New Strategies for Preventing Diabetes

New Strategies for Preventing Diabetes

Changing the view of preventing, living and dealing with diabetes

After reading the article “Living at an Epicentre of Diabetes, Defiance and Despair”, it comes clear that
the common problem of the people living with this illness can be resumed within the next points:

 A perception that diabetes is more a nuisance in their normal lives rather than an illness and a
threat to their lives.
 There is not any notion, within these people, that diabetes can be prevented.
 There is no interest within the diabetic people for following the illness’ treatments that can help
them to live with a better quality life.
 They live within an environment that does not help the prevention of diabetes.
 As a consequence of the illness, this people tend to get depressed and more sedentary. Both
things are known to have a negative impact on their treatments and health.

The strategies that have come to my mind after studying the theme will be exposed, with focus in three
main tasks, which will cover the points previously mentioned: 1. Education in diabetes, 2. Social and
governmental programs, and 3. Informative diffusion.

1. Education in diabetes

The main task for dealing with diabetes must be the education and knowledge on what diabetes is and
how to prevent it. Within the East Harlem community, exists almost a complete ignorance about what
diabetes is, although a large number of people suffer from it. They see diabetes as something
problematic but normal in the course of their lives.

The first intention of educate people in diabetes is to set them up to see that diabetes can and must be
prevented, by doing simple activities. The second intention is for the people to know from an early age
the problems caused by this illness.

For covering both issues, the recommendation is to implement a permanent educational program in
schools, from 1st. Grade up to High School, in which students learn about the causes of diabetes and
how to avoid them. The intention is not to have a “Diabetes Program” as a curricular subject but to
inform people about the problems of the illness. As part of the educational program, it would be
possible that diabetic volunteer people could be able to give lectures about the illness for the students.
This would be helpful for getting diabetic people in productive activity and away from depression.

1.1 Implementation plan

The first step in implementing a successful plan for education in diabetes is to have qualified personnel
instructing about diabetes in the schools. These personnel can be the current teacher teams in each
school. The general strategies for implementing this educational program are outlined in the next plan.

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New Strategies for Preventing Diabetes
Ste Strategy
p
1 Train school teachers
for properly inform
their students
concerning diabetes
and its prevention.
2 Inform the parents
about the reaching of
the program and what
is expected from them
to educate their
children in diabetes.
3 Educate students about
prevention of diabetes
and the importance of
having regular tests for
early diagnosis.
Objective Supporters Why? Opposers What to do?
Having good and Medical centres, Diabetes is becoming a Alcoholic beverages Truthfully inform society
qualified personnel to government. public health problem. producers, high sugar about the effects of junk
achieve the strategy The more informed the beverages producers, trans food and alcohol on
pointed, at the lowest people are; the fats foods and meals increasing the risks of
cost possible. possibilities of producers, candy developing diabetes in
prevention of illness are manufacturers. children and youth.
bigger. Legislate if necessary.
Having students and Society in Information is health. Alcoholic beverages Truthfully inform society
parents informed about general, medical producers, high sugar about the effects of junk
the problems of diabetes centres, beverages producers, trans food and alcohol on
from an early age to government. fats foods and meals increasing the risks of
prevent a greater number producers, candy developing diabetes in
of ill people in the manufacturers. children and youth.
future. Legislate if necessary.
Creating awareness Society in Information is health. Alcoholic beverages Truthfully inform society
within the students for general, medical producers, high sugar about the effects of junk
taking care of their centres, beverages producers, trans food and alcohol on
health. government. fats foods and meals increasing the risks of
producers, candy developing diabetes in
manufacturers. children and youth.
Legislate if necessary.
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New Strategies for Preventing Diabetes

2. Social and governmental programs

From the spectrum of options that doctors recommend to prevent diabetes, the simplest are limiting
consume of Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) and high sugar foods, and doing physical exercise
regularly. So on, both social and governmental programs must be focused on offering and ensure
options for the people to have the meals they need, and getting physical activities centres (gyms, public
parks) nearer to the common people.

Concerning the first issue, legislation can be done for limiting the use of LDL’s in the manufacture and
in-restaurant cooking of food. In California, a legislation that is active since January 1 st, 2010, prohibits
the use of “trans fats” for preparing meals, due to consuming “trans fats” is linked to coronary heart
disease. Also, “trans fats” reduces the amount of good-cholesterol, which is believed to be a factor that
can cause diabetes.1 2

For the medical recommendations about limiting or reducing consume of high sugar foods as well as
beer and alcohol, sodas and tobacco, the social programs should be focused on prevention of the illness
rather than just information. The recommendation is having lectures on diabetes and risks factors for
acquiring diabetes at open areas, such as in public parks and squares, which openly explain how the
consumption of these kinds of foods can be influential in developing diabetes. When information on
health care is given in such way, people tend to get involved in the lecture, opposite as when the
information is given in closed spaces as in libraries or in non-formal ways. The objective is to inform
and make people conscious about diabetes. Also, the lecturers can be diabetic volunteers.

In the East Harlem community, as it is pointed in the article, there is lack of a good and complete offer
in foods and meals that diabetic people needs, because there is non-full availability of sugar free, low-
fat or non-fat meals3. That is part of a non-healthy environment for diabetic people to endure their
illness, but also is a consequence of what people is demanding for eating within the community. This
poor demand of healthy meals is a mirror of the lack of education and knowledge in diabetes. As long
as the people remain non-educated and ignorant about how to prevent diabetes in their lives, there is no
chance for an improvement in their global health.

Physicians recommend moderated physical exercise and activity as a way of, first, control body weight
and thus reduce the risk of developing diabetes and, second, managing diabetes during the illness. In the
specific case of the East Harlem community, people is reluctant to practice exercise or physical
activities due to the entrance fees charged in private gyms. Considering that physicians recommend
performing around 20 minutes of physical exercise three times per week for combating diabetes, it
would be a good idea to have public gyms at reach for the people in the East Harlem community. A
second step for this program must be a proper follow up of diabetic people in the community, to ensure
that they are accepting and getting in the public gym program to improve their health. The objective is
having the greater number of diabetic people getting in the public gyms doing actions to improve their
quality of life.

2.1 Implementation plan

The plan for implementing these social and government programs must be focused, along with the
prevention of the illness, in the money savings that can be achieved in the future with the

Associated Press (July 25, 2008), California bans trans fats in restaurants, MSNBC, May 31, 2010,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25853307/
2

Wikipedia (May 25, 2010), Trans fat, Wikipedia.org, May 31, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat
3

N. R. Kleinfield (January 10, 2006), Living at an epicentre of diabetes, defiance and despair, The New York
Times, May 31, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/10/nyregion/nyregionspecial5/10diabetes.html

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New Strategies for Preventing Diabetes

implementation of these programs. Currently, the treatment of patients with diabetes is pointing to
become a budgetary and social security and health problem in the near future. 4

N. R. Kleinfield (January 9, 2006), Diabetes and its awful toll quietly emerge as a crisis, The New York Times,
May 31, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/09/nyregion/nyregionspecial5/09diabetes.html

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New Strategies for Preventing Diabetes
Ste Strategy
p
1 Bring to debate and
legislation a law that
prohibits or at least
limits the use of trans
fats for preparing foods
and meals in
restaurants.
2 Create a program for
giving lectures and
information about
diabetes and its
prevention in open and
public places.
3 Ensure that low-fat or
non-fat and sugar free
foods and meals are
available in areas with
a greater number of
diabetic patients.
4 Establish public gyms
in areas with a large
concentration of
diabetic patients.
Objective Supporters Why? Opposers What to do?
Decreasing the intake Society in The possibility of having a Restaurants, meal, trans Present the strategy project all
of unsaturated fats general, healthier diet without making fats foods and meals stakeholders with truthfully
and LDL, which medical any extra or high expenditure. producers, fast food and certain information about
represent a probable centres. restaurants. the health risks that are
increase in risk intended to be eliminated or
factors for developing minimized.
diabetes.
Getting a new and Society in The information given in such Alcoholic beverages Continuously inform the
different approach to general, way reduces operational costs producers, high sugar society about the benefits of
people to medical and can be quickly and easily beverages producers, prevention of diabetes, in
continuously educate centres, implemented. trans fats foods and order to get the society in
them in diabetes. government. meals producers, candy general demanding this
Getting diabetic manufacturers. information above
people involved in commercial interests.
diabetes prevention.
Offering diabetic Society in Diabetes is a common Trade and chain Legislation can be made for
patients the highest general. problem in society and it is markets. the trade and chain markets to
number of options becoming a public health comply a requirement of
available in foods and problem. offering foods and meals for
meals, so they can diabetic patients when their
have a good quality stores were located in areas
life. with high concentration of
diabetics inhabitants.
Getting the people Society in People often see a gym not as City budgetary The project of establishing
actively involved in general, a way to prevent diabetes and committees. public gyms must be
preventing diabetes medical cardiovascular problems, but presented along with the
by exercising centres, as a large expenditure in estimated savings for the city
themselves. government. vanity. By establishing public in social security and health
gyms, people will be expenditures. The costs of
encouraged to get healthier at diabetes treatments are rising
a low cost. very quickly.5
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New Strategies for Preventing Diabetes

3. Informative diffusion

According to the article, most of the people in the East Harlem community lives within a depressing
environment, filled with rampant poverty and poor access to medical cares. This makes difficult for the
people to worry for their own health as they say they have much more complex problems to worry than
diabetes. This way of thinking makes people to ignore their symptoms, to skip their medication and
blood sugar level daily measurements, to keep on bad food habits and not doing physical activity as
they feel nothing is going to change in their own or their children lives, due to they have diabetes,
becoming into a vicious circle.

Among these things, people in East Harlem sees only the very most negative side of diabetes and none
of the benefits of following up the recommended treatment, because the very most negative side of
diabetes is the only side that is being “sold” to them. The current information programs talk much more
about the consequences of having diabetes than how to prevent it. They often pictures ill people looking
for help, sending people a message of “Take care of your health or you will end up like me”. In the
article, it even recalls a passage in which a diabetes fighting coalition scatters drawings of a barefoot
woman suffering diabetes, asking people for taking care of their own health. The depicted woman
turned to have died because of the illness. Due to many people with diabetes passes through a denying
phase before admitting they have the illness; it leads people to ignore their own symptoms as they do
not want to be the next ill person.

The recommendation on this issue is to focus on the benefits of taking care of own health and
preventing diabetes. A positive impact in the people could be achieved if the desired information is
“sold” in a positive manner. Focusing on the benefits of preventing and following up the recommended
treatments when needed, will set a message that normal and better quality life can be achieved despite
the illness and that preventing can be funny.

The objective is always to have people very well informed in a manner that can be attractive to them.
The more attractive the programs are to people, the more probable the programs will have the desired
recruitment and will work better. An attractive informative diffusion program will benefit and inspire
the greater number of people, with the resulting benefits in their health.

3.1 Implementation plan

The focus of this stage should be pointed to changing the perception of the people about that with
diabetes, normal life ends. The perception should be changed to that people can see that preventing
diabetes brings health benefits besides avoiding the illness. For achieving this, the prevention of
diabetes must “sell” the idea that preventing can be attractive and funny to people.

John Easton (October 27, 2008), Cost of diabetes nearly doubled since 2001, Eurekalert.org, May 31, 2010,
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-10/uocm-cod102208.php

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New Strategies for Preventing Diabetes

Ste Strategy Objective Supporters Why? Opposers What to do?

p
1 Review the current information Eliminating bad focused Medical It will make easier the City The project must be
strategy and contents in order to messages for eliminate centres, prevention job that medical budgetary presented with the
establish what is wrong and what wrong perceptions about government. centres are already committees. estimated savings for future
the message that is desired to prevention and dealing performing. social security and health
communicate is. with diabetes. expenditures by preventing
diabetes.
2 Release new information about Eliminating bad focused Medical There would be a clearer City The project must be
prevention and dealing with messages for eliminate centres, perspective about taking budgetary presented with the
diabetes, which communicates a wrong perceptions about government. good care of health is easy committees. estimated savings for future
message focused in health benefits prevention and dealing and produces benefits in social security and health
of prevention and correct treatment with diabetes. many aspects beyond expenditures by preventing
of diabetes. physical health. diabetes.

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