Risk Factor
Diabetes mellitus type II or simply diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar. This condition arises from insulin resistance and in some cases a relative lack of insulin (Kommoju, & Reddy, 2011; Xinli, Huijie, Yan, & Yan, 2013). A review of my family background reveals that I am at considerable risk of developing diabetes in my lifetime. A critical examination of the existing literature on the causes of diabetes reveals that a group of genes is involved in most cases of diabetes (Kommoju, & Reddy, 2011). Within my family, my maternal grandmother suffered from diabetes from her early forties. Furthermore, one of my maternal uncles and paternal aunts have both been diagnosed with diabetes. Currently I am seven months…show more content… Studies show that intensive lifestyle based strategies can halve the risk of developing diabetes (Penn, White, Lindström, den Boer, Blaak, Eriksson, Feskens, Ilanne-Parikka, Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi, Walker, Mathers, Uusitupa, & Tuomilehto, 2013). Moreover, the gains made from exercise are independent of the weight of a person. This shows that regular exercising can reduce the risk of diabetes regardless of my weight. However, there is very limited evidence on the effectiveness of dietary changes without regular exercising (Penn et al., 2013).
The increase in the rates of diabetes is blamed on poor attitudes towards exercise and healthy eating (Rawal, Tapp, Williams, Chan, Yasin, & Oldenburg, 2012). Most adults that suffer from diabetes have access to information on the causes of the disease and the personal measures they could have taken to minimize the risk. Poor attitude towards exercise and healthy eating affects the willingness to transform knowledge on prevention of diabetes to actionable plans and the implementation of these plans. Social factors such as ethnicity play critical roles in influencing the perceptions people develop towards health information. Cultural values and beliefs regarding food can negatively affect the adoption of strategies that target healthy eating and regular exercising. Therefore, individuals have to reflect on their value systems to determine and