More Prognostications About Diabetes - 2

This is part two of prognostications. I vented a little with the last one so I'll try to stay with the positive on this one. When dealing with Type 2 diabetes, overweight/obesity is normally part of the discussion as it will be this time. One of the largest concerns by some in the insurance industry is the overweight/obesity from youngsters to the elderly.

While I am surprised by some in the insurance industry, they actually are starting to realize that if they can step in and do some preventative actions, the amount of money that can be saved is very substantial. By working with the medical community and encouraging them to intervene and to work with the people of all ages to encourage them to lose weight, later health problems will be reduced.

What surprised me is a few doctors are actually doing this and actually testing many more people for diabetes. If the medical community can succeed with this, many people will be able to prevent onset of diabetes or delay it for many years. When there is over two-thirds of US adults and 17 percent of children that are overweight/obese and still rising, this means that diabetes and prediabetes will continue to rise.

The authors quote studies showing if a person increases in body weight by 11 to 16 pounds of they are doubling their risk of Type 2 diabetes and an increase of body weight by 17 to 24 pounds triples their risk. Since diabetes generally follows the course from obesity, to prediabetes, and then diabetes, many feel that the place to start is before prediabetes.

The United Health Group offers four solutions. Three of the solutions involve intervention strategies and the other is a medication and care compliance program. Interventions would involve lifestyle to include public health and more extensive use of wellness programs, community-based intervention programs, and public-private partnerships for lifestyle intervention.

This is where I have to say, not well done. They are looking to unproven and unreliable public health and community-based programs which also are notoriously unreliable. There are a few community-based programs that are successful because of the strong people operating them. I have to ask why the UHG is unwilling to work wit the medical community and pay the doctors to do the intervention? Also in some areas of the country there are strong nurse groups that are capable to this work.

This is the second part of three parts.