The Urban Health Problem Of Diabetes Among African Americans Essay

The incidences of diabetes are growing annually, and predicted to increase within the coming decades. The number of cases yearly is not only increasing, but the age of onset for diabetes has decreased. This means more individuals are developing diabetes at an earlier age. Diabetes not only affects individuals and communities but countries as well. The prevalence of diabetes has gathered billions of dollars in healthcare costs. [1]Type 2 diabetes also leads to other serious medical conditions such as heart disease, renal failure, blindness, and tissue damage in extremities that will eventually lead to amputation. These illnesses, as a result, result in further costs in the form of disability and the loss of a portion of our workforce. However, incidences of type 2 diabetes are in higher occurrence amongst Hispanic groups. According to the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Mexican Americans have an unusually high prevalence of diabetes compared to that of the general population [2]. Hispanic females have the highest lifetime risk of becoming diabetic – 52% [3], compared to that of the average risk of

According to the American Diabetes Association, more Americans die each year from diabetes than from AIDS and breast cancer combined. As a result, researchers have extensively studied the causes, treatments, and interventions for diabetes. Despite efforts to ameliorate its effects, diabetes remains a prevalent danger in society. In 2014, 7% of U.S. adults were living with diagnosed diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016). In Louisiana that number was even higher - 10.4% of adults have been diagnosed with diabetes. Breaking it down by age group, however, in Louisiana 3% of people aged 18 and 44 have been diagnosed, and 15.2% of people 45-64. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015a). Several studies have predicted future rates of diabetes both in the United States and worldwide - nearly all of these studies reached a similar conclusion: rates of diabetes will continue to rise (Boyle et al., 2001).

African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives living in N.D are twice as likely to have diabetes than Whites.

Health is a state of well being, and ideally, in an equal society, all people should be provided with the necessary tools to maintain that state of health. Ideals are mere fantasies, however, since even the most developed countries fall victim to health inequities. These inequities are avoidable inequalities in health between different groups of people. African Americans are among many other groups of people that fall victim to a system that, sometimes inconspicuously creates barriers wherein people cannot adequately arm themselves with the tools to remain healthy. One of the most common health inequities among African Americans is the HIV/AIDs virus. This viruses significance is relatively recent in human history, but the damage it has

The Mississippi Delta has many good aspects: heavenly food, ideal land for farming, the culture, and being the home of the Blues are just a few. However, there are many downsides to living in the delta, such as the racial segregation that still exists today, the poverty levels, the percentage of people alcohol and drugs, and health issues. These health issues include obesity, cancer due to the pesticides used in farming, drug/alcohol abuse, and diabetes. Diabetes is such a problem in the South that that it affects majority of the population, Dr. Joseph Assini said, “The Delta is the epicenter of the worldwide diabetes epidemic.” There are nearly twenty seven million people in the United States with Type 2 Diabetes, the disease prohibits the

Another health issue that African Americans struggle with is diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that involves the body producing high levels of blood glucose levels (Powers, Dodd & Noland, 2006). There are two types of diabetes; type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is known as the juvenile onset diabetes and caused by a lack of insulin production and secretion while type 2 is characterized by deficiency of insulin production, decreased production of insulin and increased insulin production and can usually be controlled by diet and exercise (Smeltzer & Bare, 2003). African Americans are twice as likely to

Over the past 30 years, the rate of diabetes in African American populations has tripled. Prevalence of diabetes in adults is 1.4 times as frequent in African Americans as in Caucasians. The increased prevalence is not dependent on gender.2 Additionally, nearly half of adults who meet the criteria for

Diabetes relates to a gathering of sicknesses that is described by an uncommonly expanded measure of glucose in the blood of the individual. As a result of this, the individual encounters issues in the lack of insulin. This ailment can bring about huge difficulties that can even murder the individual who has this condition. In any case, the uplifting news is that diabetic individuals can have the capacity to do certain measures to ensure that they can deal with this infection and diminish the likelihood that more difficulties would raise. Diabetes is really one of the essential drivers of mortality and insufficiency in America, and the general costs associated with the treatment of this infection is evaluated to around the $200 billion consistently. This essay will talk about the urban wellbeing issue of diabetes among African Americans.

An aggregate-level health problem that I have identified in the Berks county community is the lack of understanding of diabetes care management within the community. The host within this problem is the large population of patients who are diabetic within the community that remains noncompliant with their diabetic care managements. I truly believe that the primary causative agent is the language barrier that stands between care givers and the patients that they serve. Another reason causing the continuance of this issue is the patients' cultural cuisine background that has been engraved and nurtured in them, which makes it highly difficult for the patients to be able to change their diet despite the negative effects that it poses on their medical conditions. Another factor that poses as a causative agent to this health problem within the community is the lack of economic resources that is within many patients reach. A lot of patients simply cannot afford the medications necessary to manage their

Compared with other ethnic groups, African Americans have the highest prevalence of diagnosed diabetes. African Americans endure a disproportionate burden of the morbidity and mortality allied with diabetes1. African Americans have a high rate of diabetic complications, due to poor glycemic control and racial disparities in the USA. Unfortunately, Racial and ethnic minorities in the USA obtain lower quality health care.

Among the races the Indians showed the highest prevalence of 19.9 percent, the malys 11.9 percent and last the Chinese showing 11.4 percent. Lecthuman ET .al (2010). In America diabetes is one of the major killers among African Americans today. 4.9 million African-American adults, or 18.7% of all African Americans ≥ 20 years of age, have diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes, compared to 7.1% of non-Hispanic white

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, "[By 1993] death certificates listed diabetes as the fifth leading cause of death for Blacks aged 45 to 64, and the third leading cause of death for those aged 65 and older in 1990.” (Bailey, 2007). These statistics show how serious the problem of diabetes has become in the black community. Epidemiological studies can focus the efforts of the healthcare community to effective interventions aimed at lowering the prevalence and incidence of diabetes among African Americans.

According to the CDC (n.d.) the number of pre-diabetics in the state has increased by 11,000 between the years of 2011 and 2013. While the national age-adjusted rate for diabetics remained steady at 9% between the years of 2011 and 2013, Mississippi’s diagnosed diabetic’s rate rose from 11.6% to 12% (CDC, n.d.). The mortality rate from diabetes is “the seventh largest in the U.S. and is listed on 234,051 death certificates” (CDC, 2014). This is not the most accurate representation due to the fact that diabetes has many sequel of the disease and thus there are secondary cause’s deaths (CDC, 2014).

In this article, authors completed a literature review to address how culturally tailored education can improve self-care in African Americans with type 2 diabetes. The authors reviewed ten research articles that focused on effective communication for promoting healthy lifestyle changes and improved self-care. Combined the articles addressed cultural issues surrounding diet, education, disease management, life stressors, goal setting, and problem setting in the African American community. In each study the targeted population was found to have desired outcome when the education provided was culturally sensitive. In addition to culturally sensitive education, the authors also noted that willingness to change and self-motivation are also necessary

     According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, about 17 million Americans have diabetes and every year about 1 million more age 20 or older are diagnosed with the disorder. People who are overweight, do not exercise, and are 30 years or older are more likely to get the disease (especially type 2 diabetes). People who are also of African American, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, Alaskan