood glucose will progress in full blown diabetes a matter of three years. Healthy People 2020 have used evidence –based practices to aid in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Evidence have shown by simply modifying one’s lifestyle such regular exercising and healthy eating have been recognized to effectively prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in high-risk persons. Case in point, the Diabetes Prevention Program research trial revealed that the utilization of lifestyle interferences had its utmost impact in elderly adults and was also effective in all racial groups.

About 40 to 50% of adults in America are at risk for diseases such as stroke, kidney failure, heart attack, heart failure and obesity. Most of these diseases are brought on by hypertension which is brought on by unhealthy eating choices, poor diet and little to no exercise which has devastating effects on the body. Approximately 7 out of 10 Americans is prescribed or takes a prescription pill daily, half of those are diet related illnesses such a diabetes and one third of those individuals is obese. Two trillion medical-care costs are because of chronic diseases most of which are lifestyle habits/choices. Obesity in America costs about taxpayers about $123 billion via Medicare and Medicaid. Now that obesity has risen at an alarming rate, in some cases obesity is considered a disability for those that are physically or mentally impaired by it. Debatably a preventable disease with proper education on food, diet and exercise

While not the leading cause of death (mortality), there is a high prevalence of both obesity and diabetes in the population, justifying the selection of these health issues to be addressed in the

We can and must prevent the preventable. The human and financial cost of not intervening will be far greater than the cost of intervening” (International Diabetes Federation, 2016). Basically, diabetes is preventable, it is one’s own will to have courage to fight and with the help of supporters there is no excuse in overcoming this disease. Diabetics are not alone, the American Diabetes Association provides planning meals, awareness programs, food recipes, the understanding of carbohydrates and many more supportive plans. In order to obtain a healthy lifestyle with no complications of any type of disease, it is important to dedicate at least an hour a day to physical activity. The famous writer Lieberman once said, “There’s no medicine that’s more important than exercise. Analyzes have shown, exercising is one of the most important medicines for the diabetic soul, keeping sugar and blood levels at a normal rate. In addition, carefully selecting portions of food that are consume daily. The disease itself is killing many different individuals despite economic statuses. Those who have the education and means usually take it for granted, when people in lower income countries inquire the access to reliable resources. Type II Diabetes impacts negatively on many facets of global development and economic sustainability. So it is crucial that this disease is be put in the forefront so that the global burden of Type II Diabetes be

Consequently, the result of this negative trend caused obesity to be the second leading cause of preventable deaths with 18% of American adults dying each year (CDC, 2016). According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases “more than one-third (35.7%) of adults are considered obese. More than 1 in 20 (6.3%) have extreme obesity” (NIDDK, 2012).

The approach called Prevent Diabetes STAT: Screen, Test, and Act Today is a great resource for everyone from patients to healthcare professionals to community organizations. It has relevant information on involving everyone in creating a way to prevent diabetes step by step. Teaming up with the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program has expanded the number of people screened for diabetes and expanded physician referral to the program. This program can help members with the support needed in finding the benefits of healthy eating, physical activity, and losing weight to prevent diabetes and the onset of type 2 diabetes. Working together with AmeriCares has grown the ability in diabetes prevention programs allowing the free and charitable clinics to help those with limited access to health care services. To prevent heart disease the organization teamed up with Johns Hopkins Medicine, Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Million Hearts. The collaboration

One very important disease to screen for in adults is type 2 diabetes because it can often be asymptomatic in the beginning stages. If an individual has any of the risk factors of the disease then they should be tested for diabetes. The risk factors for type 2 diabetes are: a family history (parents or siblings), personal history of gestational diabetes, giving birth to a baby that weighs at least 9 pounds, obesity, being over 45 years of age, hypertension, pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose), limited physical activity, low HDL cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, and race (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders) (Tucker, 2014). There are advantages and disadvantages

The publics idea of health has evolved over the decades, similar to fashion in that it is continuously morphing and even trends have resurrected with new twists. Recent developments have seen widespread awareness of the importance of regular exercise and many benefits of a balanced diet. Yet despite the plethora of health and fitness methods and resources, the general population has never been so physically sedentary and out of shape. According to the national center for health statistics, America life expectancy has declined despite advances in the fitness industry, concerns over secondary conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes has created an urgency of public health officials as they try to mandate new strategies to fight this national epidemic.

Our life is something that is so precious. Every choice we make impacts our life wether it be physically or mentally. When we choose to make poor life choices, it will reflect on us as individuals. Poor choices in what we consumed or how active we are will lead to a life that can lead to an early death. Obesity is an epidemic health problem that has been one of the leading causes to death. The disease itself causes sever health conditions as well as mental health issues.no one wants to become obese, but in today’s society we have been given the perfect recipe that will land us in a fight for our life. Obesity is not something that simply happens, but a lifetime of poor choices. We must discover the source of obesity and attack the health issue from the primary leading factors. We start with the source in order to help improve the lives of people everywhere who are battling this disease, as well as those who are predisposed to a higher chance of developing it.

In gathering my information during the course of my research I have identified three effective approaches that will improve cardiovascular health, these to promote appropriate screening