Diabetes is a serious public health disorder. There are more women with diabetes than men and women with diabetes live longer than men with diabetes. The CDC's division of Diabetes Translation is in the process of launching an Initiative on Diabetes and Women's Health. The initiative will have 3 parts. Part 1 is the development and completion of a monograph on Diabetes and Women's Health A Public Health Perspective. Using well defined stages in the development of women's lives the adolescent years, the reproductive years, the middle years, the elderly years, the effect of diabetes on women will be examined, thereby illustrating the features of the social and environmental context in which women live that may constitute barriers to maintaining and improving the health status of women in general, and the impact on women with diabetes. Part 2 of the initiative is the formation of a national workgroup for the development of a National Public Health Action plan for Diabetes in women. This workgroup will consist of representatives from various public and private sectors that impact on the health of women, public health policymakers, and women's health advocates. The plan will develop recommendations. set priorities, and outline strategies for addressing challenges faced by women with diabetes with the goal of improving the quality of care and services being delivered to persons with diabetes. Finally, a workshop will be implemented to unveil the action plan and to unite our partners to reduce the burden of this disease in women.
Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will be able to discuss the steps in the process for influencing systems change for persons with diabetes. 2. Participants will gain a better understanding of the contextual issues impacting on the health of women with diabetes. 3. At the end of the session participants will be able to present 3 reasons why diabetes is a women's health issue.
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Diabetes
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.