Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Introduction
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a federal agency responsible for protecting the public health of Americans. One of the critical roles of the CDC is to address public health issues and implement programs that promote the essential services of public health. This research paper will focus on a potential practicum project aimed at addressing a public health issue. The public health issue chosen for this project is the increasing incidence of diabetes among the U.S. population. This paper will provide a background on diabetes, describe the essential services of public health, discuss the purpose of addressing this issue, apply theory to the project, and provide projected outcomes.
Background
Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by high blood glucose levels resulting from the body’s inability to produce or use insulin effectively. The disease affects millions of people worldwide and has significant implications for public health. According to the CDC, approximately 34.2 million Americans have diabetes, and an additional 88 million have prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes (CDC, 2021). Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and can lead to serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and blindness (CDC, 2021).
Essential Services of Public Health
The essential services of public health are a framework developed by the CDC to provide a comprehensive, organized approach to public health practice. The ten essential services are:
- Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems.
- Diagnose and investigate health problems and hazards in the community.
- Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues.
- Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems.
- Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
- Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
- Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
- Ensure a competent public and personal health care workforce.
- Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services.
- Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.
Purpose of Addressing the Public Health Issue of Diabetes
The purpose of addressing the public health issue of diabetes is to prevent new cases of diabetes, improve the quality of life for people with diabetes, and reduce the burden of diabetes on the healthcare system. The goal is to use the essential services of public health to promote healthy behaviors, increase awareness of diabetes and its complications, and provide access to diabetes management resources.