Proactive Health: Diabetes and the New York Population

PROACTIVE HEALTH COMMUNICATION PLAN
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Proactive Health Communication Plan
Introduction
Health communication is considered to encompass the use of communication strategies in informing and influencing community and individual decision in enhancing their health. Communication plans, therefore, link the domains of communication and health and remain increasingly essential elements of efforts aimed at improving public and personal health. Health communication contributes to all aspects designed to preventing diseases and health promotion approaches. In this case, individuals need to consider that an effective health communication approach helps in raising awareness of health risks and solutions, hence providing the skills and motivation required for reducing the risks associated with diseases and establishing effective methods of empowering communities in managing health risks (Ballard & Dymond, 2016). Health communication also increases the demand for efficient health services and decreases the demand for inappropriate health services. This paper explores the element of proactive health communication plans in a bid to address the health risks associated with a population detailed. On the other hand, the paper will apply a health communication theory to address the selected issue.
Diabetes and the New York Population
New York City is one of the largest cities in the United States of America. The city is positioned in the southern part of New York State. According to the 2010 census, the population of New York stands at 8, 178, 133, with 3, 885,545 (48.5%) males, and 4,293,589 females (52.6). The white population stands at 3, 657,346 thus accounting for 44.0% of all the people, while the black’s population stands at 2,089.510 thus demarcating a 25.5% of the population (Ammendolia et al., 2016). According to results from the population census, Native Americans and Natives from Alaska also constitute 0.7% of the population, figuring around 57,517, the Asians at 12.6% thus amounting to 1,038,450, while other races represent a 13.0% of the state’s population, hence standing at 1,067,345. It is additionally essential to consider that two other races constitute the people of NY (Ballard & Dymond, 2016). These races include the Hispanics and the Latino’s who form close to 28.7% of the population, with a figure of 2, 436,078. It is, therefore, important to consider that close to 700,000 New Yorkers suffer from diabetes, with close to a third not fully aware they have this disease. On the other hand, 40% of the elementary school children are recorded to be overweight, an aspect that puts them at risk for diabetes.
Health Risks Associated with the New York Population
Diabetes impacts close to 700,000 New Yorkers. The type 2 diabetes is found at an alarming rate among several ethnic minority groups in New York such as the Latino’s, African Americans, and the Asians. It is important to understand that the risks for type 2 diabetes are considered to increase with age, with particular reference to individuals at the age of 45. Additionally, it is significant to consider that a section of New York’s elementary school children are prone to contracting type 2 diabetes in instances of strong genetic predisposition to overweight (Ballard & Dymond, 2016). Given this, it is essential to establish that the risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes include inactive lifestyle, high blood sugar pressures and high levels of fat in the blood, particularly those with low HDL cholesterol.
Health Communication Concept or Theory
The field of health communication is weaved under a number of theories and models to achieve effectiveness in the dispensation of health promotion messages, an aspect that enables health promoters to reach the targeted audiences. Among these theories is the Diffusion of Innovation Model that propagates the use of interpersonal channels on the assumption that they are effective in persuading communities to accept new concepts and ideas in reaching all people within a social system. The inclusion of this concept in the management of diabetes in New York entails the communication of ideas through particular channels over time among the members of a social group (Black et al., 2016). The optimal management of type 2 diabetes, in this case, requires the achievement of blood pressures, optimal glucose levels, and lipid targets, with this, achieved through the promotion of prudent dieting, the consideration of regular physical activities, and adherence to the required medication through mass media campaigns and educational programs. This necessitates the need to develop new programs that would coordinate the necessary multidisciplinary services. Diffusion of innovation theory offers a conceptual framework that would be used in facilitating the implementation of these programs in New York.
The adoption of the diffusion innovation theory, therefore, follows a five-stage decision-making approach which incorporates knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation in the management of diabetes programs in New York. The knowledge stage consequently raises the awareness of individuals in becoming aware of innovation and gaining an understanding of its advantages in the management of...