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Publications and Products
Interim Report:
Proposed Recommendations for Action
A National Public Health Initiative on Diabetes and Women's Health
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Executive Summary
Diabetes is a serious public health issue affecting more than 17 million
Americans, more than half of whom are women. With the increasing life
span of women and the rapid growth of minority racial and ethnic populations
in the United States (who are hardest hit by the diabetes burden), the
number of women at high risk for diabetes and its complications will continue
to increase, placing added demands on the health care delivery system
and on other sectors of society. The estimated cost of diabetes to the
United States for direct health care and other indirect expenditures is
about $100 billion annually.
In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established
the National Public Health Initiative on Diabetes and Womens
Health, which has three phases. In Phase I, Diabetes &
Womens Health Across the Life Stages: A Public Health Perspective
was prepared. This report, published in 2001, examines the issues that
make diabetes a serious public health problem for women; analyzes the
epidemiologic, psychosocial, socioeconomic, and environmental dimensions
of women and diabetes; and discusses the public health implications. In
Phase II, the information contained in the Phase I report was converted
into an interim report containing recommendations for needed strategies,
policies, disease tracking, and research to improve the lives of women
diagnosed with or at risk for diabetes. Phase III will involve
preparing and implementing the National Public Health Action Plan on Diabetes
and Womens Health. This final phase of the Initiative will translate
the recommendations into concrete operational programs and policies for
relevant agencies and organizations.
This interim report culminates Phase II and was prepared jointly by
four cosponsoring organizations: CDC, the American Diabetes Association
(ADA), the American Public Health Association (APHA), and the Association
of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). The purpose of this
report is to offer priority recommendations for responding to diabetes
as a prominent public health issue for women and to garner the attention
of policy makers, public health professionals, other advocates for womens
issues, researchers, and the general public. In particular, this document
provides recommendations for persons charged with making decisions and
affecting policies related to diabetes and womens health.
This interim report outlines the vision and goals for the National Public
Health Initiative on Diabetes and Womens Health, guiding principles,
a public health framework, and a life stage approach for addressing diabetes
and womens health. These life stages are the adolescent years (ages
10-17 years), the reproductive years (ages 18-44 years), the middle years
(ages 45-64 years), and the older years (ages 65 years and above). Many
of the recommendations for public health action pertain to all women,
regardless of life stage; others are life stage-specific. While the emphasis
is specifically on womens health, adopting and implementing many
of the recommendations will improve the health and well-being of men and
families as well.
The ultimate vision is a nation in which:
- diabetes among women is prevented whenever possible,
- early diagnosis and appropriate management of diabetes among women
is promoted across the life stages,
- the occurrence of complications from diabetes among women is prevented,
delayed, or minimized, and
- women at risk for diabetes are provided the family and community support
needed to prevent diabetes and its complications.
The underlying principles support:
- a public health approach,
- collaboration within and between multiple sectors of society,
- consideration for the unique needs of different life stages among
racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural groups,
- full engagement of women and grassroots organizations,
- shared accountability by state and community leaders,
- actions based on sound research,
- measurable outcomes with which to evaluate progress, and
- sustainability of strategies and policies over time.
Several key strategy and policy recommendations pertaining to women of
all ages call for:
- strengthening advocacy on behalf of women with or at risk of diabetes,
- increasing awareness among the general public about the seriousness
and preventability of diabetes in women,
- expanding community-based health promotion education, activities,
and incentives for women of all ages in a wide variety of settings,
such as schools, workplaces, senior centers, churches, civic organizations,
and others,
- integrating diabetes messages and prevention activities within the
larger context of chronic disease prevention and health promotion,
- enhancing community development policies and practices (including
smart growth initiatives and empowerment zones) that promote
safe environments for physical activity,
- increasing availability and access to healthy food choices for all
sectors of the population,
- supporting policies and programs in schools and workplaces that respect
the health-related needs of their female students and employees, particularly
women with or at risk for diabetes,
- increasing the capacity of community programs to develop and disseminate
best practices and lessons learned,
- assuring access to trained health care providers who offer quality
services to prevent and manage diabetes among women of all ages, and
- expanding public and private health insurance packages to provide
adequate coverage for preventive care, including health promotion, health
and nutritional education, physical activity, self-management, and screening
for complications among women diagnosed with diabetes.
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Page last modified: December 20, 2005
Content Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Diabetes Translation
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