Health and Social Policy Report
Changes Required !
Clearly Define the problem using quantitative method ( too many chronic diseases .. and so on) in the introduction then provide and evidence of the prevalence of chronic disease in UAE.
Provide a thesis statement telling what the report is talking about. In the introductions as well
The policy options should be stated as option : A) B) etc. not a whole paragraph and each policy option should include intervention Points.
The conclusion should be at least 150 word!
Health and Social Policy Report
Introduction
Chronic diseases are ailments that take up long periods and commonly slow. Diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart conditions among others are the leading reason for the high number of deaths globally; 63%. Form the 36 million succumbed to the ailment in 2008, with 9 million being below the 60 years age and the rest being in countries that are less developed. In the United Arab Emirates, chronic ailments are a major case for concern. According to statistics the disease caused 67% of the deaths by 2002; 6100 people. A number of countries have initially focused on a wide range of issues on nutritional deficiency as well as the related mortality and morbidity in unborn children and others. There has similarly been an increase in the numbers of malnutrition due to obesity and the effect of inequitable dietary and life tendencies that are, in turn, due to chronic ailments like diabetes and cancer. The varied forms of malnutrition are related to issues of majority morbidity, mortality and poverty. Malnutrition is more prevalent in underdeveloped nations.
Diet and nutrition are very important considerations to ensure that a person is able to have and maintain good health. These are the issues that were discussed in the issue of the Funded Nursing Care and how it addresses malnutrition in the United Arab Emirates. It has been revealed that there are cases of chronic malnutrition and other chronic ailments in the UAE and that they put a great strain on public health. Also included in the report is the impact of diabetes which also comes as a result of malnutrition.
This paper looks at chronic diseases and goes deeper to explore the problem brought about by chronic diseases and injuries in the UAE. Special preference will be laid on diabetes in the UAE with the options available to FNC, some of the options being;
- Creating a wide range of NCDs prevention and control plan, which would involve the major player in the industry to play a role?
- Provision of affordable services with the removable of taxations on vital resources and allocation of finances.
- Better dietary methods and exercise as well as cigarette smoking termination. With an intervention strategy involving better exercise and nutritious food
Background
The Funded Nursing Care is a scheme where registered nurses finance a care home from what they earn. The nurses undertake a number of care tasks such as strategizing, overseeing the operations of the care home, and observing nursing and health operations.
Chronic ailments often acquire nursing care. They are long-term conditions which can be managed, but not cured, these ailments impacts on a large part of the society (Mandelstam, 2010).
It has been reported that a high percentage of people die from chronic ailments or are severely and permanently weakened. It is estimated that in the year 2001, about 60 percent of 55 million people around the world died from chronic illnesses. The public burden created rated a high 46 percent. This public burden is estimated to increase to 57 percent by 2020. Among these ailments are caused by or related to cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. A large percentage of populations all over the country are affected and more and more young people are affected.
In the United Arab Emirates, a section of the population has been seen to be affected by chronic disease and poor health. Studies show that nutrition related diseases are attributed to unhealthy living habits and poor physical and social settings. People are more susceptible to chronic illnesses when they have not practiced healthy nutrition habits, smoke, lack exercise and consume too much alcohol. Stress also contributes to ill health.
In reports of the Funding Nursing Care Scheme on nutrition-related chronic diseases ((NCDs), it was stated that 80 percent of males and 76 of females do not consume enough fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Some 38 percent of males and 57 percent of females lack exercise. In the meantime, approximately 39 percent of the male youths and 43 percent of young females spend over three hours sitting. These unhealthy habits contribute to the prevalence of obesity and increase the risk of people contracting chronic illnesses.
Most fortunately, the economic development of the UAE has made it possible for developments in society’s cultural aspects. The economic development has also resulted to better sanitation facilities and health infrastructure leading to a drop in the spread of communicable diseases. These improvements, in turn have allowed people to have longer expectancies, transform nutritional habits, drop negative physical tendencies. There is still, however, the phenomenon of chronic illnesses that affect even the younger generation.
Source: Statistical News (2007)
The release of reports on this matter has led sectors of society including the government to initiate a number of steps to manage chronic illnesses effectively. Public dissemination campaigns have been launched to ensure high public awareness on the extent and depth of the health problem and generate public support for prevention and management efforts. The efforts have been such that the social burden posed by chronic ailments has been lessened (Mandelstam, 2008).
In the UAE, the NCD plan targets unhealthy dieting and lack of exercise among the population. The NCD plan includes integrated methods in planning, application and assessment on matters of nutrition and exercise. It also comes in stages to addresses health advancement, illness prevention and health care for chronic health problems.
Surveillance is vital in the program advancement, application and assessment. It has been seen that the method employed by the World Health Organization (WHO) has been effective in many countries, so it is being followed in the UAE. The WHO’s method of surveillance includes the securing of public information and statistics on public health and cases of NCDs. All the information can be used to fight NCDs and to manage them (Khatib, 2004). Also, the creation of an associative study to assess the importance of the NCDs intervention offers a good base for prevention and control.
Discussion: Obesity in the UAE
In the UAE, there is a higher occurrence of obesity as compared to the prevalence of high alcohol consumption and smoking. According to an American research ((Malik and Bakir, 2006), people with obesity problems have more chronic ailments and live in lower living standards compared to alcohol drinkers. It is because of this that the UAE is addressing the issue of obesity as a prevalent health problem.
It has been report that through the years, people in the UAE have been increasing their food intake on the one hand, and decreased their physical activities on the other. Obesity has become a chronic ailment, which also results to diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses. These are among the leading causes of death in the UAE.
The Ministry of Health undertook a research that showed that 33 percent of females in the UAE who are married or in relationships are above the normal weight, while 38 percent of them suffered from obesity. On the other hand, 40 percent of surveyed men were above the average weight, and 16 percent were considered obese. Results show that 20 percent of the whole population is obese. These are higher percentages when compared to those in the US.
Policy Options and Implications
The public health sector in the UAE has seen the necessity of implementing effective strategies to promote better nutrition, healthier living habits and lifestyles among the population. These efforts of the government have taken into account the size of the population and number of people suffering from chronic illnesses like obesity. The local government units have also taken it upon themselves to implement programs and schemes on how to manage NCDs at the local level. The policy option available to FNC is an extensive NCDs prevention and control plan. This is composed of the public provision of health services, intervention on the risk aspects, observation and assessment.
Operations in the health services are a vital aspect of the NCD plan. Matters in cost-effectiveness, however, are important considerations given the state of current government resources for public health. For instance, cost-effective treatments for diabetes are expensive, but the disease is prevalent so measures have to be done to ensure that sufferers are provided treatment where they live.
In the meantime, good dietary schemes and exercise and cigarette smoking termination programs should also be implemented to help fight and control of chronic diseases (Ala’din, 1997). It has been recommended that the health system should include among its programs means of population interventions, prevention at all levels and the imposition of control and management over the communicable and non-communicable ailments.
Intervention on the known risk factors calls for a Life Course Strategy which addresses food consumption and exercise beginning from birth. Also, the prevention health models would be more effective if the policies on taxation, food and planning among others are made part of the country’s public health concerns.
Conclusion
NCDs are caused by poor diet and the lack of exercise. The high incidence of NCDs has become a public health concern in the UAE. Policy changes have been implemented to ensure that there is public awareness on NCDs and to make sure that NCDs become less of a public burden. The policies call into the frame every stakeholder to play a role in the management of the disease. This is bound to bring about the management of the disease for future generations to come. The UAE has made considerable steps to try and control chronic diseases and more so diabetes in its population. The results have been gradual and satisfactory considering the sensitization that has been put in place by the health organizations with help from the government. This is a reflection of what an effective and cooperative organization of resources and parties is able to do to manage such diseases.
References
Alwan, A. (1997). Noncommunicable diseases: a major challenge to public health in the region. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 3(1): 6-16.
Malik, M. & Bakir, A. (2006). National prevalence of obesity: Prevalence of Overweight And Obesity Among Children in the United Arab Emirates Obesity Reviews, 8(1):15-20.
Mandelstam, M. (2010). Quick Guide to Community Care Practice and Law. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Mandelstam, M. (2008). Community Care Practice and the Law. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Khatib, O. (2004). Noncommunicable diseases: risk factors and regional strategies for prevention and care. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 10(6):778-788.
Statistical News (2007).Non communicable diseases in Dubai situational analysis and challenges. Dubai: Statistical Analysis Section Issue 10.
