The adoption of healthcare policies in the USA aims at addressing the healthcare needs of the diverse populations as well as health equity. Health policies also aim at addressing the social determinants of health that the population experiences. Despite the focus on the above aims, some policy initiatives often fail to deliver their expected outcomes. An example is policies that aim at regulating the sale of sugar-flavored drinks and beverages in communities to promote the health of the population. There is a need for policy initiatives that aim at minimizing the exposure of the population to sugar-flavored sodas and beverages, as way of promoting their health. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to apply the Longest’s policy model in a public policy aiming at taxing sugared sodas/pop/beverages in my community.
Application of the Longest’s Policy to the Proposed Initiative
The Longest’s model is a theory utilized in the implementation of policy initiatives in a state or society. The model is a cycle comprising of steps that include formulation, implementation as well as modification. Each of the steps comprise of unique activities that are applicable to the proposed policy initiative aimed at taxing sugared drinks and beverages in my community. The first stage, formulation, entails the designing of the policy. The policy stakeholders undertake activities such as setting the agenda of the policy, aims, strategies, and alternatives for the policy to be adopted. The activities that would be undertaken in this phase in relation to the proposed initiative would include developing goals and objectives of the policy, informing legislators about the policy, coming up with strategies, and alternatives for policy implementation (Harrison et al., 2019).
Implementation is the second stage of the Longest’s model where the aim is the translation of the strategies into an
action plan. The strategies and alternatives developed in the formulation stage are implemented by taxing the sugared drinks and beverages in the community. The implementation phase will encompass the inputs from various stakeholders such as healthcare providers, public health officials, and the community members. I will implement the selected strategies in this phase to ensure the realization of the desired outcomes of the project. Modification is the last stage where the strategies are re-invented to enhance their relevance and effectiveness in facilitating the desired outcomes. Data will be collected and analyzed to provide insights into the effectiveness of the adopted methods (Harrison et al., 2019). Continuous assessments will be done to ensure the incremental improvements in the outcomes of the policy.
Arguments to Make the Case for the Policy
Sugar-flavored drinks and beverages have negative effects to the health and wellbeing of the public. Accordingly, they predispose the population to health problems that include obesity and diabetes. Evidence-based data recognizes that the prevention of obesity and its associated complications requires the reduction of consumption of sugary diets in daily food intake (Bleich & Vercammen, 2018). The World Health Organization asserts that sugar should comprise less than 10% of the daily dietary intake to minimize their predisposition to health problems. Increased consumption of sugary products also increases the risk of health problems such as tooth decay (Malik & Hu, 2019). Therefore, it is important to regulate sale of sugar-flavored drinks and beverages in the community, as a way of promoting its health.
Order this paper