The Prevention and Control the Type-2 Diabetes Research

Overview and Background

Diabetes is a serious health problem affecting the people of Spokane County in Washington State. According to the Center for Disease and Prevention, in the United States, roughly there were 7.6% of adults living with type 2 diabetes in Spokane Country between 2004 and 2006 (Spokane Regional Health District, 2008). Out of these patients, the majority are adults who account for a total of 25,200 living with diabetes and aged 48 years and above. Most of the patients were men (Spokane Regional Health District, 2008). In fact, once the people of Washington State hit the 45-year mark, men become more prevalent to being diagnosed with diabetes as compared to the women (Washington State Department of Health, 2017).

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Given the high prevalence of the disease, it is apparent that prevention, treatment, and management of type 2 diabetes should be given a priority by the Regional Health District that is in charge of the well-being of the people of Spokane. Type 2 diabetes is a controllable disease yet it can still lead to deaths if it is not properly managed. Type 2 diabetes can primarily be prevented or managed through changing lifestyle to manage risk factors such as obesity, lack of exercise and smoking (Asif, 2014). The major health problem in Spokane County is that many people live with the disease unaware because they are not medically insured making it hard for them to undergo regular diagnostic checks and manage the disease. Unawareness of the disease or failure to seek medical advice makes the population to ignore crucial prevention measures such as eating a healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise.

Therefore, this strategic plan aims to address issues relating to obesity and lack of exercise as part of primary prevention strategy in controlling type 2 diabetes among the people of Spokane County. Obesity and lack of exercise are lifestyle issues which when managed, can greatly reduce the chances of an individual developing type 2 diabetes. For instance, eating a balanced diet reduces the chances of obesity and thus avoiding accumulation of excess glucose in the body. Likewise, exercise reduces glucose through the burning of excess calories and reducing chances of type 2 diabetes.

Objectives

The strategy aims at getting people to attend regular diagnostic tests for type 2 diabetes, get to be aware of the disease and the lifestyle they should choose as a way of primary prevention of the disease. To achieve this purpose, the strategy shall be guided by the following objectives;

At the end of six months of the strategic plan, the Regional Health District will have tested 75% of the adults in Spokane County for diagnosis, so that prevention, treatment, and management programs are rolled out

By the end of the first year of the strategic plan, the Regional Health District should have reached out to 75% of the adult population in Spokane County to sensitize them on proper diet to reduce obesity and avoid chances of developing diabetes

At the end of the first year of the strategic plan, the Regional Health District will have reached out to 75% of the adult population in Spokane County to sensitize them on the importance of daily exercise as a way of preventing diabetes.

Interventions

The strategic health plan shall comprise of two interventions aligned to the root causes of type 2 diabetes and which are aimed to target primary prevention, treatment, and management of the disease. These interventions are anti-obesity campaigns and sensitizing people on the importance of exercise.

Anti-Obesity Campaigns

Obesity is a problem prevalent among the United States citizens. 30% of adults are obese (American Association of Diabetes Educators, 2014). Obesity has always been a major contributor to type 2 diabetes among adults. In fact, about 80% of the type 2 diabetes patients in the United States are considered overweight American Association of Diabetes Educators, 2014). Undoubtedly, delaying or preventing type 2 diabetes can be achieved through the adoption of a campaign to sensitize people against obesity.

In the proposed health strategic plan, the healthcare educators will address the needs of the people who have already developed type 2 diabetes as well as those who have not. For the people who already have type 2 diabetes, the healthcare educators will educate them on self-management. For example, patients can be trained on healthy eating and being active as ways of managing weight. Individuals are assisted to set weight loss goals as one of the management strategies for type 2 diabetes. Also, they will be advised on the diet to take.

For the people who have not yet developed type 2 diabetes, the campaign and education shall focus on healthy eating. The educators shall help people understand the effect of food on blood glucose and appropriate meal planning to reduce intake of calories that lead to obesity. The educators shall address issues such as portion sizes, planning and preparing meals, reading food labels and appropriate meal times.

For the anti-obesity campaign through healthy eating to be successful, the educators have to be tactful. They should individualize nutrition-related goals, establish patient-centered partnership by using counseling and empathetic communication strategies, tailor healthy eating advice to individual's religion and culture, encourage appropriate intake and portions and advocate for the availability of affordable and healthy beverages and food.

Sensitizing People on Exercise as a Way of Preventing and Managing Type 2 Diabetes

Physical exercise is essential for weight management, and weight management is a crucial part of managing type 2 diabetes (American Association of Diabetes Educators, 2014). This means that for both the people with type 2 diabetes and those who have not yet developed, physical exercise is good for their healthy living, preventing and managing the disease. For the people already living with type 2 diabetes, the educators will devise an exercise plan for them according to their needs to help them manage their weight and the disease. On the other hand, those people who have not yet developed type 2 diabetes, the educators will sensitize them on the importance of exercise as a strategy towards preventing diabetes and highlight various exercises that can suit each individual. The physical exercises should be matched with individual's abilities, resources, interests, and health status. For diabetic individuals, physical exercises should be prescribed whereas the healthy ones advised on a range of exercises they can choose from.

Evaluation Plan

To ensure that the interventions proposed are successful, there needs to be an evaluation plan with measures for each intervention. For the anti-obesity campaign, two measures are identified; weight loss and availability of healthy and affordable food. Data on weight loss shall be collected from individuals during regular scheduled visits to the local areas. Also during those visits, assessment of health food and beverages shall be undertaken by visiting food and beverage stores. Likewise, measures for active physical exercise shall be measured by weight loss and number of times an individual participates in an exercise. Individuals will be asked to establish a schedule where they will be entering the number of times involved in a physical exercise and for how long.

Results from the measurements shall be used to improve the programs by gauging their effectiveness. For example, where an individual scores low, his or her plans will be revised including eating and meal plans and physical exercise portfolio. This will ensure that changes are made to match individual's abilities to necessary physical exercise and meal choice.

Conclusion

Type 2 diabetes is a healthy concern that needs to be addressed as it affects significant portion of the population and may lead to deaths. Type 2 diabetes is majorly caused by lifestyle relate issues including obesity and lack of physical exercise. In designing a strategic plan to prevent, treat and manage diabetes among the people of Spokane County, the healthcare team can undertake steps towards addressing lifestyle issues. This can be achieved through anti-obesity campaigns and sensitizing as well as encouraging people those with and without type 2 diabetes to make regular physical exercises. These two interventions help people control weight. By controlling weight, they can prevent, treat or manage type 2 diabetes because obesity, resulting from poor diet and exercise and leading to the development of the disease, shall have been addressed. These interventions shall be evaluated based on data collected from every individual included in the strategic plan. An evaluation shall provide insights on areas for improvement which may include revising individual exercise and diet plans.

References

American Association of Diabetes Educators, (2014). Obesity and Diabetes AADE practice synopsis, retrieved on March 02 2018 from, https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiz6bPXlpzaAhVCkSwKHYDDBEgQFgg9MAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabeteseducator.org%2Fdocs%2Fdefault-source%2Fdefault-document-library%2F2014_aade_annual_report.pdf%3Fsfvrsn%3D0&usg=AOvVaw1HbGQdni_r7YMhaS-ZZqrv

Asif, M. (2014). The prevention and control the type-2 diabetes by changing lifestyle and dietary pattern. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 3.

Spokane Regional Health District. (2008). Diabetes in Spokane County. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from Spokane Regional Health District: https:/srhd.org/media/documents/Diabetes20081.pdf

Washington State Department. (2017). Diabetes epidemiv and action report: 2017 Update. Washington: Washington state departmeht of health. Retrived February 12, 2018, from https://www.doh.wa.gov/portals/1/documents/pubs/345-349-diabetesepidemicsactionreport.pdf