Tracking Progess in Healthy People 2020 Across the Country - Essay Example

Tracking Progress in Healthy People 2020 in Iowa of AbstractPeople’s health all over the world is one of the greatest concerns of the governments and other stake holders. Despite the fact that adequate health care has not been realized for all the citizens in the USA, a lot is being done to ensure that the citizens enjoy a healthy living. One of the ways through which this has been done is by establishing the Healthy People 2020 policy that stipulates 39 health objectives aimed at promoting the health of Americans.

(DHHS, 2012). Notably, the adoption of these objectives has been patched all over America, with different states adopting them variably. In this discussion, an evaluation of how Iowa has adopted these objectives and the challenges being faced in their workability will be considered. Tracking Progress in Healthy People 2020 in IowaAlthough the objectives enshrined in the Healthy People 2020 are articulate and wider in scope, it is notable that they are not fully embraced by the states within the United States of America.

Iowa is one of the states that has not fully adopted these objectives despite the fact that the essence of the objectives is an all round support of the health of the citizens. Although Iowa has incorporated a number of objectives in its health promotion strategies, the espousal has been tailored to suit the Iowa community’s health needs in as far as the individual differences in the population are concerned. As such, most of the objectives have not been fully adopted the way they are in this state.

Going by the Iowa Health Improvement Plan 2012-2006, the objectives of Healthy People 2020 could not be practical enough given the high levels of disparity among the people in Iowa. One of the main challenges in meeting these targets is the scarcity of resources. (Sharma & Romas, 2011). A good number of Iowans are low income earners and this incapacitates the economy that is supposed to meet the financial demands implicated in these health objectives. (Shi & Stevens, 2010). For instance, one of the most anticipated health problems in Iowa is diabetes.

However, coming up with measures that are supposed to address this problem in time is such a big challenge given the scarcity of resources. (Shi & Stevens, 2010). Given this, only a partial and tailored adoption of these objectives is possible. In conclusion, the health promotion ideas enshrined in Health People 2020 can prove to be quite effective if well adopted. However, as seen through Iowa State, there is a deviation in the manner in which these objectives are being worked on. A number of challenges are imminent, with the shortage of resources being among the leading ones.

Given this, there is need to address the issues that impede the realization of these objectives in order to achieve the health targets of the state. ReferencesDHHS. (2012, August 2). Healthy People 2020. Retrieved from 2020 Topics & Objectives: http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/default.aspxSharma, M., & Romas, J. A. (2011). Theoretical Foundations of Health Education and Health Promotion. London: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.Shi, L., & Stevens, G. D. (2010).

Vulnerable Populations in the United States. New York: John Wiley & Sons.