Statewide health, social services and political organizations have combined their efforts to fight chronic disease, Delaware’s number one cause of death and disability.
The groups recently formed a Delaware chapter of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, which is a national coalition of more than 125 organizations dedicated to helping people prevent chronic diseases.
The City of Wilmington, Delaware Ecumenical Council, Delaware State Government, AIDS Delaware, Christiana Care and Nemours are among the local organizations in the partnership.
Chronic diseases are serious issues in Delaware, a state where they affect 480,000 people -- more than half the state's population -- and account for 75 percent of all health care expenses, said Lt. Gov. John Carney.
But many chronic diseases, like heart disease, diabetes and cancer, can be prevented if people are willing to eat healthier, exercise and stop smoking cigarettes, Carney said.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the First State, according to the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS). One in five Delawareans smoke, but that number has declined every year since 1997, the DHSS reported.
However, the number of Delawareans who are overweight or obese increased by 5 percent between 2002 and 2006, according to the DHSS. Obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease and diabetes.
More than 58,000 Delawareans have heart disease and 39,000 are affected by diabetes, according to the Milken Institute.
Those high rates of chronic disease ldrive up the cost of health care, Carney said, and high costs can make treatment inaccessible for the 105,000 residents who lack health insurance.
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How healthy are NCCo residents? 19 percent live a sedentary lifestyle 24 percent are obese 38 percent are overweight 7 percent have diabetes 20 percent smoke cigarettes 7 percent are heavy drinkers 8 percent have no health insurance |
“Our overall goal is to get people to change behavior,” he said. “To let them know there are things you can do to prevent chronic disease.”
Preventing chronic disease will go a long way toward reducing health care costs, he said, but convincing adults to change their behavior is no easy task.
The group plans to spread the word about the serious health effects of chronic disease through public awareness campaigns, Carney said, hopefully convincing people to live healthier lifestyles.
Delaware is a small state, so the partnership should be able to reach many people through its efforts, said Rev. Robert Hall, executive director of the Delaware Ecumenical Council.
But raising awareness is just one of its goals.
The partnership also plans to encourage people suffering from chronic diseases to manage their diseases better, he said.
“A lot of people don’t go to the doctor until they get sick,” he said. “People think healthcare is about treatment, but it’s about prevention.”
Most insurance programs and Medicare cover many types of medical screenings for chronic disease, he said. Glaucoma, for example, affects many elderly people, but the disease can be detected and prevented by a simple examination that Medicare covers, Hall said.
Others think heart disease and cancer are rare diseases and do not realize they could easily be affected by living an unhealthy lifestyle, he said.
Chronic disease affects far too many people to ignore, he said.
“We can’t eradicate cancer and heart disease quite yet, but we can work to reduce it,” Hall said.
