Providers must look into their community for novel ways to promote healthier lifestyle
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Key takeaways:
- Community-level programs are key to disease prevention and improving health outcomes.
- Providers must interact with their community to learn its needs and come up with ways to promote a healthy lifestyle.
SEATTLE — Promoting disease prevention is critical for improving public health in the U.S., and providers can contribute at the individual level by interacting more with their community, according to a speaker.
During a keynote address at the AACE Annual Scientific and Clinical Conference, Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, founder and CEO of the Gulf States Health Policy Center and a former U.S. surgeon general, discussed some of her efforts for improving disease prevention in the U.S. Benjamin emphasized how individual providers can address social determinants of health at a community level and how the collective effort of many can improve health outcomes.
“Involve the community, share with them the knowledge that you have, whether you are a researcher, a practicing physician or a social worker, involve the community,” Benjamin said during the presentation. “They look up to you. That’s what leadership is about, sharing and engaging.”
Improving health outcomes overall is a critical issue in the U.S. Data from the 2013 National Research Council and Institute of Medicine Report revealed the U.S. ranked last in a health ranking of the 17 wealthiest countries in the world. Of the nations included in the report, the U.S. had the highest rate of all-cause mortality, deaths from violence, motor vehicle accident deaths and deaths related to maternal complications from pregnancy.
Within the U.S., health outcomes differ by community. Southern states in particular rank among the bottom for various metrics, including obesity and preterm birth rate.
Benjamin, who has spent most of her career caring for people at a rural clinic in Alabama, described how she saw first-hand the health struggles many people had, especially those facing more social determinants of health. As surgeon general, Benjamin’s experiences would play a pivotal role in the development of the National Prevention Strategy, which was published in 2011. Benjamin served as the chair of the National Prevention Council, which put together the document.
“Our vision was to move our health care system from a focus on sickness and disease to a focus on wellness and prevention,” Benjamin said.
The core goal of the National Prevention Strategy was to increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life. Four key tenets were cited as necessary to achieve the strategy:
- empowered people;
- healthy and safe community environments;
- clinical and community preventive services; and
- elimination of health disparities.
Benjamin said these tenets incorporate all aspects of life, from developing safer highways and promoting cleaner air to encouraging people to eat healthier foods.
“People need to understand that almost everything we do, even if it’s not labeled health or prevention, it really does affect the health and quality of life for all Americans,” Benjamin said.
After finishing her term as U.S. surgeon general, Benjamin founded the Gulf States Health Policy Center in 2013. The center partners with BayouClinic Inc., the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Southern Mississippi to identify health challenges in the local community and determine strategies for conquering those challenges. The organization looks at health through a wide scope and holds events that promote financial literacy, teach people how to cook healthier meals and organize a group of Black women who hold walks to promote public health.
To eliminate disparities and improve public health, Benjamin encouraged providers to look at their own community for opportunities to promote a healthier lifestyle. She said the goal is to go beyond health equity and to eliminate all health disparities so all Americans can benefit.
“We need to give them the tools and the resources ... so that no one will be on the outside,” Benjamin said. “That’s where we’ll be at when we get to health equity and eliminate all of these disparities.”
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Benjamin R. Keynote on addressing social determinants of health. Presented at: American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Annual Scientific and Clinical Conference; May 4-6, 2023; Seattle.
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