Diabetes Mellitus: Type 1 Overview & Stats - Essay Sample

Introduction

Brief Background: Diabetes Mellitus is a general name for metabolic diseases linked with a severe hyperglycemic condition, which is associated with deficient secretion of insulin, the impact of insulin, or both (Ozougwu, 2017). Thus, Type 1 diabetes is a body disorder in which the body does not produce enough insulin for the control of blood sugar levels. It is also referred to as insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes.

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Statistics: According to WHO (2018), 422 million people globally are living with diabetes with a higher number for developing countries, and approximately 1.6 million fatalities annually directly attributed to diabetes. Moreover, the number has been in an upward trajectory over the last decade. Around 1.25 million Americans suffer T1D, and it is projected that by 2050 5 million will be having the disease (WHO, 2018).

Most affected group: T1D is a disorder that is common with young people before the age of 45, and in the united states, age 14 is the peak for the disease.

Project relevance: A study conducted by Guifeng et al. (2018) on the prevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among the US adults between 2016 and 2017, showed that T1D is more prevalent among the adults as compared with T2D which is prevalent in older people.

Target Population: Targeted population Range is between 35-45 of age. The range is a group of young and energetic adults who are vulnerable to type 1 diabetes.

Demographics of the target population: in 2018, 34.2 million Americans had diabetes, and in this number, 26.8 million were diagnosed. A higher percentage of older people was prevalent. About 210,000 youth were estimated to have been diagnosed with diabetes (James, 2006).

Literacy and Rationale: The target group of 35-45 are mature adults who have completed education and currently comfortable in their careers. The majority of this population is literate and responsible members of society.

Objectives

After completing this campaign, the audience will be able to

• Tell type 1 diabetes from diabetes mellitus.
• Understand the prevalence of T1D in terms of age.
• Understand the impact of type 1 diabetes.
• Know how to manage the disorder.

Conceptual Framework: Developing a communication health campaign on type 1 diabetes targeting the population of between 35-45. Previous studies have proved that conducting campaigns on health matters is an ideal tool for reaching out to the population.

Description of the Theory: campaign costs are rising, ad, social media advertising is a critical platform for passing information. Thus, mass media is an effective method for communicating high proportions of information to large masses who can access televisions set, radio, newspapers, and smartphones (Wakefield MA, 2010)Main propositions: To reach people under the age of 35-45 in the population and to ensure the target population fully understand the concept of type 1 diabetes.

Subtopic: Management of Type 1 Diabetes

Rational of choosing the theory: The statistics on the prevalence of type 1 diabetes among young adults and also the rising cases of the disease are alarming.

Literature review on prior research about the same disorder and ways of managing the diseases provided guidelines for developing both verbal and written messages.

A vast number of the target range of the population is literate and has access to the internet and other resources that enable them to receive our intended message.

Communication Channels/Vehicles

For our communication channels, radio, televisions, and social media will be used to reach the target population.

Evidence: Radio remains the most effective and cost-saving medium for campaigns since an enormous number of people have radios in their houses and their cars (Barth, 2006). Social media also is among the top highly used platforms, and the probability of reaching the targeted audience is high.

Strengths: The three media are easily accessed by the general population, especially the adults, as it is found in homes, vehicles, and pockets. The message is also transferred very fast.

Weaknesses: These media rely on network connectivity, and in poor connections areas, it may not be detected. Also, the competition from other campaigns is high, and therefore the targeted audience may miss out on the campaign message (Daniel, 2011).

Message Strategy

Key information message: Type 1 diabetes.

Benefits of the message: This is to highlight the risk perceptions, promote positive behaviors, influence the social norms, and increase the availability of support. Also, the audience will be empowered to improve their health conditions (D'Afflitti, 2003).

Communication Strategies

Rationale: Use of literature review strategies to widen the scope of knowledge and also to select an appropriate channel for the target audience.

Strength: Presence of vast wealth of information from researchers that have been proved to work and others have been shown why it does not work. Therefore, the decisions are fast based on available information.

Timeline: The communication is passed during the morning and evening hours when the audience is not at work. Furthermore, the campaign is repeated for a month.

Conclusion

At the end of the campaigns, we expect to have achieved our objectives, be able to reach around 90% of the targeted audience, and also that the campaign benefits the population.

References

Barth, O. L. (2006). Radio advertising in American political campaigns: The persistence, importance, and effects of narrowcasting. American Politics Research, 451-478.

D'Afflitti, M. C. (2003). Reconsidering community-based health promotion: promise, performance, and potential. American journal of public health, 557-574.

Daniel, C.-M. &. (2011). The role of mass media communication in public health. Health Management-Different Approaches and Solutions, 399-414.

James, W. J. (2006). A pilot study of school counselor's preparedness to serve students with diabetes: Relationship to selfreported diabetes training. Journal of School Health, 387-392.

Ozougwu, J. (2017). The pathogenesis and pathophysiology of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Academic Journals, 46-57.

Wakefield, MA, L. B. (2010). Use of mass media campaigns to change health behavior. Lancet, 1261-1271.

Wei Bao, F. B. (2018). Prevalence of diagnosed type 1 and type 2 diabetes among US adults in 2016 and 2017: a population-based study. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, 362.

WHO. (2018, 08 30). Diabetes. Retrieved from World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes