Download ESSAY PROMPTS 1 Introduction The illnesses and death cases in

Running Head: ESSAY PROMPTS
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Introduction
The illnesses and death cases in any region determine the disease
burden in various regions and states of the world. The higher the disease
prevalence, the higher is the disease burden and vice versa. Else, the
higher the ability of a country's healthcare system to handle the various
healthcare needs, the lower are the disease burden and successful the
system can be rated. The US healthcare system depicts a mixed scenario
regarding these perspectives. Despite the great prospects made in the
region's healthcare system regarding advancing the healthcare provision,
there have been increases in disease burden due to the rising cases of
degenerative and lifestyle diseases. Saguy (2013) refers to these diseases
as foodborne diseases caused a result of the poor eating habits common
in many American households presently. According to Saguy (2013),
lifestyle diseases affect people from poor and rich households alike.
However, the prevalence rates are consistently higher in developed
countries such as the US compared to the underdeveloped nations.
Overreliance on processed foods is the main cause of lifestyle diseases.
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Perspectives of illness and deaths in the USA
As has been highlighted in the beginning, the huge burden of
diseases in the United States stems mainly from lifestyle conditions.
Figure 1, for instance, highlights the disease burden and the associated
deaths for the years 2000, 2013 and 2014. The data shows that disease
burden in the US have been decreasing consistently from 2000 to date.
Nix (2015) attributes these to improvements in disease handling
capabilities aided by growths in technology, awareness creation and
improved access to healthcare for the majority of the US citizens.
Access to healthcare remains the major determinant of disease burdens
in any region of the world; the US is not an exception to these. The main
intention behind the establishment of the Affordable Care Act, famous
as Obamacare, was to improve access to healthcare and consequently
reduce the disease burden in the region.
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Figure 1: Disease burden and deaths in the US in 2000, 2013 and 2014
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, &
National Center for Health Statistics (2016)
As can be seen, the largest burden stems from the lifestyle (group
3) diseases which are inflicted primarily as a result of poor eating habits.
However, Improved access to care since 2010 when the Obamacare
came into action improved access to physician care and consequently
reduced the disease burden and deaths resulting from this disease as
well. According to a survey conducted by US Department of Health and
Human Services, CDC, & National Center for Health Statistics (2016)
from the perspective of the patients regarding the disease prevalence and
prospects in the USA, the majority of the people, 87% felt that the
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disease burden had reduced considerably since 2010 with only 13%
saying the high prices of healthcare in the region has prohibited access
to physician care making diseases and deaths more prevalent. Regarding
the types of illnesses, however, the majority are in agreement that the
lifestyle diseases remain the largest causes of deaths among many
Americans. The observations are consistent with the recent findings of
various studies conducted in the past (Nix, 2015; Dolores & Bates,
2008).
How individuals respond when faced with illnesses or deaths
The response to diseases and deaths is a critical factor regarding
diseases management and prevention. Still, Baskerville & Wood-Harper
(2016) highlights that the perception of the people regarding the
healthcare systems further determines their reactions and response to
diseases and deaths. According to Williams (2012), the responses to
disease and deaths among the Americans differ significantly according
to the different ethnic and socioeconomic groupings. The low-income
households, mainly the black American households, have the least
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access to disease and thus increased deaths amongst them. Baskerville &
Wood-Harper (2016) perception survey among the Americans indicates
that a majority of the people feel that the increased access to healthcare
services in the region has enabled many Americans to seek medical care
across the United States. Referring to this increased ease, Baskerville &
Wood-Harper (2016) concurs that most Americans perceive that the
death cases resulting from the inability to access medical care have
reduced compared to the past.
Conclusion and recommendations
Observably, the disease burden in the United States has decreased
considerably over the past years. Research indicates that the prevalence
of various diseases has been declining consistently from 2000 to 2014.
Nix (2015) attributes these to increased access to healthcare services for
many Americans, improved technological application in diseases
management and control. However, lifestyle diseases remain the most
prevalent forms of illnesses in the region. Consistent with these
statistics, there is a general perception that citizens' access to healthcare
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has improved significantly, therefore, reducing the deaths and disease
cases. However, disparities are still observed in ethnic groups with the
black Americans being the most affected with diseases and deaths most
as a result of inaccessibility to healthcare. According to Baskerville &
Wood-Harper (2016), improving accessibility to healthcare is the most
effective way of reducing diseases and deaths occurring from such. This
report recommends improving access and effective awareness creation
among the American citizens regarding the lifestyle diseases.
References
Baskerville, R. L., & Wood-Harper, A. T. (2016). A critical perspective
on action research as a method for information systems research.
In Enacting Research Methods in Information Systems: Volume
2 (pp. 169-190). Springer International Publishing.
Dolores, A., & Bates, L.M. (2008). Latino Health Paradoxes: Empirical
Evidence, Explanations, Future Research, and Implications. In
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Latinas/os in the United States: Changing the Face of America, p.
101-113.
Nix, K. (2015). "Comparative Effectiveness Research Under
Obamacare: A Slippery Slope to Health Care Rationing," Heritage
Foundation Backgrounder# 2679, April 12, 2012.
Saguy, A. (2013). What’s wrong with fat? Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, & National Center
for Health Statistics. (2016). Health, United States, 2015: With
special feature on racial and ethnic health disparities. Retrieved
December 11, 2016, from
<http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus15.pdf#019>.
Williams, D.R. (2012). Miles to go before we sleep: Racial Inequities in
Health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 35, 279-295.
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