Diabetes Prevention and Control:
A Public Health Imperative

Progress to Date

• Healthy People 2010 Objectives

The last two decades have provided great advances in clinical care for people with diabetes. For example, in 1981, photocoagulation treatment was proven effective in preventing diabetes-related blindness.⁸ Twelve years later, the results of the landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) established that intensive control of blood sugar greatly reduced microvascular complications among people with diabetes.⁹ In 2002, findings from the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) demonstrated that lifestyle changes and medications can help prevent diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance.¹⁰

Although diabetes cannot be “cured,” these findings prove that the devastation of diabetes can be dramatically reduced. However, for many reasons, large segments of the population have not benefited from these findings. Without broader public health interventions and additional resources, the prevalence of diabetes is expected to continue to increase. This chapter discusses a model for public health action to improve the lives of people, communities, and populations affected by diabetes. This model is based on existing and emerging science and public health experience.

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Healthy People 2010 Objectives
Healthy People 2010 is the third version of the Healthy People series published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in which it lays out 10-year health objectives for the nation. This document serves as a blueprint for identifying reasonable, science-based goals that can be modified as desired by state and federal agencies, local entities, and communities. Healthy People 2010 includes 467 objectives in 28 focus areas.

In recognition of the significance of the burden of diabetes and its impact on multiple systems within the body, the nation’s Healthy People 2010 objectives include several related to diabetes.¹¹ Most of these involve secondary prevention (preventing complications of diabetes) or tertiary prevention (preventing the progression of complications). A few involve primary prevention (preventing diabetes itself).

Healthy People 2010 Focus Area 5 contains 17 objectives directly related to diabetes prevention and control. Many other focus areas also contain objectives that relate to diabetes. For more information on the diabetes-related objectives in Healthy People 2010, visit www.healthypeople.gov.

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