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Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Decent Essays

1. Choose a public health topic for a specific population group and/or age group There are a multitude of public health topics that are affected by policy and intervention. One disease that is extremely prevalent in society is Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), which is primarily affected by individuals between forty to sixty years of age (Olokoba, Obateru, & Olokoba, 2012).
2. Provide a brief description of the topic. Discuss the magnitude of the problem (e.g., trends in incidence/prevalence, policies, etc.) and its public health significance. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is considered the most common form of diabetes, considering that this form accounts for 90-95% of cases (Simon, 2002). With this type of diabetes, the body does not have the …show more content…

In this case, most individuals who are afflicted with this disease are between the ages of forty to sixty, which may be a result of certain social determinants. There are five main social determinants that influence the prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The first socio-ecological determinant is culture and community support, which pertains to the individual’s culture and how they view T2DM (Clark & Utz, 2014). Often, in this age group, if the community does not provide support and if there is a negative culture perception of the disease, there will not be a high number of individuals that partake in self-care for T2DM. Another factor is access to medical care, which implies that if people do not have access to care, he or she will not be able to screen for T2DM, or receive treatment to control the disease (Clark & Utz, 2014). Education is a crucial factor, since there is a direct link between educational attainment and improved health outcomes (Clark & Utz, 2014). In this age group, if individuals are uneducated about the disease, they are most likely unaware of the risk factors and treatment options for T2DM. Another factor is economic stability, which has a direct correlation with health outcomes (Clark & Utz, 2014). Thus, if a person is of higher socio-economic status, he, or she in this age group, is more likely to obtain medical

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