Introduction
The official statistic shows that the United States’ life expectancy rate is significantly lower than in the majority of developed countries of the world. The health status of a country’s citizens is the basic indicator of a nation’s welfare that depends on a variety of factors, including demographics, leading causes of death, and overall lifestyle. As a state that leads the world in many other domains, the USA must make an effort to improve this bad statistic and ensure better health outcomes for its citizens. As a multi-ethnic country that represents the global population in its diversity, the USA faces considerable challenges on the way to improving health throughout all groups. The ultimate goal of such an endeavour is the increase of longevity and facilitation of quality of life. The task of the health care system is to implement effective changes by addressing the most critical areas of influence. An effective way to address the problem of promoting better health for the American population is to reduce rates of chronic diseases, minimize health disparities for minorities, and promote a healthy lifestyle.
Ways to Improve Health in the USA
The general health status of a country is comprised of the citizens’ state of health. The international comparison of life expectancy shows that “the United States ranked 27th and 26th out of 33 countries within its peer group of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries for life expectancy at birth for females and males, respectively” (Healthy People 2020, 2020, para. 5). This fact explicitly demonstrates that the USA is in need of restructuring currently implemented health-related practices to improve the overall health outcomes for all citizens. It is possible to achieve this goal by identifying the most important areas, which are now defined as insufficiently developed or those requiring immediate action. The analysis of literature on the topic implies that there are three critical areas that obstruct health improvement for Americans. They include health disparities that lead to health status inequality, chronic diseases as the leading cause of death among Americans, and unhealthy lifestyles (Abbott & Elliott, 2017; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019; Michener & Briss, 2019). Therefore, it is crucial to address these issues in an attempt to improve health in the USA.
Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment
The essence of the successful performance of any health care system is its capacity to treat diseases effectively in order to prevent high morbidity and ensure populations’ longevity. The issue of chronic disease treatment and prevention is particularly relevant to the USA. It is justified by the fact that for approximately two decades, chronic medical conditions, including heart disease and cancer, have been the leading causes of premature death (CDC, 2019). In order to reduce rates of chronic diseases among the US population, specifically designed measures need to be implemented. It is important to implement coordinated care for people with severe medical conditions and facilitate the evidence basis and technological opportunities for timely screening and diagnosing the most dangerous illnesses (Michener & Briss, 2019). Importantly, “public health cannot reduce chronic disease rates alone, and neither can health care” (Michener & Briss, 2019, p. 2). Therefore, health care agencies need to establish a partnership with community organizations to address the tentative problem of chronic diseases on the local level. It will allow for engaging various resources and relevantly address all applicable factors to prevent and treat chronic illnesses more efficiently.
Health Disparities Elimination
The elimination of health disparities as the main contributor to health inequality among diverse ethnic populations residing in the USA is the core step in achieving better health outcomes on a national scale. Indeed, the statistic shows that ethnic minorities are disproportionately exposed to higher mortality and morbidity rates in comparison to the prevailing white population (Abbott & Elliott, 2017). Despite the overall development in the field of research, technological assistance, and care, there are significant practical gaps in timely addressing of the issues determining minorities’ quality of health and access to health care. In order to fill this gap, Abbott & Elliott (2017) claim that home visits conducted by public health nurses might be a valuable means for “health promotion, education, control of communicable diseases, and follow-up referral of patients to community resources” (p. 4). In such a manner, the health-related needs of the populations affected by health disparities will be met at a local level. On a larger scale, such efforts will contribute to the promotion of equity in public health, improve the health status of the minorities, and ultimately better the average statistics of health in the country.
Healthy Lifestyle Promotion
A vitally important step to achieving improved health goals is to promote a healthy lifestyle across all populations. The contemporary advancement in the technological field allows for a broad utilization of devices and applications for health benefits. As the statistic demonstrates, smoking, obesity, and the lack of physical activity are recognized as significant risk factors that contribute to the development of health impairments (CDC, 2019). These factors are manageable, and their harmful effect on well-being and health outcomes might be prevented by means of adequately designed healthy lifestyle promotion campaigns. According to Bearman, Reich, and Neckerman (2019), technology might be a powerful tool to achieve better health behaviours in Americans. Indeed, the usage of wearable devices and mHealth applications might facilitate people’s attention to their lifestyle, correct their harmful habits, improve nutrition plans, and increase physical activity. In addition, community-based partnership programs with supermarket chains might be a good way to promote a healthy diet, which is a crucial factor in health (Michener & Briss, 2019). Efforts in these areas will help to improve the health status of the American population from a long-term perspective.
Conclusion
In conclusion, to promote better health for the American population, the state needs to facilitate its actions aimed at reducing rates of chronic diseases, minimizing health disparities for minorities, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. The efforts for reducing chronic illnesses as the main cause of death in the USA need to incorporate facilitated screening, coordinated care within community-based partnership programs. The elimination of health disparities must be tackled at a local level via nurses’ home visits to ensure adequate work with the particular problems of ethnic minority populations. Also, the promotion of a healthy lifestyle is a core element of strengthening the nation’s health and preventing both physical and mental health impairments. An effective way to implement this idea is by promoting mHealth applications and wearable devices use that will facilitate healthy behaviours in the population. Overall, the proposed ways to promote better health for the American population address the major problematic issues, the solving of which will ensure improved well-being and longevity.
References
Abbott, L. S., & Elliott, L. T. (2017). Eliminating health disparities through action on the social determinants of health: a systematic review of home visiting in the United States, 2005–2015. Public Health Nursing, 34(1), 2-30. doi: 10.1111/phn.12268
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). At-a-glance table. Web.
Bearman, P., Reich, A., & Neckerman, K. (2019). The domestic health index: How wearable devices can promote the culture of health. Web.
Healthy People 2020. (2020). General health status. Web.
Michener, J. L., & Briss, P. (2019). Health systems approaches to preventing chronic disease: New partners, new tools, and new strategies. Preventing Chronic Disease Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy, 16(136), 1-3. Web.