Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to analyze and synthesize research and non-research evidence to present a global health problem and intervention to address it. The global issue addressed in this paper is diabetes, the incidence of which has increased significantly in recent years and threatens the health and lives of more than 400 million people (Ford et al., 2021). However, according to research, a healthy diet and 150 minutes of physical activity per week significantly reduce the risk of diabetes (Ford et al., 2021). Nevertheless, most people have low health literacy and motivation to apply these measures and require education on this topic. For this reason, this paper will present such an intervention as an education program to increase physical activity for people at high risk of diabetes, based on the evidence from the studies by Ford et al. (2021), Mathe et al. (2017), and Pham and Nguyen (2019).
Analysis of the Practice Problem
Diabetes mellitus is a severe problem in all countries of the world, including the United States. Although diabetes is not a fatal disease, high blood glucose levels negatively affect blood vessels and, as a result, harm the functioning of all organs. Consequently, people living with diabetes can face such complications as vision loss, kidney disease, heart disease, and tissue death leading to limb amputation (“Diabetes,” 2021). There are approximately 422 million people living with diabetes in the world today, and 1.5 million people died in 2019 from diabetes-related causes (“Diabetes,” 2021). In the US, 34 million people live with diabetes, and an additional 88 million Americans are diagnosed with prediabetes (” National Diabetes,” 2020). At the same time, while a part of the population has a higher risk of morbidity due to adverse socio-economic conditions and limited access to medical services, most people are faced with diabetes due to a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle. Consequently, the data demonstrate that the problem of diabetes in the United States is serious in terms of both the consequences and the fact that the preventable disease is becoming more and more threatening for the population.
For this reason, the US government and health care system need to take action to promote diabetes prevention in the population. This solution also has economic advantages for the country; as compared to the cost of treatment of diabetes and its consequences, prevention programs are not expensive. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the economic cost of diabetes is $ 327 billion per year (“Cost-effectiveness of diabetes,” 2021). In addition, complications of diabetes often lead to the inability of people to work, which also brings additional costs for the state to provide material support for such people. However, preventive measures aimed at reducing the incidence of diabetes and avoiding its consequences can significantly reduce these costs. Thus, diabetes prevention is a significant health issue in the United States and the national health care system, both from a perspective of people’s well-being and economic cost.
Evidence Synthesis
Analysis of the literature has also demonstrated that diabetes is a severe problem that requires research and prevention. Ford et al. (2021), Mathe et al. (2017), and Pham and Nguyen (2019) examined different aspects of diabetes and its effects on human health and showed some common points (Appendix A). For example, all researchers find and give examples of the negative impact of diabetes on human health, talking about its dangers to the functioning of the heart, blood vessels and the fragility of bones (Ford et al., 2021; Mathe et al., 2017; Pham & Nguyen, 2019). While Ford et al. (2021) and Mathe et al. (2017) focus on the well-known negative consequences of diabetes, such as an increased risk of heart and vascular disease, while Pham and Nguyen (2019) consider a lesser-known effect of diabetes, such as an increased risk of fractures. Pham and Nguyen (2019) find this complication to be associated with a low trabecular bone score in people living with diabetes. In addition, although the authors do not mention these complications in their studies, vision disability and lower limb amputation are also common consequences of diabetes (”Coexisting conditions,” 2020; “Cost-effectiveness of diabetes,” 2021). However, all scientists agree that learning the details, and educating health professionals and the public are necessary preventive measures.
For this reason, scientists focus on problematic issues and options for solving them. According to the World Health Organization, one of the effective preventive methods for diabetes is physical activity (“Diabetes,” 2021). Mathe et al. (2017) and Ford et al. (2021) consider this measure and find that most people at high risk of diabetes do not do the recommended amount of exercise or other activity, namely 150 minutes per week. More precisely, Mathe et al. (2017) found that only 10% of respondents performed the recommended amount of physical activity per week, while in the study by Ford et al. (2021), the recommendation was followed by 24.8% of the participants. For this reason, intervention should be directed toward solving the problem of insufficient physical activity.
Researchers mention the need to take action to increase physical activity in people with prediabetes or diabetes but take different approaches. Ford et al. (2021), in contrast to Mathe et al. (2017), not only identifies the problem but also develops an educational program to determine whether the provision of information can increase participants’ physical activity and reduce the risks associated with diabetes. The study demonstrated that lectures and personalized meal plans for participants positively impacted their lifestyles and reduced the risk of diabetes (Ford et al., 2021). However, this program does not include the information on increased bone fragility found by Pham and Nguyen (2019). Since exercise and physical activity increase the risk of injury, program participants should be aware of the increased likelihood of fractures and take additional measures to ensure their safety. Consequently, this information should be communicated to the participants and considered by dietitians when developing individual plans. Thus, the research results demonstrate that an intervention such as an educational program adjusted for the US cultural context and findings of an increased risk of fractures should be used to prevent diabetes and its consequences.
Conclusion
Therefore, the analysis of the facts demonstrates that diabetes is a severe health problem in the United States as the disease is becoming more and more prevalent among Americans, mainly due to the lack of preventive measures. However, a simple intervention such as educational programs for people at high risk of diabetes aimed at promoting healthy habits and active lifestyles can reduce this problem. The research presented in the paper demonstrates that people need information about healthy eating and safe ways to increase physical activity to reduce the risks of diabetes. Thus, this intervention will promote the population’s health and reduce the costs associated with diabetes treatment, which is a significant benefit for the national health care system.
References
Coexisting conditions and complications. (2020).
Cost-effectiveness of diabetes interventions. (2021).
Diabetes. (2021).
Ford, C. N., Do, W. L., Weber, M. B., Narayan, K., Ranjani, H., & Anjana, R. M. (2021). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity changes in a diabetes prevention intervention randomized trial among South Asians with prediabetes – The D-CLIP trial. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 174.
Ho-Pham, L. T., & Nguyen, T. V. (2019). Association between trabecular bone score and type 2 diabetes: A quantitative update of evidence. Osteoporosis International, 30(10), 2079–2085.
Mathe, N., Boyle, T., Al Sayah, F., Mundt, C., Vallance, J. K., Johnson, J. A., & Johnson, S. T. (2017). Correlates of accelerometer-assessed physical activity and sedentary time among adults with type 2 diabetes. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 108(4), 355–361.