National Agenda for Public Health Action: A National Public Health Initiative on Diabetes and Women’s Health

• Diabetes • May 27, 10

What do we want?

The National Agenda for Action is founded on a realistic vision and on specific and attainable goals. These are consistent with the framework of Healthy People 2010, which establishes national targets that address primary prevention of diabetes and prevention of complications related to the disease.

Our Vision

* Diabetes among women can and should be prevented or at least delayed whenever possible.
* The families and communities of women at risk for diabetes can and should be informed and provided the support they need to prevent or delay diabetes and its complications.
* Appropriate care and management of diabetes can and should be promoted among women across the life stages.
* The complications of diabetes among women can and should be prevented, delayed, or minimized.

Our Goals

* We must garner the national attention of policy makers, public health professionals, other advocates for women’s issues, researchers, and the general public to achieve the realization that diabetes is a prominent public health issue.
* We must develop consensus among key stakeholders that there is a need to establish priority strategies, policies, and research to improve diabetes and women’s health.
* We must delineate the public health role in diabetes and women’s health at national, state, and community levels and improve the capacity of these public health sectors to fulfill that role.
* We must unite partners from multiple sectors of society in a coordinated strategy to prevent and manage diabetes among women.
* We must empower women to adopt prevention strategies that will improve their overall health and delay or prevent diabetes and its complications.

What are our guiding principles?

The guiding principles underlying the National Public Health Initiative on Diabetes and Women’s Health are equally important.

* A public health approach to diabetes among women should be adopted. This approach aims to improve the health and quality of life for all women primarily through prevention and focuses on all factors that influence health status—physical, behavioral, psychological, and socioeconomic.
* Collaboration within and among multiple sectors of society is essential for success. These sectors include public and private health care organizations, business and industry, education and environment, communication and media, and policy makers.
* Strategies and policies must fully consider and take into account the unique needs of women in different life stages among all racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural groups.
* Women and grassroots organizations should be fully engaged as active partners in policy decisions and in program planning, implementation, and evaluation. The strong involvement and support of men should be sought as well.
* Leaders of state and community agencies and groups must share accountability for adopting approaches to improve the health status of women.
* Actions should be based on sound research from all relevant scientific fields, and the pursuit of additional public health research should focus on filling gaps in scientific knowledge. Assessment must guide policy and program development.
* Measurable outcomes for programs and policies should be established so that progress and impact can be evaluated and approaches can be modified as needed.
* Strategies and policies must be sustainable and integrated over time and not just one-time interventions. New initiatives should build on existing resources, services, and natural links between local, state, and federal agencies and organizations in both the public and private sectors.