Health Populations with Health Policy Issues - Chronic Illness and Ageism

Lifestyle disease, according to Shiel is a disease associated with the way a person or group of people live. Lifestyle diseases include atherosclerosis, heart disease, and stroke; obesity and type 2 diabetes; and diseases associated with smoking and alcohol and drug abuse.

Hartley (2014) mentioned that common sense and a modicum of medical knowledge dictate that proper diet, exercise, and achieving a healthy weight will improve glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, metabolic function and reduce inflammation. Regular physical activity helps prevent obesity, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, colon cancer, and premature mortality.

Hartley (2014) then asked: If a chronic disease is triggered and exacerbated by poor lifestyle choices would it not make sense to address and correct those factors?

Corollary to this is the challenge of "living too long" because of the current focus of medical research on increasing the quantity, rather than the quality, of life. However, this dramatic increase in life expectancy did not come with a proportionate increase in quality of life for the elderly (Brown, 2014).

Thus we can corelate chronic illnesses with our elderly population. In addition, we will also look into ageism as an issue requiring policy interventions.

Age discrimination, also known as ageism, refers to the stereotyping of and discrimination against people because of their chronological age or a perception that they are “old” or “elderly” ( Butler, 1969 ).

The United Nations recently issued a news release declaring that ageism is a global challenge because of the effects that are far-reaching and is costing billions of dollars.

According to the Executive Summary of the Global Report on Ageism where they are pushing calls to action for the international community, there must be concrete actions made to increase older people’s quality of life, decrease their social isolation and loneliness (both of which are associated with serious health problems), provide avenues to express their sexuality and reduce their risk of violence and abuse.

The summary has cited three strategies that have been shown to work: policy and law, educational activities, and intergenerational contact interventions.

In a study by Levy, et. al (2018) it was found that the 1-year cost of ageism was $63 billion, or one of every seven dollars spent on the 8 health conditions. The 8 health conditions are Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Respiratory Disease, Musculoskeletal Disorders, Injuries, Diabetes mellitus, Mental Disorders, Non-communicable Diseases, and Treatment of Smoking. Four of the eight conditions are chronic illnesses.

One report showed that an effective communications policy, as well as advocacy initiatives, will cause people understanding what successful aging is ought to be: it includes lifestyle choices rather than as affected by supports, larger social structures, or ineffective and out-of-date public policies. The advocacy and communication policy will are likely reverse the view that poor seniors, and those with chronic illnesses, were also affected by having made bad choices, but also in relation to social determinants (O'Neil & Haydon, 2015).

As health information professionals, what can be our role in driving health care policy conversation in our own sphere of influence?